
Acting
Keywords and Concepts
John Matthews(Author)
Methuen Drama (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 19. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
152 pages
978-1-350-38722-5 (ISBN)
Description
An accessible and authoritative compendium of key concepts in acting, this book reveals how the craft has been understood by the world's leading practitioners and theorists.
What is 'truthful' acting? Am I 'freeing the voice' and being 'authentic' in my performance? The idioms of acting can both delight and confound. While enthusiastic theatregoers and aspiring actors may be attracted to studio slang, theorists and practitioners of the craft will argue fiercely over the meaning and use of professional terms, while academics dispute the very philosophical basis of concepts such as 'emotion' and 'imagination', 'believability' and 'character'. Acting: Keywords and Concepts is for readers from all these communities of interest and it provides a practical and reliable evidence-based account of the most significant ideas about acting in circulation today.
It is the first book in the field to use innovative computational analysis to produce a comprehensive critical investigation of concepts and terms from a vast corpus of over 1,000 books on acting. By mining the world's largest digitized database of literary sources on the craft, it provides the most complete and wide-ranging account of the ideas and ideals that define the craft of acting.
Organized in digestible sections with pithy 'keyword' sub-headings, this book makes key concepts easily referenceable and reveals the politics and ideologies at play in both dominant and niche acting schools and traditions, indicating how ideas and practices have developed over time as well as where acting theory and practice is heading.
Acting: Keywords and Concepts will prove an indispensable companion to anyone interested in the craft of acting and the meaning of its key ideas.
What is 'truthful' acting? Am I 'freeing the voice' and being 'authentic' in my performance? The idioms of acting can both delight and confound. While enthusiastic theatregoers and aspiring actors may be attracted to studio slang, theorists and practitioners of the craft will argue fiercely over the meaning and use of professional terms, while academics dispute the very philosophical basis of concepts such as 'emotion' and 'imagination', 'believability' and 'character'. Acting: Keywords and Concepts is for readers from all these communities of interest and it provides a practical and reliable evidence-based account of the most significant ideas about acting in circulation today.
It is the first book in the field to use innovative computational analysis to produce a comprehensive critical investigation of concepts and terms from a vast corpus of over 1,000 books on acting. By mining the world's largest digitized database of literary sources on the craft, it provides the most complete and wide-ranging account of the ideas and ideals that define the craft of acting.
Organized in digestible sections with pithy 'keyword' sub-headings, this book makes key concepts easily referenceable and reveals the politics and ideologies at play in both dominant and niche acting schools and traditions, indicating how ideas and practices have developed over time as well as where acting theory and practice is heading.
Acting: Keywords and Concepts will prove an indispensable companion to anyone interested in the craft of acting and the meaning of its key ideas.
Reviews / Votes
The methodology that the author uses is nothing short of astonishing - we often speak of interdisciplinary connections and work with other disciplines, and this is one of the most developed and important connections with another discipline that I have ever seen. * Stefan Aquilina, University of Malta *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 157 mm
Width: 234 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
190 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-38722-5 (9781350387225)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Persons
John Matthews is Head of the School of Society and Culture at University of Plymouth, UK.
Content
Acknowledgements
1. The Polus Preface
2. Acting
3. Actor
4. Character
5. Body
6. Play
7. Movement
8. Emotion
9. Truth & Truthfulness
10. Voice
11. Actress
12. Imagination
13. Status
14. Believable
15. Authenticity
16. A Statistically Irrelevant Keyword
17. The Polus Postface
Bibliography
Index
1. The Polus Preface
2. Acting
3. Actor
4. Character
5. Body
6. Play
7. Movement
8. Emotion
9. Truth & Truthfulness
10. Voice
11. Actress
12. Imagination
13. Status
14. Believable
15. Authenticity
16. A Statistically Irrelevant Keyword
17. The Polus Postface
Bibliography
Index

