So Therefore...: A Practical Guide For Actors

"Every scene or action or speech has a So Therefore. It is the goal, the ultimate statement of the character. You should know the So Therefore as you begin your scene...The climax and the payoff is the So Therefore." from Al Ruscio's preface When working through a scene with a student, renowned actor and acting teacher Al Ruscio will keep asking them, "So therefore, what?" to encourage them to analyse a character's specific response to a situation, rather than the situation itself. So Therefore...interweaves tried-and-tested practical exercises with sound advice, and illustrative tales from Ruscio's remarkable career, to form a training handbook as uniquely pragmatic as his favourite phrase. Breaking down his method into three broad focuses, Ruscio considers: Warming Up including relaxation, going "beyond the words" and emotional recall; Scene Work ranging from specific character analysis to recognising the spine of the play as a who≤ The Play building from the idea of the play and its "special qualities" into characterization and blocking. But So Therefore...also reflects wisely on such diverse subjects as Stage versus Film, and Stamina, Luck and Chutzpah. Enriching and generous, it is the culmination of a career that has taken in dozens of major motion pictures, and spans the entire history of television as well as half a century spent training actors.