Free to Act An Integrated Approach to Acting

Each chapter concludes with a summary.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Exercises.

Introduction.
The Nature of the Dramatic Situation.
Acting in the Dramatic Situation.
Understanding Acting Technique.
Acting Through Improvisation.

I. Preparing the Body to Act.

1. Centering.
Center.
Kinesthetic Awareness.
Relaxation.
Alignment.
Respiration.
Balance, Coordination, Flexibility, and Strength.
Rediscovering Center.
The Actor's Neutral.

2. Voice.
Feeling the Voice.
The Process of Vocal Production.
Sound and Speech.
Taking Pleasure from Sound.
Opening the Vocal Passage.
Resonance.
Articulation.
Sound and Emotion.
Sound and Movement Integration.
Words and Feelings.

3. Filling the Theatrical Space.
Energized Performance.
Life Energy and Theatrical Energy.
Enlarging Expression.
Centering and Energy.
Directing Energy.
Purpose, Concentration, and Energy.
Environment as Physical Energy.
Character and Energy.

4. Developing Trust Through Physical Sharing.
Breaking Down Barriers.
Eliminating the Fear of Touching.
Surrendering Physical Control.
Shaping and Sharing and Improvisation.

5. The Warm-Up.
Getting Focused.
Creating the Warm-Up.
Group Warm-Ups.
Relating the Warm-Up to the Work.

II. Internalizing and Physicalizing the Dramatic Situation.

6. Communicating on Stage.
Listening and Taking In.
Personalizing.
Personalization and Subtext.

7. Given Circumstances.
Physicalizing the Given Circumstances.
Justification Through Given Circumstances.
Improvising the Given Circumstances.
Integrating the Given Circumstances.
Endowing the Given Circumstances with Emotional Meaning.

8. Objectives and Actions.
Objectives and Action Verbs.
Objectives Reflect Character and Circumstances.
Objectives and Obstacles.
Objectives and Actions as Tactical Adjustments.
Inner Action.
Integrating Technique.

9. The Psycho-Physical Connection.
Psychophysical Action.
Inner Action Justifies Physical Action.
Making Strong Physical Action Choices Speech is Action.
Action, Movement and Gesture.
Action Before Emotion or Emotions Before Action?

III. Understanding the Script.

10. The Elements of Dramatic Analysis.
The Process of Interpretation.
The Story.
Plot.
Superobjective and Dramatic Action.
Character and Dramatic Action.
Theme.
Style.
Genre.
Tempo and Rhythm.
The Scene as Microcosm of the Play.

11. Entering Your Character's World.
Discovering Your Character's Environment.
Who--The Start of the Search for Psychology of Character.
Writing a Character Biography.
The Psychological Past as Action in the Present.

12. Scoring the Scene.
Determining Objectives.
Beats and MovementsScoring the Beats.
Scoring the Action.
Line Readings as Spoken Action.
Building Beats and Actions into a Scene.

IV. The Integrated Process.

13. Creating a Character.
Thinking as Your Character.
Physicalizing Character.
Establishing Character Center.
Character Energy.
Character Rhythm and Tempo.
Character Alignment and Walk.
Voice and Character.
Characteristic Gesture.
Dressing a Character.
Personal and Costume Props.

14. The Rehearsal Process.
The Undirected Scene.
Rehearsal as Experiment and Exploration.
Late Rehearsal Check-up.
Preparing a Monologue.
Working with a Director.

Glossary of Theatrical Terms.

Bibliography.

Index.

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