Approaches To Acting: Past And Present (continuum Collection)
by Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe /
2001 / English / PDF
12.7 MB Download
For centuries the theatre has been one of the major forms of art.
How did acting, and its institutionalization in the theatre,
begin in the first place? In some cultures complex stories relate
the origin of acting and the theatre. And over time, approaches
to acting have changed considerably. In the West, until the end
of the 19th century, those changes occurred within the realm of
acting itself, focusing on the question of whether acting should
be 'natural' or 'formal.' Approaches to acting were closely
related to the trends in culture at large. Acting became more and
more professional and sophisticated as philosophical theories
developed and knowledge in the human sciences increased. In the
20th century, the director was established as the most important
force in the theater--able to lead actors to pinnacles of their
art which they could not have achieved on their own. Approaches
to acting in non-Western cultures follow quite different
patterns. This book provides a clear overview of different
approaches to acting, both historical and contemporary, Western
and non-Western, and concludes with a challenge to the future of
the art.
For centuries the theatre has been one of the major forms of art.
How did acting, and its institutionalization in the theatre,
begin in the first place? In some cultures complex stories relate
the origin of acting and the theatre. And over time, approaches
to acting have changed considerably. In the West, until the end
of the 19th century, those changes occurred within the realm of
acting itself, focusing on the question of whether acting should
be 'natural' or 'formal.' Approaches to acting were closely
related to the trends in culture at large. Acting became more and
more professional and sophisticated as philosophical theories
developed and knowledge in the human sciences increased. In the
20th century, the director was established as the most important
force in the theater--able to lead actors to pinnacles of their
art which they could not have achieved on their own. Approaches
to acting in non-Western cultures follow quite different
patterns. This book provides a clear overview of different
approaches to acting, both historical and contemporary, Western
and non-Western, and concludes with a challenge to the future of
the art.