Playing Shakespeare: An Actor's Guide

by John Barton and John Barton

Book Overview

Playing Shakespeare is the premier guide to understanding and appreciating the mastery of the world's greatest playwright. Together with Royal Shakespeare Company actors-among them Patrick Stewart, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Ben Kingsley, and David Suchet-John Barton demonstrates how to adapt Elizabethan theater for the modern stage. The director begins by explicating Shakespeare's verse and prose, speeches and soliloquies, and naturalistic and heightened...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385720858
• ISBN13: 9780385720854
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A must own for those trying to learn or act Shakespeare

I was in a Production of Henry V and this book was a godsend. My friend Jesse let me borrow it and when I got to the last chapter I bought my own copy. It has been a tremendous help to read what so many of my favorite actors had to say about Shakespeare ( Well they were all in the RSC at that time). If you don't like Shakespeare, 'GASP', the analysis presented can be effective for most other acting. Plus it has McKellen, Dench, Stewart, Kingsley, and Suchet all giving their experiance. A MUST BUY!!!

Peeking Under the Words

Though not an actor in the general sense of the word, as a teacher I often act a part in class to initiate attempts from my students. Hence, I am a frequent reader of the available works purporting to an understanding of Shakespeare's plays and the intents of the characters.So it is with some experience that I award this book the five stars; it is simply the best unmasking of Shakespeare's characters and intentions that I've come across; and, because the reader must imagine adjustments players make to the author's suggestions as they work through the lines, it engages the reader actively in the interpretation of scenes from chosen works.If you want to penetrate further into the work of this towering genius who somehow knew so much about the human condition, read this work. I cannot recommend it more entirely.

How can this book be out of print!?

Barton's careful method and artful writing combine to create a powerful primer on the actor's responsibilities to the text, the character, and the play. This is a must-have-must-read for anyone preparing for the profession.

A Wonderful Introduction For Actors and Non-Actors Alike

John Bardon, with the assistance of the players from the Royal Shakespeare Company, presents with great zest and humor not merely the mechanics of speaking the verse of Shakespeare, but the sense of the Style of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Age. The actors demonstrate all of the means by which they have discovered the characters they portray and make their own, and their great fortune in the legacy of the RSC. They have absorbed with passion and insight the very beings of another time. I wish, when I was a young actor, that I had had John Bardon as a teacher of verse drama. It took me years to find anyone who could teach me the basic, uncomplicated approach to verse I found in this book. May I just add, I also saw the London Weekend Television production on which the book is based and it was magical. The book reinforces my memory of the living actors, most of whom are favorites of mine who I have seen in all types of productions. However, it is not necessary to have seen that program to appreciate and learn from the book. Highly, highly recommended.

One of the must-have books for any serious stage actor.

I first read Playing Shakespeare when I was still in high school, and have reread it at least three or four times since then. A definite must-read for any serious stage performer. An eye-opener for anyone struggling with a Shakespearean role or character. Very literary, but easy to get into and understand. You have to read it for yourself! Definitely worth the price.