Acting Narrative Speeches: The Actor As Storyteller

Narrative speeches, both classical and contemporary, are used to reveal how an actor can discover the inherent energy, the essence and the subtextual colors of every word and sentence of a dramatic speech. This book clearly demonstrates that any memorable performance needs far more than acting technique alone. In eighteen chapters actor/director/teacher, Tim McDonough defines in depth how an actor can find the often overlooked subtieties that create characters with dimension and moments of heightened reality. The text's four sections teach the actor how to create radiant, dramatic imagery with: 1. Story Sense, 2. Sound Sense, 3. Shape Sense, 4. Inner Conflict Developed by Layering Together Opposite Energies. Adaptable as a supplementary text for courses in acting from the secondary to the graduate level. Recommended as a work manual for professional actors seeking to illuminate a superior performance. Sample chapters include: Choosing a Narrative Speech. Setting the Scene, Gesture, Movement, Onomatopoela, Rhythm, Fades and Builds, Architecture, Opposites, Layering. If You Are Working On a Speech by Shakespeare, Shopping for Speeches.