Publication Abstracts

Acting: An Introduction to the Art and Craft of Playing(Allyn & Bacon, 2007)
Acting cannot be learned from a book—you have to do it to learn it. But, a book does provide an important aspect of training that is often overlooked in the rush of producing and rehearsing a play or in the precious minutes of a class. In addition to just doing it, you must reflect upon the doing. This book is a companion to work in class, in rehearsal and on stage. My hope is that it amplifies, verifies, and supports the learning opportunities your teacher/coach provides. Class time should be devoted to practice. The book is a guide for what is to come and a reference for what has occurred. It is where theory converges with practice. The best players are always students of the game. You must understand the game—not only how to play, but what, exactly, you are playing, and why. The best players are masters of the subtleties and nuances of the game because they understand the essence and nature of the game. The best players also always return to the fundamentals of the game, to enrich both their understanding and their skill in playing.
When working on a scene in class or beginning the rehearsal process for a show, the beginning actor typically asks, “how should I say this line?” Constantin Stanilslavski, the great Russian actor, director, acting teacher of the early 20^th century (see text box) said that the central question for the actor is, “how shall I do this?” About fifty years later, another genius of the theater, Jerzy Grotowski (see text box) posed the question in this way: “how shall I not do this?” (1968: 207) All three questions amount to the same thing—acting is doing. What follows is an approach to acting that I believe deals with the central challenge for the actor—performing clear and effective actions.

Random Acts
in Method Acting Reconsidered: Theory, Practice, Future. David Krasner, editor. St. Martin's Press. New York. August 2000.
There are as many acting techniques as there are actors. No single approach will serve all actors. However, any single approach may serve a single actor no matter the genre or form. Certainly, the Method can be utilized by an actor in Hamletmachine, just as, for example, the Viewpoints technique can be used by an actor in Take Her, She’s Mine. While it may be argued whether one approach or another is preferable for working on Hamletmachine or Take Her, She’s Mine, my goal is to demonstrate that training in the Method is acceptable preparation for work in a variety of genres and forms. But specifically, the Method is exceptionally good preparation for the actor working in so-called non-realistic, experimental, avant-garde theatre.

The Four Fundamental Verbs: An Approach to Playing Action
--Theatre Topics, Volume 9, Number 2. September 1999.
This article posits that four verbs--push, pull, hold, and release--are the fundamental building blocks from which all actions arise. By learning to focus energy, or Ki, via these verbs, the actor may immediately apply actions grounded in the body to a variety of performance material.