The Actor in You serves as an introduction to beginning acting by helping students realize that they already possess the basic skills of an actor.This text enhances the studentrs"s appreciation of the art of acting by helping them realize that they already possess, in principle, the following skills: the ability to play a role, the ability to fulfill the sense of drama and to structure dramatic scenes, and the capacity to express emotion. Without losing its simplicity, directness, and enjoyable writing style, this revised and enlarged edition has benefited from helpful suggestions by teachers who have used it successfully in the classroom. Drawing exercises and examples from studentsrs" everyday lives and from well-known films and television programs, Benedetti succeeds in deducing dramatic principles from those experiences and then applying them to everyday life for artistic purpose. Still organized in sixteen steps meant to correspond to the weeks of a typical semester or school year, The Actor in You provides a direct, concise presentation and explanation of fundamentals for beginning students.Features Includes both individual and group exercises throughout to help students realize and experience the basic skills of acting. Provides balanced coverage of acting for both stage and camera by drawing on principles from film and television and extending them to the stage. Advocates an appreciation of a variety of styles, techniques, and approaches. Includes practical and helpful exercises at the conclusion of each chapter. Fits any liberal arts education program with its clarity, accessibility, and synthesis of current acting theories. Uses well-organized, clear, and concise writing to make it very user-friendly. About the AuthorA multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning film producer and distinguished teacher of acting, Robert Benedetti received his PhD from Northwestern University. He was an early member of Chicagors"s Second City Theatre, and then taught acting for over thirty years at schools such as Carnegie-Mellon University, The National Theatre School of Canada, and the University of California. He has directed at many regional theatres, including the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre and the Melbourne Theatre Company, and at various Shakespeare festivals. As President of Ted Dansonrs"s Anasazi Productions, he won Emmys for producing Miss Eversrs" Boys and A Lesson Before Dying for HBO. Benedetti has written six books on acting and film production, including THE ACTOR AT WORK and ACTION! Acting for Film and Television. He was Chairman of Theatre at York University in Toronto, Head of Acting Program at the Yale Drama School, and Dean of Theatre at The California Institute of the Arts. He is now on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Most recently Professor Benedetti was honored with the Lifetime Career Achievement Award for 2005 from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.Praise for The Actor in YouMr. Benedettirs"s text is concise and inspiring. Students will see it as an invaluable guide second only to their instructor. - Kimberly M. Chin, Bakersfield CollegeThe writing style is clear and to the point. Many acting textshellip;inundate the reader with anecdotes. My students like the fact that Benedetti gets to the point quickly and has practical exercises at the end of each chapter. - Bob Wagner,

Table of Contents

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Preface		xiii
About the Author		xv
PART I Understanding Acting		1	(30)
WHY STUDY ACTING?		1	(2)
STEP ONE What Does an Actor Do?		3	(6)
ACTING IN EVERYDAY LIFE		4	(1)
THE TRADITION OF THE ACTOR		5	(2)
GETTING INTO THE TRADITION		7	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 1		8	(1)
STEP TWO Action in Life and in Performance		9	(5)
ACTION IN EVERYDAY LIFE		10	(2)
ACTION AND DRAMA		12	(1)
BELIEVABILITY IN LIFE AND IN PERFORMANCE		12	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 2		13	(1)
STEP THREE Internal and External Action		14	(6)
INTERACTIONS		17	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 3		18	(2)
STEP FOUR Understanding Emotion and Character		20	(5)
EMOTION		20	(1)
CHARACTER AND THE MAGIC IF		21	(2)
THE ACTOR IN YOU		23	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 4		23	(2)
STEP FIVE The Actor's State of Mind		25	(3)
PUBLIC SOLITUDE		25	(1)
DUAL CONSCIOUSNESS		26	(1)
INDICATING		27	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 5		28	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART I		28	(3)
PART II Preparing Yourself to Act		31	(20)
THE CREATIVE STATE		31	(2)
STEP SIX Relaxation and Centering		33	(6)
RELAXATION		34	(2)
FINDING CENTER		36	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 6		38	(1)
STEP SEVEN Breathing, Sounding, and Moving from Center		39	(5)
YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GRAVITY		40	(1)
THE CYCLE OF ENERGY		41	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 7		43	(1)
STEP EIGHT Creating Together		44	(6)
CREATING A SCENE		48	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 8		49	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART II		50	(1)
PART III Preparing to Rehearse: Analyzing the Script		51	(22)
DISCIPLINE		51	(1)
THE PURPOSE OF ANALYSIS		52	(1)
SAMPLE SCENES		52	(1)
A SCENE OF YOUR OWN		53	(2)
STEP NINE Dramatic Function		55	(6)
THE FUNCTION OF SUPPORTING CHARACTERS AND INDIVIDUAL SCENES		56	(2)
FUNCTION AND RECOGNITION TRAITS		58	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 9		60	(1)
STEP TEN Play and Scene Structure		61	(6)
FINDING THE CRISIS		63	(1)
UNITS AND LEVELS OF ACTION		64	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 10		66	(1)
STEP ELEVEN The Given Circumstances		67	(5)
WHO		67	(1)
WHERE		68	(1)
WHEN		69	(1)
WHAT		70	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 11		71	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART III		72	(1)
PART IV Rehearsal		73	(34)
GETTING AND GIVING NOTES		73	(2)
STEP TWELVE Personalization		75	(5)
EMOTIONAL RECALL AND SUBSTITUTION		77	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 12		79	(1)
STEP THIRTEEN Inner Action		80	(8)
THE STIMULUS		81	(2)
AUTOMATIC AND SPONTANEOUS ACTIONS		83	(1)
CHOICE		84	(1)
THE INNER MONOLOGUE		85	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 13		87	(1)
STEP FOURTEEN Actions and Objectives		88	(6)
DEFINING USEFUL OBJECTIVES		88	(1)
PLAYABLE ACTIONS		89	(1)
DIRECT AND INDIRECT ACTION: SUBTEXT		90	(1)
NOT DOING		91	(1)
OBSTACLES AND COUNTER-ACTIONS		92	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 14		93	(1)
STEP FIFTEEN Scenario, Score, Through-Line and Superobjective		94	(7)
THE SCORE		96	(1)
THROUGH-LINE AND SUPEROBJECTIVE		96	(2)
PERSONALIZING THE SUPEROBJECTIVE		98	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 15		99	(2)
STEP SIXTEEN Final Rehearsals and Performance		101	(5)
BLOCKING		101	(2)
SHAPING AND PACING		103	(1)
SPONTANEITY		103	(1)
EMOTION IN PERFORMANCE		104	(1)
EVALUATING YOUR WORK		105	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 16		106	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART IV		106	(1)
AFTERWORD Your Sense of Purpose		107	(2)
APPENDIX A Sample Scenes		109	(10)
SCENE 1: FROM THE GLASS MENAGERIE BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS		109	(2)
SCENE 2: FROM A RAISIN IN THE SUN BY LORRAINE HANSBERRY		111	(3)
SCENE 3: FROM ZOOT SUIT BY LUIS VALDEZ		114	(2)
SCENE 4: FROM CHEERS BY TOM REEDER		116	(3)
APPENDIX B Suggested Plays and Anthologies		119	(6)
PLAYS		119	(3)
PLAY AND SCENE ANTHOLOGIES		122	(1)
ANTHOLOGIES FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR		123	(2)
Glossary of Theater and Film Terminology		125	(12)
Index		137

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