“This book has been my companion for nearly thirty years in this business
and I consider it to be the greatest foundation any actor could have.” –Hugh Jackman, from the Foreword
"This text should be on every actor's shelf and constantly reviewed. The exercises offer many avenues to access the creative mindset and to get ready to be on stage. This will become a staple in my classroom and lecture halls." -Jeff Skiba, Eastern Arizona College
282 pages, $34.95 list
1-4786-4904-6
978-1-4786-4904-5
© 2023
paperback
eBook availability
The Actor at Work
Eleventh Edition
Countless actors have learned and benefited from The Actor at Work through fifty years and ten editions. Robert Benedetti continues this strong tradition in this Eleventh Edition. Designed for acting courses beyond the introductory level, The Actor at Work takes readers through understanding first their own bodies, voices, and thoughts, then techniques of action, and finally creating fully realized performances. The exercises that accompany each lesson form a program of self-discovery and self-development and are arranged roughly according to a natural acquisition of skills and insights.
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Part I: THE GROUND: Preparing Yourself
1. The Actor in You
2. The Creative State
3. Centering
4. Voice
5. Speech
6. The Language of Drama
7. Working with Others
Part II: THE PATH: Exploring Action
8. The Flow and Shape of Dramatic Action
9. Action for the Actor
10. Action, Character, and Emotion
11. The Acting Process: Givens, Needs, Objectives, and Actions
12. Beats, Through Line, and Superobjective
Part III: THE FRUITION: Preparing the Performance
13. The Function and Elements of Character
14. The Way the Character Thinks
15. The Character's Body
16. Rehearsing
17. Staging
18. Performing
Afterword: Transformation
Appendix A: Scene and Play Sources
Appendix B: An Acting Checklist
A Glossary of Acting Terms
1. The Actor in You
2. The Creative State
3. Centering
4. Voice
5. Speech
6. The Language of Drama
7. Working with Others
Part II: THE PATH: Exploring Action
8. The Flow and Shape of Dramatic Action
9. Action for the Actor
10. Action, Character, and Emotion
11. The Acting Process: Givens, Needs, Objectives, and Actions
12. Beats, Through Line, and Superobjective
Part III: THE FRUITION: Preparing the Performance
13. The Function and Elements of Character
14. The Way the Character Thinks
15. The Character's Body
16. Rehearsing
17. Staging
18. Performing
Afterword: Transformation
Appendix A: Scene and Play Sources
Appendix B: An Acting Checklist
A Glossary of Acting Terms