First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor Francis; an informa company.
#3792361 in eBooks 2006-03-07 2006-03-07File Name: B000OI0YEK
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Acting and Performance is well-considered in Zarrillis diverse collectionBy A. C. EdinboroughI am moved to write a review in opposition to the one posted by Lexo1941. Whilst I would agree that not every essay in this collection is brilliant; there are a number of interesting takes on the potential relationship between theory and practice in contemporary performance. Michael Kirbys On Acting and Not-Acting stands as an inspired and articulate examination of acting as a process of representation; whilst the essays describing the approaches of Grotowski; Odin; Lecoq; Bloch and Decroux are all highly informative. Lauren Loves Resiting the Organic is certainly problematic; however; Lexo1941s analysis is unfair. Loves essay raises many interesting questions about received truths about acting through analysing performance from a material feminist perspective. Whilst I disagree with much of her reading of Uta Hagens work; I was taken by her integrity and rigour as an artist thinking about critical issues in performance.This book was one of the first to bring a diverse range of practices and together with critical theory. It provides a range ideas about how to watch and make performance. Not every chapter is a jewel; but taken as a whole; the book will provide any student of theatre with a list of interesting questions to think about.4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Almost uselessBy lexo1941This collection of largely academic essays on acting and performance has become one of the more cited collections; by virtue of Im not quite sure what. I first encountered it as a young and intellectually hungry actor in the mid-90s; and was disappointed (after spending a lot of money on it) to find that the only piece that was more than marginally useful to me was the one about Willem Dafoe. Dafoes account of his task-based approach to the work of the Wooster Group is remarkably interesting. (I subsequently saw him perform in their production of The Emperor Jones; and cant honestly say that the essay illuminates his phenomenal energy and commitment in the role.)However; amidst all the dross about Decroux and Brecht and Rachel Rosenthal and this and that; there is one fantastic piece of unintentional comedy: Lauren Loves essay on being a feminist actor in conventional theatre; the unwittingly hilarious account of how one woman attempted to reverse centuries of male oppression by screwing up an obscure production of Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest. Its the kind of thing that makes you realise exactly what Naomi Klein was talking about when she wrote in No Logo of her realisation that the true womens issues of the new century were not how oppressed she was as a privileged American student; but how oppressed thousands of Asian girls were; working in Far Eastern sweatshops assembling running shoes for the US market. Loves self-importance and self-righteousness are the stuff of high comedy; and although her essay is absolutely serious in intention; the result is far funnier than I imagine that particular production of Earnest ever managed to be. I can only compare it to a storyline in the wonderful but neglected Canadian comedy series Slings and Arrows; if anyone was ever suited to being in pretentious director Darren Nicholls original conception of Romeo and Juliet; its Lauren Love.Still; its not worth paying out a three-figure sum for. If you really want a copy; get in touch with me and Ill sell you mine. As an assessment of genuinely fruitful developments in performance; like I said; besides the Dafoe essay; this book is academic cruft.