Players of Shakespeare 1: Essays in Shakespearean Performance by Twelve Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company [Paperback]

Philip Brockbank (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521368170 | ISBN-13: 978-0521368179 | Publication Date: July 29, 1988

This is believed to be the first book of its kind. Twelve distinguished actors were asked to write about the preparation and performance of a Shakespeare role they had played in a production with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...brilliant testimony to the specific and incomparable commentary that actors can be persuaded to provide."--Peter Holland, Theatre Notebook

"Rarely can we participate in the actor's creative process as he or she prepares and performs a specific role, but in this collection we have a concentrated, thoughtful, energetic, and delightful set of essays on the actor's art...the level is outstandingly high."--Library Journal

Book Description

Twelve actors describe their preparation for and performance of a Shakespearean role with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The result is an account of the instability of the actor's art as well of his professional discipline.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 29, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521368170
• ISBN-13: 978-0521368179
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect doorway into Shakepeare's plays!, September 14, 2006

By 

Stephenie (South Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Players of Shakespeare 1: Essays in Shakespearean Performance by Twelve Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company (Paperback)

Reading Actors' descriptions of their approaches to Shakespeare's characters is a fantastic way of accessing the material.

What these books provide, is insight into how an actor thought of playing a certain role but didn't, how they played off of other characters, which characters they felt "drove the play," and so much more in the way of detail. They discuss their own processes, directors, fellow actors, different adaptations, etc.

I found that this approach truly makes certain of Shakespeare's characters more accessible. An actor helps to break the code of the character and bring you into the material, which is such a gift, and you can't watch a play at your leisure over and over again the way you can a film, so books like these can help bridge a gap.

Most of the essays written are interesting to read regardless of whether you have a particular interest in a certain play or not. I can imagine that an acting student would get a tremendous amount from these books, as they might from having private conversations or lessons with accomplished stage actors.