Year: 1990
Movie
/ TV: Elements of Acting
Director: Terence Gross
Others
in the Cast:
Plot
summary: Edward Petherbridge links masterclass presentations with live excerpts
from his one-man stage show. Each of the seven videos shows him in
discussions and rehearsal work with students in a practical enquiry
into elements of acting and the nature of theatre itself. The titles
are:
Part 1: Mask: Rehearsal work
exploring the imaginative use of simple comic and neutral masks and
their function in character portrayal and epic storytelling. Two
performed sequences suggest how mask work can be enhanced with the use
of music, light and scenic effects.
Part
2: Puppetry and undulations: How our bodies divulge the secrets of our moods and character both
in the context of acting and relating to body language and
communication in general.
Part 3: Timing: The tempos
and rhythms governing the simplest stage action and which lie beneath
all drama. Includes a comic performance based on timing exercises of
the French mime 'Le Coq', and a soliloquy from Sheridan's 'The Rivals'.
Part 4: Style: The meaning of
'style', stimulated by satire on various styles of acting and teaching.
The rehearsal work shows approaches to 'Hamlet' and 'Genesis'.
Part 5: Total theatre: The
use and nature of theatre language. Students struggle to come to grips
with clowning, improvisation and varied forms of dramatic storytelling.
Part 6:
The work of Edward Gordon Craig, showing the elaborate Victorian
theatre in which he acted as a boy, and reacted against. Shows a range
of his theatre designs, including his work on 'Hamlet' at the Moscow
Arts Theatre and on the controversial 'Ube
Part 7: A
question-and-answer session dealing with students' problems. Further
exploration of the key elements of body language, the spoken word,
timing and rhythm, style and realisation, and touches on the actor's
exploration of the dramatist's text. More details here
Peth’s
role:
Reviews:
Official
website:
IMDB
page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193130/
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