Publisher's Synopsis
Jacqueline Martin analyzes the evolution of rhetoric and its influence on vocal delivery in theatres of the past, and discusses new approaches to the voice in 20th-century performances. She examines the often conflicting ideologies of key theorists whose ideas have influenced modern acting styles, including Stanislavsky, Brecht, Artaud, Grotowski and Brook.;Martin throws light on the role of the director with a detailed analysis of the Shakespeare productions of three European directors, Bergman, Mnouchkine, and Stein, where discursive speech still plays an important part. She also looks at experiments with non-verbal theatre which deconstruct the text, such as the postmodern productions of Chaikin, Schechner, Foreman and Wilson.;In a final chapter on actor training Martin compares a number of training institutions in Britain with their European counterparts, setting them against the British Shakespearean ideal.
