Shakespeare and Lecoq - A Practical Guide for Actors, Directors, Students and Teachers

This book provides actors, directors, teachers and students with a clear, practical guide to applying the work of influential theatre practitioner Jacques Lecoq to the process of rehearsing or workshopping the Shakespeare text. Written by theatre practitioner Ed Woodall, who trained with Lecoq himself, and Shakespeare academic Abigail Rokison-Woodall, this guide begins with warm-ups and ensemble-building, and moves through explorations of the story, the world of the play, the text, character emotion, thought and physicality and staging. Lecoq''s method often relies on ''play'', and play is often seen as trivial or inconsequential. This book argues that the more playful you are, the more playfully you investigate your speech or scene and the more physically motivated that playfulness is, the more vital and lifelike your acting of Shakespeare will be.>

List of contents

Chapter 1. Warm-Ups
Chapter 2. Building an Ensemble
Chapter 3. Exploring the Story
Chapter 4. Exploring the World of Play
Chapter 5. Exploring the World of Text
Chapter 6. Character 1 - Exploring Character, Emotion and Thought
Chapter 7. Character 2 - Exploring Character Physicality
Chapter 8. Character 3 - Exploring Character Types
Chapter 9. Laughter and Play
Chapter 10. Staging the Plays

Index

About the author

Ed Woodall is an acting coach and movement director. He trained with Jacques Lecoq at the École Jacques Lecoq between 1989-91 and has worked in physical theatre with Complicité, Improbable and Kneehigh as well as acting in a number of films and RSC productions of Shakespeare.Dr Abigail Rokison-Woodall is Lecturer in Shakespeare and Theatre, The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK and was formerly a professional actor.

Product details

• Authors: Abigail Rokison-Woodall, Ed Woodall
• Assisted by: Michael Dobson (Editor)
• Publisher: Arden shakespeare
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.06.2024
• EAN: 9781350244085
• ISBN: 978-1-350-24408-5
• No. of pages: 240
• Series: Arden Performance Companions
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; English, LITERARY CRITICISM / Shakespeare, DRAMA / Shakespeare, PERFORMING ARTS / Acting & Auditioning, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, Acting techniques, Shakespeare Studies & Criticism, Literary studies: plays and playwrights, Relating to Shakespeare / Shakespearean