Comedy Acting for Theatre

The Art and Craft of Performing in Comedies

Sidney Homan, Brian Rhinehart

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781350012776
• eBook ISBN: 9781350012783
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

Analysing why we laugh and what we laugh at, and describing how performers can elicit this response from their audience, this book enables actors to create memorable – and hilarious – performances.
Rooted in performance and performance criticism, Sidney Homan and Brian Rhinehart provide a detailed explanation of how comedy works, along with advice on how to communicate comedy from the point of view of both the performer and the audience. Combining theory and performance, the authors analyse a variety of plays, both modern and classic. Playwrights featured include Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Christopher Durang, and Michael Frayn. Acting in Shakespeare's comedies is also covered in depth.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Dedication
• Title Page
• Contents
• Permission Acknowledgments
• INTRODUCTION
• 1 WHY WE LAUGH
• 2 IMPROV AND COMEDY
• 3 BASIC RULES FOR THE COMIC ACTOR
• 4 ELEMENTS OF THE COMIC CHARACTER
• 5 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERFORMANCE ISSUES IN PLAYING COMEDY
• 6 PLAYING THE WHOLE COMEDY
• 7 OPTIONS IN PLAYING SHAKESPEARE’S COMEDY
• 8 THE ACTOR AND FOUR FORMS OF COMEDY
• CODA: THE AUDIENCE
• Index
• Copyright Page