Cracking Shakespeare

Cracking Shakespeare will free actors from their fear of Shakespeare. For some actors, the ability to capture the dynamic movement of thought from mind to mouth and the paradox of using the formality of verse to express a realistic form of speech can seem at the very least daunting. Cracking Shakespeare serves to demystify Shakespeare without resorting to simplification; actors will learn not just how to recognize the structure and language of Shakespeare, but to viscerally respond and to turn that knowledge into acting. Through thirty years of acting, teaching and directing Shakespeare, Kelly Hunter has developed four key ways to unlocking Shakespeare with a chapter dedicated to each. These principles will reveal analysis and emotion; voice production; breath psychology; and textual response in an accessible and comprehensible format. Each chapter includes practical techniques and exercises, which demonstrate how to apply these principles to the task of embodying a Shakespearean character, in rehearsal and performance. All the exercises and techniques serve to warm up the body, voice and spirit in preparation for acting. The Four Principles give the actor a tool-kit to be 'dipped into' as a constant source of reference, whilst the entire book, complete with video illustration, serves as a complete and nourishing narrative for the actor.