Routledge Psychophysical Acting: An Intercultural Approach after Stanislavski

Psychophysical Acting is a direct and vital address to the demands of contemporary theatre on today’s actor. Drawing on over thirty years of intercultural experience, Phillip Zarrilli aims to equip actors with practical and conceptual tools with which to approach their work. Areas of focus include: an historical overview of a psychophysical approach to acting from Stanislavski to the present acting as an ‘energetics’ of performance, applied to a wide range of playwrights: Samuel Beckett, Martin Crimp, Sarah Kane, Kaite O’Reilly and Ota Shogo a system of training though yoga and Asian martial arts that heightens sensory awareness, dynamic energy, and in which body and mind become one practical application of training principles to improvisation exercises. Psychophysical Acting is accompanied by Peter Hulton’s downloadable resources featuring exercises, production documentation, interviews, and reflection. Review 'Being taken step-by-step through these highly evocative and fascinating exercises and concepts of actor training by a master such as Zarrilli certainly qualifies as essential reading.' – David Zinder 'An Essential Study' - Anne Hill 'The exercises and concepts used in the book are amplified to great effect by the accompanying DVD-ROM, which is very well done and adds extended video and audio clips that demonstrate what his hands-on work looks like in training and performance.' - Anne Hill 'Zarrilli's latest book reveals that rare breed of scholar-practitioner able to transition seamlessly between theory and praxis' – Rachel Bowditch, The Drama Review 'The book proposes a radical paradigm shift within undergraduate and graduate acting and directing training and should be required reading for performers, directors, and theatre educators. It has the potential to transform the field in significant wasy by offering a new understanding of what constitutes engaging performance and actor training in the 21st century' – Rachel Bowditch, The Drama Review 'Being taken step-by-step through these highly evocative and fascinating exercises and concepts of actor training by a master such as Zarrilli certainly qualifies as essential reading.' – David Zinder, Tel Aviv University, Israel 'The book proposes a radical paradigm shift within undergraduate and graduate acting and directing training and should be required reading for performers, directors, and theatre educators. It has the potential to transform the field in significant ways by offering a new understanding of what constitutes engaging performance and actor training in the 21st century' – Rachel Bowditch, The Drama Review About the Author Phillip Zarrilli is internationally known for training actors in psychophysical process through Asian martial arts and yoga, and as a director/actor. He is the founding Artistic Director of The Llanarth Group based in West Wales, UK. He is also Professor of Performance Practice at Exeter University. His many publications include Acting Reconsidered (2002), Kathakali Dance-Drama (2000), and co-author of Theatre Histories: An Introduction (2006).