Nature of Expertise in Professional Acting

"The title of this curiously interesting volume suggests not only the subject matter but also the nature of the study itself. Several appendices and an extensive bibliography will be useful for reference, especially for psychologists interested in cognition and learning."—CHOICE"Although presented primarily for the psychologist reader, the material is also of interest to performance researchers."—New Theatre Quarterly"Hence, while this book was published some time ago, it is a landmark attempt to highlight the expertise involved in theatrical performance..."—High Ability Studies

• Contents: Introduction. Training for the Profession. Psychological Research Into Actors' Mental Processes. Experimental Investigation of Actors' Learning Strategies. Cued Recall Task. The Summarization Task and Post-Test Statements of Strategy. A Professional Actor Prepares a Role: A Think-Aloud Protocol. More Think-Aloud Protocols. A Mnemonist's Approach to Script Learning. The Benefits of Script Segmentation. Continuing the Quest. A General Model of Acting Cognition. Other Investigations of Actors and Acting. References. Appendices: Scene From The Second Man by S.N. Behrman. Protocol of T.D. Sample Page of an Annotated Script.