Comedy Acting for Theatre

Sidney Homan is Professor of English at the University of Florida, USA, a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars and an actor and director in traditional and non-traditional theatres. The author of eleven books on Shakespeare and the modern theatre, his most recent books are The Audience As Player: Interactive Theatre Over the Years and Hitler in the Movies: Finding Der Führer on Film. Brian Rhinehart is an actor, director and Lecturer of Directing and Theatre History at The Actors Studio Drama School, Pace University, USA. He is Artistic Director of a theatre collective, Dog’s Breakfast, and was awarded a 2012–13 Fulbright Grant to develop Dispersal: A Gentrification Story. He directed the award-winning Butoh Medea on Theatre Row in Manhattan, which also had productions in Warsaw and Edinburgh. He has performed in over fifty productions in New York City, Germany, and Florida.

Useful advice and practical tips are spread throughout the volume. Summing Up: Recommended.

• Chapter One: Playing the Comic Actor Chapter Two: Comic Truth and ActingChapter Three: Energy and Intensity Chapter Four: Elements of Comedy for Audience and Actor Chapter Five: Playing the Whole Comedy Chapter Six: All’s Well That . . . Chapter Seven: Why We Laugh Chapter Eight: Improv and the Comic Actor