This book offers a practical guide to applying Jacques Lecoq's methods to rehearsing or workshopping Shakespeare's text, emphasizing the importance of playfulness in creating vital and lifelike performances.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book provides actors, directors, teachers, and students with a clear, practical guide to applying the work of influential theatre practitioner Jacques Lecoq to the process of rehearsing or workshopping the Shakespeare text. Written by theatre practitioner Ed Woodall, who trained with Lecoq himself, and Shakespeare academic Abigail Rokison-Woodall, this guide begins with warm-ups and ensemble-building and moves through explorations of the story, the world of the play, the text, character emotion, thought, and physicality and staging. Lecoq's method often relies on 'play,' and play is often seen as trivial or inconsequential. This book argues that the more playful you are, the more playfully you investigate your speech or scene, and the more physically motivated that playfulness is, the more vital and lifelike your acting of Shakespeare will be.

Title: "Jacques Lecoq's Approach to Shakespeare Rehearsal and Workshop"

This book offers actors, directors, teachers, and students a comprehensive and practical guide to applying the techniques of influential theatre practitioner Jacques Lecoq to the process of rehearsing or workshopping Shakespeare's plays. Written by theatre practitioner Ed Woodall, who trained with Lecoq himself, and Shakespeare academic Abigail Rokison-Woodall, this guide begins with warm-ups and ensemble-building and moves through explorations of the story, the world of the play, the text, character emotion, thought, and physicality and staging. Lecoq's method often relies on 'play,' and play is often seen as trivial or inconsequential. This book argues that the more playful you are, the more playfully you investigate your speech or scene, and the more physically motivated that playfulness is, the more vital and lifelike your acting of Shakespeare will be.

Introduction

Jacques Lecoq was a French theatre practitioner who had a profound impact on the world of theatre. He developed a unique approach to rehearsing and workshopping plays that focused on the actor's physicality, emotion, and imagination. Lecoq's method was based on the idea that the actor's body is the primary tool for creating meaning on stage. He believed that by exploring the actor's physicality and emotion, the actor could access a deeper level of understanding and expression in their performance. Lecoq's approach has been widely adopted by theatre practitioners around the world and has been used to rehearse and workshop plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, and many other playwrights. In this book, we will explore Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop and how it can be applied to your own work.

Warm-ups and Ensemble-Building

The first step in Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop is warm-ups and ensemble-building. Lecoq believed that the actor's body was a complex system that needed to be warmed up and prepared for the demands of the rehearsal process. He developed a series of exercises that were designed to help the actor release tension, improve flexibility, and increase their range of motion. These exercises included breathing exercises, stretching exercises, and movement exercises. Lecoq also believed that ensemble-building was essential for creating a cohesive and effective performance. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actors work together as a team and develop a sense of trust and communication. These exercises included improvisation exercises, scene work exercises, and character work exercises.

Exploring the Story

Once the actor's body has been warmed up and prepared, Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop moves on to exploring the story. Lecoq believed that the story was the foundation of the play and that the actor's performance should be rooted in the story. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor understand the story and its characters. These exercises included reading exercises, character analysis exercises, and scene analysis exercises. Lecoq also believed that the actor's performance should be shaped by the story's themes and motifs. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor explore the themes and motifs of the story and how they relate to their character.

The World of the Play

Once the actor's understanding of the story has been developed, Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop moves on to exploring the world of the play. Lecoq believed that the world of the play was a complex and dynamic environment that had a significant impact on the characters and the story. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor understand the world of the play and its characters. These exercises included sensory exercises, movement exercises, and character work exercises. Lecoq also believed that the actor's performance should be shaped by the world of the play's themes and motifs. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor explore the themes and motifs of the world of the play and how they relate to their character.

The Text

Once the actor's understanding of the story and the world of the play has been developed, Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop moves on to exploring the text. Lecoq believed that the text was the primary source of meaning in the play and that the actor's performance should be rooted in the text. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor understand the text and its language. These exercises included reading exercises, character analysis exercises, and scene analysis exercises. Lecoq also believed that the actor's performance should be shaped by the text's themes and motifs. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor explore the themes and motifs of the text and how they relate to their character.

Character Emotion

Once the actor's understanding of the story, the world of the play, and the text has been developed, Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop moves on to exploring character emotion. Lecoq believed that character emotion was the key to creating a compelling and believable performance. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor access their character's emotions. These exercises included improvisation exercises, scene work exercises, and character work exercises. Lecoq also believed that the actor's performance should be shaped by the character's emotions and how they relate to the story. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor explore the character's emotions and how they relate to the story.

Thought and Physicality

Once the actor's understanding of character emotion has been developed, Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop moves on to exploring thought and physicality. Lecoq believed that thought and physicality were essential components of a compelling and believable performance. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor access their character's thoughts and physicality. These exercises included improvisation exercises, scene work exercises, and character work exercises. Lecoq also believed that the actor's performance should be shaped by their character's thoughts and physicality and how they relate to the story. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor explore their character's thoughts and physicality and how they relate to the story.

Staging

Once the actor's understanding of character emotion, thought, and physicality has been developed, Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop moves on to staging. Lecoq believed that staging was the final step in the rehearsal process and that the actor's performance should be shaped by the staging. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor understand the staging of the play and how it relates to their character. These exercises included improvisation exercises, scene work exercises, and character work exercises. Lecoq also believed that the actor's performance should be shaped by the staging of the play and how it relates to their character. He developed exercises that were designed to help the actor explore the staging of the play and how it relates to their character.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Jacques Lecoq's approach to Shakespeare rehearsal and workshop is a comprehensive and practical guide that can be applied to your own work. Lecoq's method focuses on the actor's physicality, emotion, and imagination and believes that by exploring these elements, the actor can access a deeper level of understanding and expression in their performance. Lecoq's approach has been widely adopted by theatre practitioners around the world and has been used to rehearse and workshop plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, and many other playwrights. By following Lecoq's approach, you can develop your own unique and compelling performance that will leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Weight: 312g
Dimension: 214 x 139 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350244092