Stage Directions covers half a lifetime and the whole range of Frayns theatrical writing; right up to a new piece about his latest play; Afterlife. It is also a reflection on his path into theatre: the doubtful beginnings of his childhood; his subsequent scorn as a young man and; surprisingly late in life; his reluctant conversion. Whatever subjects he tackles; from the exploration of the atomic nucleus to the mechanics of farce; Michael Frayn is never less than fascinating; delightfully funny and charming. This book encapsulates a lifetimes work and is guaranteed to be a firm favourite with his legions of fans around the world.
#1511191 in eBooks 1988-10-06 1988-10-06File Name: B0031O409E
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great resource for actorsBy Jennifer Van BergenI love this book. I grew up on the classics. Every summer. from age nine onward. I spent all my days in rehearsals in Shakespeare plays -- starting with walk-on bit-parts: messengers and pages with one-liners and moving up to lead roles as I absorbed Shakespeares words into my being without noticing it.What Rudnicki does for actors is make the classics accessible to modern actors. He categorizes by period and genre (Greek Drama [The Golden Age]. the Age of Shakespeare [and his friends]. and the Age of Style [Restoration and 18th Century English monologues]) and divides into male and female monologues. as well as drama. comedy. tragedy. heroic. parody. etc.. AND THEN. not only does he give short synopses of each play and play background. but short historical introductions to the periods. And finally. the selections themselves are superb. They plumb every human emotion -- but Rudnicki has made these so accessible. he has used excellent translations for the Greeks and put line breaks into each monologue in such a natural way that every one of them feels more real. contemporary. and accessible.The translations from the Greek are by Barton and Cavandar. who themselves contributed greatly by developing their own versions (not just translations. but interpretations) over a period of time. working with an ensemble group of dedicated actors. They are exquisite -- and feel like true words spoken not thousands of years ago. but now. today. about our lives here.Many acting students are afraid of the classics -- afraid of the Greeks or Shakespeare. Rudnickis book should remove any fears students may have -- and for new and seasoned actors. will provide a wealth of material to use for auditions.Along with Ginger Friedmans book "The Perfect Monologue." I use Rudnickis work to help students learn how to identify what I call "universal drives." (See my book "Archetypes for Writers: Using the Power of Your Subconscious." availabe here on .)1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good selection of monologuesBy Barefoot ContessaI keep this book handy as a reference book for auditions. This is especially good if you audition for classical pieces. and need two classical monologues. I also own the WOMENS MONOLOGUES book by Rudnicki and have used that. too. Both are good sources for auditions.
