A warm; witty tell-all and history of American regional theater; from one of our best-loved directorsFor Jack OBrien; theres nothing like a first encounter with a great performer; nothing like the sound of an audience bursting into applause. In short; theres nothing like the theater.Following a fairly normal Midwestern childhood; OBrien hoped to make his mark by writing lyrics for Broadway but was instead pulled into the growing American regional theater movement by the likes of John Houseman; Helen Hayes; Ellis Rabb; and Eva Le Gallienne. He didnt intend to become a director; or to direct some of the most brilliantmdash;and sometimes maddeningmdash;personalities of the age; but in a charming; hilarious; and unexpected way; thats what happened. OBrien has had a long; successful career on Broadway and as artistic director of San Diegos Old Globe Theatre; but the history of the movement that shaped him has been overlooked. In the middle of the last century; some extraordinary people forged a link in the chain connecting European influences such as the Moscow Art Theatre and Great Britains National Theatre with the flourishing American theater of today. OBrien was there to see and record it all; in beautifully vivid detail.Funny; exuberant; unfailingly honest; Jack Be Nimble is the tale of those missing heroes; performances; and cultural battles. It is also the irresistible story of one of our best-loved theater directors; growing into his passion and discovering what he is capable of.
#1048203 in eBooks 2006-03-01 2006-03-01File Name: B009L2BXAY
Review
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Rich resource for creating deep and individual charactersBy Stephanie CowellAnyone who acts or writes should aspire to creating the deepest characters they can -- and what a wealth of contradictions. loves. fears. resentments. childhood hurts. faith and joy is every person on this earth. both the ones born with flesh and the ones someone writes and acts and who often seem realer than your neighbor. (I refuse to even consider that Hamlet or Shylock never lived.) Robert Blumenfelds new book gives us a history of psychology and how it can be applied to creating many-layered characters; even more fascinating. he delves into specific interpretations of many great characters. and the psychology he himself used when portraying the Marquis of Queensberry in the off-Broadway long-run. complex drama. "The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde."This is a book about not saying lines as an actor. or writing scenes as a novelist. but portraying the deepest soul of a character. no matter how short the role may be. Doing this is a great joy. and will make the audience member. or casting director. or reader sit up slowly in their seat and find themselves rapt with attention. listening to the endless reverberations under every word and gesture before them.Keep this book on your shelf and consult it often!5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Hmmmm.....By Arena ConneryIn his preface. Blumenfeld explains how his book "takes from the science of behavior tools and techniques that will be useful to the actor in practicing the art of behavior. to the writer in creating characters with depth. and to the director in interpreting scripts." This handbook is fairly heavy reading. but is still accessible to people who are not very familiar with the world of psychology. Thankfully. Chapter 8 is nearly 50 pages of alphabetized psychology terms and topics. Blumenfeld covers basic psychological principles and theories with examples from film and television.4 of 7 people found the following review helpful. An informative study of the interpretive science of psychology and the methodical analysis of acting character interpretationBy Midwest Book ReviewTools And Techniques For Character Interpretation: A Handbook Of Psychology For Actors. Writers. And Directors by New York actor. dialect coach. and writer. Robert Blumenfeld is an informed and informative study of the interpretive science of psychology and the methodical analysis of acting and character interpretation on stage or before cameras. Presenting a superbly written instruction manual on the performance art of acting. Tools And Techniques For Character Interpretation provides readers with a thematically appropriate interpretation of the great psychologists Freud. Klein. and Jung. as well as a practical understanding of the applications of psychological analysis in acting. Tools And Techniques For Character Interpretation is to be given high praise and strong recommendation for all aspiring or practicing actors. directors and screenwriters for its remarkable coverage of the psychology involved with the art of acting. Also very highly recommended by Robert Blumenfeld is "Accents: A Manual for Actors" (Limelight. 2002) and "Acting with the Voice: The Art of Recording Books (Limelight. 2004).
