The Transformational Actor

Innovative Approaches for 21st Century Rehearsal and Performance

Peter Frisch

• Publisher: Performing Arts Press
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9780578370958
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Drama

In 180 easily cross-referenced selections, Master Acting Teacher Peter Frisch embraces the notion that the joy of acting is in the specific work of transformation through imagination and belief. His innovative techniques are complemented by pragmatic answers about auditioning, camera work, casting, training, comedy, etc. The Transformational Actor offers:

 

·       Inspiration and motivation to keep you focused, alive, creative and dynamic every time out

 Comprehensive strategies to develop depth, consistency and self-reliance during preparation, rehearsal and performance

 

·       Encouragement for a spirited Sense of Play, a desire to risk and the confidence to make bold choices in your work

 

·       Innovative techniques and ways of working that will expand your thinking and deepen your appreciation of the field

Mr. Frisch has directed 160 productions in the New York and regional theatre, produced 150 hours of network television, was Head of Carnegie Mellon Drama, and on faculties at Carnegie, The Juilliard School, Harvard and Boston Universities. Peter directs The Frisch Approach in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.  

"The method that Peter taught is still one that I use today-he allowed me to see that there is always a way that is truer and deeper than you first imagine. He taught me how to truly take risks in my work and invest authentically in my characters. "The Transformational Actor" is a comprehensive text that offers true guidance and deep insight for any student or professional."

-Julianne Moore, Academy Award, 2015

 

 

Table of contents

• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• The Two Pillars
• Imagine! Transform!
• Empathy
• Touching Bottom
• The Dynamic Perspective
• The Magic “If”
• Your Acting, Your Life
• Cultivate Your Own Sensibility
• Actor or Artist?
• Committing Private Acts in Public
• Stakes and Intensity
• Eyes on the Prize
• 10,000 Hours
• True Mastery
• Serve Humanity
• Understanding Neutral
• Open and Reveal
• Sense of Play
• How You Practice Is How You Play
• Motivate!
• Preparation and Impulse
• Subtext
• Is Love the Answer?
• Director-Proof
• Economy and Precision
• Stereotype or Archetype?
• Acting for the Camera?
• Improvisation: Acting vs. Performing
• The Independent Actor
• Crede Quod Habes, et Habes
• Belief
• Awareness: The 90-10 Rule
• The Awareness Advantage
• Taking Pleasure in Pain
• Allow!
• Beyond the Present
• Dirty Acting
• It’s Not About the Lines
• Rodin or a Five-Year Old?
• Character Analysis
• Words and Sounds
• Heightened Language
• Shakespeare “Sounding” and the Vocal Mask
• Defy Expectations
• WYSIWYG.
• WYSIWYG II
• “Play Where You Are”
• Science and Magic
• Be Specific
• Imaginary Objects
• Surrender
• Commit to the Moment I
• Commit to the Moment II
• Need to Play the Intention
• Motivation
• The Inner Monologue
• Go Ahead, Indulge
• “Outside-In”
• More “Outside-In”
• The Independent Activity I
• The First Reading
• Dialogue Clues
• Intention Hints
• The Missing Ingredient
• The Intention-Why Dynamic
• Why: The “Slingshot” Effect
• Choices I: Choose Wisely…and Specifically
• Choices II: Your Options
• Choices III: Organic Experimentation
• Choices IV: How Was It?
• Transition Hunting
• Beats and Units: The Basics
• Beats and Units: The Process
• Beats and Units: The Application
• The Through-Line: Purpose
• The Through-Line: Technique
• The Through-Line: Examples
• No Lying, Please
• Plant the Source, Reap the Result
• Making It “Real”
• Emotional Preparation
• The Image Prep
• The Partner Prep
• The Physical Prep
• Launch the Intention
• Projections I
• Projections II
• Is It True?
• The Hidden Secret
• Personalize Your Props
• No Fear!
• Ideas
• An Idea In the Distance
• Obligation
• I Don’ Wanna
• The Little Devil
• “Equity Sheen”
• Asset-Liability Theory
• One Argument Against “Substitution”
• One More Argument Against Substitution
• Personalization
• “The Moment Before?”
• The Danger Inherent in Transformation
• Needy?
• Talk Fast?
• Close Encounters
• Think Outside the Bubble
• Let’s Tawk Comedeee!
• Revel in Comedy
• Shapeshifting I
• Shapeshifting II
• Comic Timing
• Over the Top?
• Set-Up, Pay-Off, Reaction
• Comic Reversals
• The Clown and the Aristocrat
• The Deadpan
• Classic Devices
• Choosing a Teacher
• The Guru, the Friend and the Peacock
• Declare Your Independence
• Take Charge
• Critical Precision
• Reveal
• The Way You Practice…
• Talent vs. Work Ethic
• Hitting the Wall
• Your Comfort Zone’s Outer Edge
• The Emotion/Instrument Divide
• Maskwork
• Tennis, Anyone?
• Becoming a Master
• Stage vs. Film
• Silence Is Golden
• Stakes and Vulnerability
• Playing Against Emotion
• Reaction Shots
• The Close-Up
• The Wide Shot
• Hitting Your Mark
• Three Cool Tips
• LA and the Classics
• On Set
• Attitude Is Everything
• Audition Tip #1: Process and Prep
• Audition Tip #2: Keep Fully Alive
• Audition Tip #3: The Reader
• Audition Tip #4: The Neglected Slate
• Audition Tip #5: Windows to the Soul
• Audition Tip #6: Vulnerability
• Audition Tip #7: Size Matters!
• Audition Tip #8: The Monologue—Selection
• Audition Tip #9: The Monologue—The Invisible Partner
• Audition Tip #10: The Monologue—The Invisible Partner Reacts!
• Audition Tip #11: Open and Close
• Additional Tips for Self-Recordings
• Safety First
• Get What You Need
• Vocal Projection and Organic Volume
• Stage Habits Die Hard
• Memorization
• Pick Up Your Cues
• Giving Focus
• Planting Seeds
• Highlighting
• Operative Words
• Working with the Director
• Marketing Categories
• Under 25?
• “The Perfect Ensemble”
• Index