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University' Micrrifilms International 300 N.Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 INFORMATION TO USERS Tliis reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.Thc sign or “target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Pagc(s)”. If it was possible to obtain the missing pagc(s) or section, they arc spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark, it is an indication of either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, duplicate copy, or copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed. For blurred pages, a good image of the page can be found in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted, a target note will appear listing the pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photographed, a definite method of “sectioning" the matcriul has been followed. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand comer of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with smalt overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again-beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For illustrations that cannot be satisfactorily reproduced by xerographic means, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and inserted into your xerographic copy. These prints are available upon request from the Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed. University' Micrrifilms International 300 N.Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8403573 Smith, William Frederick A METHOD TO HELP DETERMINE AN APPROPRIATE ACTING STYLE FOR A MODERN PRODUCTION OF A PERIOD PLAY The Ohio State University PH.D. 1983 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 A METHOD TO HELP DETERMINE AN APPROPRIATE ACTING STYLE FOR A MODERN PRODUCTION OF A PERIOD PLAY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By William Frederick Smith, B.A., M.A. The Ohio State University 1983 Reading Committee: Approved By Firman H. Brown, Jr., Ph.D. George P. Crepeau, Ph.D. Alan L. Woods, Ph.D. Adviser Department of Theatre Copyright by William Frederick Smith 1983 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people are involved in the process of completing a dissertation. I would like to take this time to acknowledge those who were most helpful and supportive. First 1 must mention my siblings and their families who were unflagging with their devotion and, usually unsolicited, advice. Both Marilyn Freeman who gave many hours typing and retyping and her husband David who didn't complain (as well as being supportive) deserve mention. Special thanks must be given to Clint Shepard who, over countless cups of coffee, indicated the pitfalls and helped me to avoid them. Debbie Rickwald also deserves thanks for, over more countless cups of coffee, being supportive. But mostly I wish to acknowledge my parents without whose boundless love and support this would never have been finished. VITA May 17, 1953 .................................. Born - Laramie, Wyoming 1975 ................................................. B.A., University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 1978 - 1980 .....................................Teaching Associate, Department of Theatre, Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio 1980 ................................................. M.A., Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio‘ 1980 - 1982 .....................................Teaching Associate, Department of Theatre, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY MAJOR FIELD: Theatre Studies in Theatre History. Professor Alan L. Woods. Studies in Theatre Literature and Criticism. Professor John C. Morrow Studies in Acting Styles. Professor Ionia Zelenka. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................................ii VITA................................................................................................................................. iii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................1 The S tu d y .......................................................................................................7 II. THE M ETHOD.................................................................................................11 The Elements of the M ethod .................................................................... 13 III. THE METHOD APPLIED TO TEXTS OF CLASSICAL GREECE . 27 N a rra tio n .....................................................................................................28 O ra tio n .........................................................................................................33 Emotion ............................................................................................ 38 Stage Action .................................................................................................44 Conclusion .........................................................................................*. 51 4 IV. THE METHOD APPLIED TO TEXTS OF ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND . 54 N a rra tio n .....................................................................................................55 Oration .......................... 67 Em otion .........................................................................................................71 Stage Action ................................................................................................ 78 Conclusion .....................................................................................................81 V. THE METHOD APPLIED TO TEXTS OF NEOCLASSICAL WEIMAR . 84 N a rra tio n .....................................................................................................85 O ra tio n .........................................................................................................96 Em otion ....................................................................................................... 106 Stage Action ...............................................................................................112 Conclusion ...................................................................................................114 VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.............................................................. 117 VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................126 iv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION Performing plays written in a different culture has always been a difficult job. Actors, must, in addition to performing their characters, modify their understanding of the theatrical manifestations of the different culture for their audiences. When confronted by different cultural values for thinking, for moving, and for stage presentation itself, we look at the differences from our own cultural expectations and label the variations "style." The number of stage­ worthy plays with these differences is very large, but the amount of material to help actors cope with them is unfortunately small. At the 1980 convention of the American Theatre Association in San Diego, three theatre professors participated in a panel on "style": Roger Gross provided 1 2 a definition of the word, Alan Woods discussed the value of that definition, and 3 Brian Lee discussed style in production. In terms of information to the performer of the stylized piece, the papers had little concrete advice to offer. Dr. Lee, in fact, totally Ignored the actor, even though he included the pit musicians as being among those who contribute style of a production. * Roger Gross, "Defining 'Style1 (With a Strategy for General Reform of Theatre Terminology)" (ERIC ED 191 119). 2Alan Woods, "Gross's Definition of Style in Pedagogy" (ERIC ED 191 120). ^Briant Hamor Lee, "Strategies for the Use of 'Style1 in Production" (ERIC ED 191 118). 2 At a different panel at the same conference, Dr. Gross presented a paper entitled 'The Organic Approach to the Problem of Style of Acting.,|tf In it he discussed different approaches to acting and suggested a training program for actors, but nowhere did he offer specific suggestions on how an actor might approach a particular period piece. The purpose of this study is to provide such a tool. The need for such a tool is demonstrated in Robert Barton's work dealing with novice actors and their response to Shakespeare. Most of the actors with whom he worked believed that Shakespeare is more difficult to perform than modern playwrights. Seventy per cent of them rated themselves when audi­ tioning as 1 or 2 (on a scale to 7) in inferiority compared to the other auditionees although all actually had approximately the same experience. If the success of the actors was minimal, most of them blamed the director because they "felt more vulnerable in front of an audience than ever before." Dr. Barton further offered that from the beginning of the process, "experienced
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