Acting and Being: Explorations in Embodied Performance

Elizabeth Hess

Des. 2016 · Springer

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In this book, educator-actor-playwright-director Elizabeth Hess offers systematic and original explorations in performance technique. This hybrid approach is a fusion of physical theater modalities culled from Western practices (Psycho-physical actions, Viewpoints) Eastern practices (Butoh, Kundalini yoga) and related performance disciplines (Mask, Puppetry). Behavioral, physiological and psychological ‘states of being’ are engaged to unlock impulses, access experience and enlarge the imagination. Through individual, partnered and collective explorations, actors uncover a character’s essence and level of consciousness, their energy center and body language, and their archetype and relationship to universal themes. Magic (to pretend, as if), Metaphor (to compare, as like) and Myth (to pattern after, as in) provide the foundation for generating transformative, empathetic and expansive artistic expression. Explorations can be adapted to character work, scene study and production, including original/devised work and established text, to illuminate singular and surprising work through collaborative creativity that is inventive, inclusive and alive.

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Elizabeth Hess is an educator, actor, playwright and director who has taught acting principally at New York University, USA, Fordham University and the National Theater Institute, and internationally in master classes and workshops. She has performed extensively in New York City, regional theater, TV, indie films, and her award-winning solo works have traveled the globe.