The Craft of Comedy

Athene Seyler · Stephen Haggard

Feb 2013 · Routledge

About this ebook

"a work on the art and craft of comedy as important in its own way as works by Stanislavski and Chekhov" – Oxford Theatre Companion

In 1939, a young, inexperienced actor wrote to a famous actress of his acquaintance, asking for advice on playing comedy. She responded enthusiastically, and they corresponded variously over the next year. The Craft of Comedy, a record of these exchanges, soon emerged as one of the few classic texts in the field of comedy acting.

This major new edition takes a brilliant book and makes it better. Editor Robert Barton has devised extensive supplementary material, including:

• An introduction to the correspondents, the culture of the time, and the evolution of their book;
• Summaries, definitions, and exercises and practice scenes for readers wishing to explore Athene Seyler’s invaluable advice;
• Photographs, additional essays by Seyler, and a guide to easily accessed video clips of her performing.

Seyler’s lucid guidance, and Barton’s scrupulous editorship, ensure this legendary work’s rightful status is restored: as one of the great practical guides to the craft of comedy, and an essential resource for actors and students of acting.

About the author

Robert Barton is the author of the books Acting: Onstage and Off (now in its 6th edition), Voice: Onstage and Off, with Rocco Dal Vera, Theatre in Your Life and Life Themes, with Annie McGregor, and Style for Actors (all in recent revised editions). His most recent text is Acting Reframes: Using NLP to Make Better Decisions in and out of the Theatre. His regular column “Many Right Ways” is published in The Voice and Speech Review.