Introduction

It shall do you no harm to learn.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, II, ii

THE INTENTION of this book is to help the working actor discover and use specific skills for acting Shakespeare. There are many books about acting Shakespeare, but most deal with historical, philosophical, or personal approaches to the characters. They offer interpretations of these characters that are often drawn from actual performances (e.g., Antony Sher’s Year of the King). But for the working actor struggling with blank verse, only a few of these books are of “immediate” or practical value. Several voice studies that illustrate the union of Shakespearean text and developed vocal skills are the most useful.

When preparing to act a role, the actor must learn to handle the language of the specific play so that the character will be truthful in both intention and presentation. Heightened language, as in Shakespeare’s plays, can be difficult, and failure to handle it effectively will quickly destroy an otherwise well-intended characterization. Therefore, the actor must train the voice and then learn specific skills to handle this language. Once these skills have become practice, books that talk about acting Shakespeare are very helpful for character research and analysis.

That few books are available to help the working actor gain the skills necessary to handle verse is not surprising. A coach or director cannot write about this process until he or she has worked with hundreds of actors and discovered successful techniques.

I have had the privilege to coach the skills presented in this book to several hundred professional and student actors. These actors, mostly American, taught me that what they needed most were skills to handle the language, especially the verse, as those skills would allow them to play characters truthfully. Most of these actors expressed confidence about character intention and development (the skills that are the core of realistic actor training), but were uncomfortable with the idea of playing their characters while speaking verse. Most of these actors were amazed (and then delighted) to learn that with Shakespeare, the character is discovered through the verse.

Therefore, when coaching Shakespeare, one must always begin with the practical skills required to speak the text. The scope of this book is limited to that study. Techniques to develop the character that emerges from correctly speaking the text are the subject of other books, many of which are listed in the bibliography. Character study must always follow language study. With Shakespeare, the reverse spells disaster, as I will clarify in these pages.

This book is primarily for actors who intend to play Shakespeare but whose training is based on realism. Because that specific training rarely considers blank verse, you, the actor, are probably missing a few skills. These skills must be identified and learned so that your work with Shakespeare can be successful.

When using this book, professional actors should turn immediately to part five, “For Professional Actors and Coaches: The One-Day Brushup” (page 279) for a quick review of skills you probably already know. Actors in training or professionals who want more detailed study should begin with part one (page 1). Secondary teachers and reader groups should begin with part four (page 237), and refer back to part one as necessary. Community theatre actors and directors should begin with part three (page 175), then refer back to parts one and two.

Some of the realistic acting skills that you apply to Chekhov, Williams, Miller, Wasserstein, Mamet, or the dialogue in most films are important and applicable to acting Shakespeare. For example, once you’ve trained your voice, playing your action to achieve your objective is still the most important acting skill. But some of the others, like reading the subtext or emotional memory recall, are less important than the language when playing Shakespeare.

Special skills required to play Shakespeare must be added to or replace what you’ve already acquired. The differences are not in motives, actions, personalities, relationships, or conflicts (the ingredients of character and plot), but in the requirements of the language.

Two excellent studies on acting heightened text and acting realism are, respectively, Cicely Berry’s The Actor and the Text and Constantin Stanislavski’s An Actor Prepares. The subjects are often similar and share many common truths, yet certain skills are very different and will be identified in this book. While nothing needs to be changed in either Berry or Stanislavski and every actor should master what each teaches, these exceptional works share a common problem: Their great depth of information can confuse and discourage the reader. The confusion is especially evident among American actors who attempt to master unfamiliar techniques for acting Shakespeare through Berry’s book, unless they are fortunate enough to have an excellent coach who is familiar with the skills. Without a personal coach, or with a coach who is learning along with the actor, how does the actor trained in realism prepare to learn these many new approaches to acting?

Clues to Acting Shakespeare clarifies the specific preparation and identifies the skills required to act heightened text—to move from Chekhov to Shakespeare—to adjust from one language structure to the other. Procedures for learning these skills are included. Many of the skills also apply to acting Shakespeare’s contemporaries, other verse drama like Molière or the Greeks, and to modern realistic text.

Advanced study should follow, beginning with The Actor and the Text and Barton’s Playing Shakespeare book and video series. Correct vocal usage should be learned and practiced, using the techniques of Berry, Kristin Linklater, or Patsy Rodenburg. When you are ready for a much more detailed study of verse structure, refer to Delbert Spain’s Shakespeare Sounded Soundly.

Clues to Acting Shakespeare will not deal with playing realism—for example, Stanislavski’s methods, Meisner, Hagen, and so on—because it assumes the reader has experience in that field and is now taking the step to act heightened text.

I have spent nearly thirty years coaching “acting Shakespeare” at universities or private workshops and even longer directing his plays. This book has evolved into a summary of what actors have taught me over the course of these decades. I hope these “clues” simplify the process for you and help make the material accessible. Don’t let Shakespeare’s text frighten you. This greatest of writers wrote for actors, and discovering what you can do with this language is challenging, stimulating, all-consuming, rewarding, and great fun!

He was skillful enough to have lived still.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, I, i