All chapters conclude with "Summary." List of Exercises. Foreword by Ted Danson. Preface. Acknowledgments. I.PREPARING YOURSELF.
1.The Actor in You. The Skills of the Actor.
Acting and Your Personal Growth.
Discipline.
2.The Creative State. Tension and Excessive Effort.
Restful Alertness.
Being Whole.
Relaxation.
The Here and Now.
3.Centering and Moving. Your Relationship to Gravity.
The Pure Center and the Voice.
The Actor's Use of Center.
The Cycle of Energy.
Grounding.
Phrasing Movement.
4.Gesture. Communication through Gesture.
The Genesis of Gesture.
Implied Gestures in the Text.
5.Voice. The Voice and Emotion.
The Source of the Voice.
Tone Production.
The Voice and Inner Dynamic.
The Voice and Attitude.
Using Your Own Voice.
6.Speech. The Process of Speech.
Nasal Sounds.
Oral Sounds: Vowels and Diphthongs.
Oral Sounds: Consonants.
Speech and Character.
Further Training of Body and Voice.
7.The Performance Space. The Stage.
Directions on Stage.
The Scale of Performance.
8.Working with Others. The Bodily Center and Relationship.
Commitment, Support, and Communication.
Transaction and Teamwork.
II.ACTION.
9.Action. Action According to Stanislavski.
Action in Life.
Internal and External Action.
Believability.
Indicating.
10.Action and the Acting Process. Public Solitude.
Dual Consciousness.
Action and Emotion.
Action and Character.
Personalization and the Magic If.
The Acting Process.
11.Needs, Actions and Objectives. Wants and Needs.
Actions and Objectives.
Defining Productive Objectives.
Connecting Action with Others.
Spontaneity.
12.Playable Actions. Defining Playable Actions.
Units of Action.
The Given Circumstances.
13.The Flow and Shape of Drama. Action and Reaction: The Life of the Scene.
The Shape of Drama.
Drama and Conflict.
14.Beats and Scenes. Analyzing Beats: The Score.
Scene Structure.
15.Through-Line and Superobjective. The Superobjective.
III.CHARACTER.
16.The Function and Elements of Character. Dramatic Function.
Functional and Likeness Traits.
Categories of Character Traits.
Physical Traits.
Social Traits.
Psychological Traits.
Moral Traits.
Economy of Characterization.
A Character Checklist.
17.The Character's Mind. The Instroke of Reaction.
Choice.
Automatic Actions.
Direct and Indirect Action.
Not Doing: Suppression.
18.The Character's Language. Word Choice: Text and Subtext.
Rhythm.
Melody.
Imagery.
19.The Character's Body. Personality in the Body.
The Character's Center.
The Flow of Bodily Energy.
Physique and Personality.
Body Alignment and Character.
20.The Character's Emotion. From Action to Emotion: Working from the Outside In.
From Thought to Emotion: Working from the Inside Out.
Emotional Recall and Substitution.
The Role of Emotion in Performance.
IV.THE WORKING PROCESS.
21.The Rehearsal Process I: Finding the Content. Auditions.
Preparation and Homework.
Early Read-Throughs.
Getting Up and Off Book.
Exploring the Action.
22.The Rehearsal Process II: Developing the Form. Establishing the Score.
Blocking.
Justifying the Blocking.
The Groundplan and Setting.
23.The Rehearsal Process III: Preparing to Open. Shaping and Pacing the Performance.
Making Final Adjustments.
Technical and Dress Rehearsals.
Growth after Opening.
24.The Actor at Work. Supporting Each Other.
Free and Open Communication.
You and Your Director.
The Fear of Failure.
The Desire for Success.
Your Sense of Purpose.
Afterword: Transformation. Appendix A: Sample Scenes. Death of a Salesman.
The Glass Menagerie.
Cheers.
Appendix B: Useful Plays. Appendix C: An Action Checklist. Bibliography. Notes. Index. 