Masking Unmasked: Four Approaches to Basic Acting

203 Pages·2003·1.47 MB·English

by  Eli Simon (auth.)

MASKING UNMASKED
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MASKING UNMASKED
FOUR APPROACHES TO BASIC ACTING
ELI SIMON
MASKINGUNMASKED
Copyright © Eli Simon, 2003.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews.
First published 2003 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS.
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint
of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC
and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered
trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other
countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-4039-6295-9 ISBN 978-1-4039-7364-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781403973641
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Simon, Eli.
Masking unmasked : four approaches to basic acting / Eli
Simon.
p. cm.
1. Acting. 2. Masks. I. Title.
PN2071.M37S56 2003
792’.028—dc21
2003050573
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library.
Design by Letra Libre, Inc.
First edition: November 2003
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to Sabrina and Olivia
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Acknowledgment
I
wish to acknowledge and extend a heartfelt thanks to my col-
leagues and students in the Department of Drama at the University
of California, Irvine.
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Contents
Preface xix
INTRODUCTION 1
• Masking Questions and Answers 2
• From mask to Hu-Mask 5
• Actor Approach 6
• Four Families of Masks 7
• Using the Book 9
• Validation 10
• Journaling 10
• Building Masks 13
• Handling Masks 13
• In Sum 13
CHAPTER ONE. FULL-FACE MASKS 15
Overview 15
• Terminology 16
• All-Powerful Masks 16
• Transformation 17
• Dream State 17
• What, Are You Crazy? 18
• Once Again, with Feeling 19