Shakespeare and Meisner

Aileen Gonsalves is Artistic Director of Butterfly Theatre Company, which specializes in immersive theatre online and in extraordinary spaces. Her expertise is in authentic acting and directing, particularly with Shakespeare, and she teaches her Meisner rooted actor training approach, the Gonsalves Method, across the globe. She has worked extensively with the RSC and as an associate artist with Kali Theatre Company, and has been Head of the MA in Acting at Arts Ed and Head of BA Acting at Drama Studio London.Tracy Irish is an education practitioner, teacher and researcher with a specialism in Shakespeare. She has been a core member of the RSC’s education team since 2008 and works regularly with the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick and with Butterfly Theatre Company. She completed an interdisciplinary PhD on the value of theatre-based practice for teaching Shakespeare and has authored a range of articles and resources on teaching Shakespeare and intercultural communication skills.

• PrefaceForewordChapter 1: IntroductionPart 1: Sanford Meisner and his workChapter 2 - Meisner’s influencesChapter 3: The Reality of DoingChapter 4: RepetitionChapter 5: Independent Activity and Knock on the DoorChapter 6: Given and Imaginary CircumstancesChapter 7: Preparation and As IfsPart 2: Bringing in textChapter 8: Learning LinesChapter 9: Paraphrasing, Breaking the Back and SoliloquiesChapter 10: The strengths and limitations of Meisner for working with ShakespearePart 3: Aileen Gonsalves in conversation with Tracy Irish about how Butterfly theatre company use Meisner’s techniqueChapter 11: Taking Meisner’s principles into the practice of Butterfly Theatre Company’s ‘Five Conditions'Chapter 12: Taking Meisner’s principles into the practice of Butterfly Theatre Company’s work with Shakespeare’s textReferences

Beautifully written and highly accessible, this book contains a treasure trove of ideas. It brilliantly illustrates how the techniques developed by Meisner can bring Shakespeare's language vividly to life. It made me immediately want to try out the techniques and start to play.