Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric: A Guide for Actors, Directors and Playwrights (The Actor's Toolkit)

A practical and accessible guide to identifying and using rhetorical devices in plays, past and present. An unprecedented reference book for actors, directors, playwrights and teachers – written by practitioners for practitioners. Giles Taylor and Philip Wilson address in detail – yet in straightforward terms – the many different rhetorical forms used in drama, and enable the reader to analyze their effect. The study of rhetoric can give an insight into character and intention, thereby unlocking a text for a performer or director, and providing inspiration for contemporary playwrights. Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric may be read from cover to cover, or it may be dipped into: it is both an analytic tool and a reference for use in the rehearsal room or for study purposes. The book includes hundreds of examples, from almost 300 plays by 140 playwrights from the Renaissance to the modern day. A practical, accessible and thorough guide to identifying and using rhetorical devices in drama, using examples from both classical and contemporary plays. An unprecedented reference and handbook for actors, directors, playwrights and teachers; written by practitioners for practitioners. Little has been written about how dramatists draw on rhetorical devices, and how a study of these can unlock a text for a performer or director, or indeed inspire contemporary playwrights. This book addresses in detail – yet in straightforward terms – the many different rhetorical forms used in drama, and enables the reader to identify and analyse them. Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric may be read cover to cover, or it may be dipped into; it is both an analytic tool and a reference aid for use in the classroom or rehearsal room, revealing how careful study of language is one of the best ways of accessing the richness of texts both classical and contemporary. A reference book for actors, directors, playwrights and teachers - written by practitioners for practitioners. Giles Taylor and Philip Wilson address the many different rhetorical forms used in drama, and enable the reader to analyse their effect. The study of rhetoric can give an insight into character and intention, thereby unlocking a text for a performer or director, and providing inspiration for contemporary playwrights