Acting and Directing Shakespeare’s Comedies: Key Lessons

Acting and Directing Shakespeare’s Comedies: Key Lessons outlines a clear, effective process for acting Shakespeare’s comedies.

This book lays out core principles and useful exercises that help the reader better understand, expereince, and implement Shakespeare’s comedic design. Building off of modern acting methods as well as contemporary Clown, classical Commedia, and verse-speaking techniques, the author guides the reader toward interpretive and performance choices that are original, justified, and entertaining. Included are clear examples and detailed case studies that illuminate and reenforce these key lessons.

This accessible book is for actors, directors, students of Shakespeare, and those who want a fuller, richer awareness of the possibilities within Shakespeare’s comedies and a clear, pragmatic process for creating those performances.

Kevin Otos is a Professor of Theatre at Elon University, North Carolina where he teaches Acting, Shakespeare, Commedia and Clown. He is a professional actor and director, and co-author of Applied Meisner for the 21st-Century Actor written with his colleague Kim Shively.