Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers

James Thomas, Professor of Theatre at Wayne State University and Head of its PhD Program in Directing and Theatre Scholarship, is a graduate of St. Ambrose College (BA), Villanova University (MA), and the University of Texas at Austin (PhD). Thomas has also taught theatre at Mount Holyoke College, Marquette University and Florida State University, where he was Associate Dean. His recent directing credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author and Cymbeline at Detroit's Hilberry Theatre, and Ah, Wilderness! and The Skin of our Teeth at the Bonstelle Theatre. He is also translator of texts about modern Russian acting and directing technique and Director of the Department's Study Abroad Program with the Moscow Art Theatre School. He is currently at work on a study of Shakespeare's plays for actors, directors and designers. James Thomas, Professor of Theatre at Wayne State University and Head of its PhD Program in Directing and Theatre Scholarship, is a graduate of St. Ambrose College (BA), Villanova University (MA), and the University of Texas at Austin (PhD). Thomas has also taught theatre at Mount Holyoke College, Marquette University and Florida State University, where he was Associate Dean. His recent directing credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author and Cymbeline at Detroit's Hilberry Theatre, and Ah, Wilderness! and The Skin of our Teeth at the Bonstelle Theatre. He is also translator of texts about modern Russian acting and directing technique and Director of the Department's Study Abroad Program with the Moscow Art Theatre School. He is currently at work on a study of Shakespeare's plays for actors, directors and designers.

Preface: New in This Edition, This Book and Its Point of View; Acknowledgments; Introduction: What is Formalist Play Analysis?, Action Analysis, Dramatic Writing, Reading Plays; CHAPTER 1-ACTION ANALYSIS: Events, Sequence of External Events, Reviewing the Facts, Seed, Sequence of Internal Events, Three Major Climaxes, Theme, Super-Objective, Through-Action, Counter Through-Action, Action Analysis and Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 2-GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES: Time, Place, Society, Economics, Politics and Law, Learning and the Arts, Spirituality, The World of the Play, Given Circumstances in Non Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 3-BACKGROUND STORY: Technique, Identification, Background Story in Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 4-EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ACTION: External Action, Internal Action, External and Internal Action in Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 5-PROGRESSIONS AND STRUCTURE: Progressions, Structure, Progressions and Structure in Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 6-CHARACTER: Objectives, Actions, Adaptations-an Aside, Conflict, Will, Values, Personality Traits, Complexity, Relationships, Character in Non-Realistic Plays, The Score of a Role, Questions; CHAPTER 7-IDEA: Idea in the Words, Idea in the Characters, Idea in the Plot, The Main Idea, Idea in Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 8-DIALOGUE: Words, Sentences, Speeches, Special Qualities, Theatricality, Dialogue in Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 9-TEMPO, RHYTHM, AND MOOD: Tempo, Rhythm, Mood, Tempo, Rhythm, and Mood in Non-Realistic Plays, Closing Notes on Non-Realistic Plays, Questions; CHAPTER 10-THE STYLE OF THE PLAY: Given Circumstances, Background Story, Plot, Character, Idea, Dialogue, Atmosphere, Questions; A FINAL WORD; Appendix-Further Questions for Script Analysis; Bibliography; Index