Methuen & Co. Ltd

Clown: The Physical Comedian is a detailed and comprehensive workbook for those interested in the art of clowning and physical theatre, including actors, directors, improvisers, stand-up comedians, circus artists, mask performers and devisers of new work. Offering an extensive and hugely diverse compilation of tried-and-tested exercises and games, the book is for students, teachers and practitioners to aid ensemble-building, character development, devising theatre, physicalising text and vocalising movement, plus creating cabaret acts, clown routines and adding physical play to scripted scenes. It offers advice on subjects such as developing presence onstage; increasing strength, flexibility and physical expression; developing partner and trio relationships; understanding the power of the mask; and working with an audience - in particular, turning a performance into a conversation with the audience and increasing the actor's ability to connect with a crowd. The exercises and teachings have been developed in classrooms, workshops and theatres all over the world and the book is packed with insights from the author, who has worked for over 35 years in a wide variety of venues, from intimate performance spaces to large-scale sports stadiums.

The definitive work on the life, achievements and theory of the great choreographer Rudolf Laban Like Picasso in painting, Stravinsky in music or Stanislavski in theatre, Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) has been a seminal influence on the arts in this century. The impact of his theories and practice have influenced the whole course of modern dance and choreography, and his ideas about physical life and expression have also influenced performers in other fields. His mark can be found in the work of artists as diverse as the German dancers and choreographers Mary Wigman, Kurt Joos and Pina Bausch and the British theatre artists Joan Littlewood, William Gaskill, Joan Plowright, Malcolm Ransome and many others In this major new study John Hodgson looks at the different facets and phases of Laban's life and writings to unravel the many strands of his thinking and its application. This is a masterful synthesis of Laban's work, providing a practical understanding of how the human body moves and creates both beauty and purity through movement. It will become a central text for practitioners of dance and theatre as well as the major record of the history and creative development of Rudolf Laban himself.