The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition Kindle Edition

Great technique

I initially read this book reluctantly. It is recommended reading for the acting class I’m taking with Tom Todoroff. And it was so esoteric that it felt like it wasn’t for me, but I’m also committed to craft and being the best I can be, so I hung in there. Something happened around chapter 9 (there are 17 chapters in all)— I began to see and understand that if you employ these techniques with your cast and crew, your performances are going to be fresh and new every night, and ultimately stunningly brilliant!

Viewpoints is very much a primer on spacial awareness and spontaneous interaction.Like any very basic "technique" or approach, and like like many 20th century American guides to theatrical performance, a major problem may lie in that its componentstents are delineated in a manner so simplistic, hyper-focused, and unrevealing of its purpose or endgame that it can have the effect of encouraging effort and difficulty where ideally, there should and might otherwise be none, and that probably endangers as many unproductive habits as it intends to alleviate.While it might be life-changing for those without a regular movement practice, the emphasis on simple movement as a way through to ensemblework won't speak much to those who already have good movement or improvisation skills and for theorists and pedagogues, the book doesn't really reveal what the approach does differently from others or how its application is useful for creating or supporting the work of real performance.If you have good, healthy physical awareness and control or training, you probably won't need viewpoints except to learn its specific vocabularies in order to work with others who use it. If you are a more advanced in the above areas and want more theory or a more comprehensive approach to creating organic group and work, many other works are probably much more essential and helpful to start or to grow with. Start by studying artists and approaches from post-WWII Europe or Chicago Improv or, if you want something more practical or faster and for immediate and advanced application, take some contact improv and composition and Meisner courses.

Any theatre maker looking for a new book to read or if you are someone looking into the art of theatre, this is a great book to get your feet wet. The great thing about Viewpoints is that it is based off of life, everyday life, in fact. Anne Bogart just gave these awarenesses a name to be applied into the art of acting, collaboration and directing. Even as a theatre practitioner myself, reading this book (many times over) it has opened my eyes to knew ways of looking at theatre and life as a whole.

I have worked with both Anne Bogart and Tina Landau and grew to appreciate their unique approach. It is good to see their way of working in print finally. The book is a great resource for all who have some appreciation for what goes into making a piece of theatre. It will especially pique the interest of those who see the physical nature of the theatre as paramount. The book outlines an way to replicate the work of these two great theatre artists in their own process. Dancers and choreographers will perhaps find a new perspective on what they do in this book.

As an actor I've worked with viewpoints in college and in various productions. I love it. It's such a fantastic method for ensemble building and sensory work. I've recently started directing and wanted to learn more about the method of viewpoints. This book was essential! I felt so prepared on my first day of rehearsal and as a first time practitioner of viewpoints it made me feel very secure in my teaching.

The book is a useful source for training in acting and in dance. Exercises are suggested to improvise and explore in different ways, the basic elements that underlie all movement, which are time and space. Ideas of flow, force or shifts in weight (as in Laban)are not discussed, but the many ideas on ways to think about, to experiment and to experience relationships of bodies in space make this book a practical and a valuable guide.

Aptly described in the title, "A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition". Perfect for new and veteran artists alike. Great information about ensemble building as well as getting outside of your comfort zone. The kind of book to go back and re-read with every new project. You'll find yourself applying techniques consciously as well as unconsciously.

this book is a guide to viewpoints in practice. the technique is well worth exploring, and the results are always interesting..as an ensemble builder it is second to none. i feel the only danger is that it risks replacing rather than enhancing a more intellectually rigirous approach to creating theatre and the interrogation of ideas and/or text that should include...i do recommend it, though, and although there are times i do think it's a tad indulgent, it is a valuable addition to practice and is a great gateway to facillitating a creative process for the actor in the room......to answer my fellow critic above - i have unfortunately seen this methodology used to create stunning but intellectually imporverished work on a number of occasions now. it does not offer solutions to fitting the methodology into text work and as it is such an instantly prolific generator of material, it does unfortunately allow for some practitioner's lack of rigour to be submerged in what looks like very clever ideas....i have seen it give the illusion of profundity rather than touching any in finished performances.having said that, it can, if used with care, offer really interesting insights into complex texts and good theatrically bold staging ideas. i have roughed out a way to use it with complex text while keeping the work coming from the text rather than working towards it - but it has been an ongoing investigation. as a classical theatre director these considerations are hardly something one can ignore - however this is not always the case with other practice areas so perhaps the critic above will understand it is actually about practitioners using the book and how they do that and not bogart - although she could go deeper into how text and viewpoints might work. at no time does bogart's book suggest ignoring textual analysis and i never set out to say that. i would suggest to the practitioner working from text NOT to use it to generate material at the start of your process but do use it - it's fun.

Book came faster than the date shown. It was in pristine condition.Have been using some of these exercises in class at uni and was a recommended book to read. Definitely worth getting if you in the acting industry. It's easy to read and understand and a book you will have for a life time for referring to when stuck in a block.

Essential for actors movement, voice, and imagination training. Please share this knowledge to aspiring actors of ANY age!

This is a great book. I was inspired to buy it because of a great teaching workshop in Nice where a great teacher taught us all about the viewpoints and I was dying to get this book afterwards. It is really useful and easy to follow and i know I'll use it a lot with my drama class because the area I really need to develop is physicality and movement.

Great condition