Anatomy of a Choice

How does an actor bring a script to life? The actor must know how to read a script, break it down, and mine all of its clues in order to make the most effective choices. The Anatomy of a Choice: An Actor's Guide to Text Analysis offers the actor a concrete method for approaching a script. This guide details a simple process to discover and define a character's scene and super-objective, obstacle, beats, and tactics. It includes practical information on how to build a character, how best to use rehearsal time, and what to do when nothing is working.

A concise and engaging approach to the art of acting. Specific, entertaining and accessible to the young artist., I've had the pleasure of working with Maura as an actor, teacher and director and suffice it to say, she is a consummate theater artist. Her new book is an excellent guide to acting for all levels that offer a comprehensive vocabulary along with the necessary tools in order to mine the most out of one's craft. In it, she offers an organic approach to acting that is thorough, humble, and most of all, accessible. She inspires, elates, and educates, all from her first-hand professional experience both as an actor and a dedicated theater educator., There are many approaches to the study of acting. Vaughn's approach strikes me as incisive, thorough, thoughtful and eminently useful-especially for the younger actor. Vaughn puts to rest the notion that all the beginning student needs is desire and a bit of talent. Her anatomical chart is full of detail., Maura Vaughn's The Anatomy of a Choice: An Actor's Guide to Text Analysis is an indispensable handbook for any young actor starting out on their long journey to become a theatre artist. Come to that, it's a most useful tool for any actor already on that journey who should, when lost in rehearsal or performance, quickly refer to her concise, well-written advice.

Maura Vaughn has been a professional actor and teacher of acting for over twenty-five years. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School for the Arts, she trained at Circle in the Square. As a performer, she has graced stages in New York, across the United States, and in Europe.