This theatre book clearly demonstrates that any memorable performance needs far more than acting technique alone. Speeches, both classical and contemporary, are used to reveal how an actor can discover the inherent energy, essence, and the subtextual colors of every word and sentence of a dramatic speech. In eighteen chapters actor/director/teacher Tim McDonough defines in depth how an actor can find the often overlooked subtleties that create characters with dimension and moments of heightened reality. The text"s four sections teach the actor how to create radiant, dramatic imagery with: 1. Story Sense, 2. Sound Sense, 3. Shape Sense, and 4. Inner Conflict Developed by Layering Together Opposite Energies. Adaptable as a supplementary text for courses in acting from the secondary to the graduate level.