The Invisible Actor

Yoshi Oida is a Japanese actor and director whose work in the West has mainly been for Peter Brook’s theatre company in Paris. He blends the oriental acting tradition of supreme control with the Western performer’s need to characterize and expose depths of emotion. In this practical study of the actor’s art, Oida describes how to place the technique of acting behind a cloak of invisibility. He believes that, once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor’s method and becomes too conscious of the actor’s artistry, the wonder of performance dies. Throughout the book, Lorna Marshall provides a running commentary on Oida’s work and methods, as an aid to understanding the achievement of this unusual theatrical artist.