About the Book:

Breaking Down Your Script is a clear, concise and practical guide that provides you with a structured and effective method for breaking down and understanding a performance script. It offers a flexible approach that works with television and film scripts, with  plays from any period or genre, and can be especially powerful when preparing for your audition.

Script analysis is the close reading of a text to establish its intended meaning, including a thorough understanding of the setting, the subtext, and the characters' objectives. This process can feel like a daunting task for many actors. Inside, you'll find the tools you need for every step of the process, from making sense of the whole script, to breaking it down scene by scene, through to detailed line-by-line analysis. There are strategies for exploring character arcs, objectives, beat shifts and subtext, as well as practical exercises and sample scenes from leading playwrights to help you put the concepts into action. Also included are worksheets you can use and reuse on all your future projects.

Wherever you are in your acting career, Breaking Down Your Script: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Actor is your essential working companion – giving you a method for tackling any script, whether you're preparing for an audition or you've already landed the part.

What people say:

"A small but mighty guidebook for actors... easy-to-follow... Wayth's style is clear, engaging and personable, and her questions are thought-provoking and make it easy for actors to develop playable objectives for individual scenes or even individual lines... a step-by-step process laid out as succinctly as in this guide is invaluable." — Broadway World

"Succinct and readily accessible... A useful compact guide for both teachers and students when approaching and exploring script reading for character development and subsequent performance." — Word Matters (Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama)

"This level of thought and analysis encourages the actor to explore the possible intentions and complexities contained within the writing whilst also giving them the chance to see different options and choices in the playing of it... I particularly enjoyed Wayth's use of different contemporary plays. The selection is considered and engaging, not reliant on treading a well-worn path... The simple ideas and detailed text examples make this a surprisingly useful resource to help any reader unlock a script." — Drama Magazine

About the Author:

Laura Wayth teaches courses in acting and directing at George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. She received her MFA from the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University and the Moscow Art Theatre School Institute in Russia. She has worked as an acting teacher and coach in the United States, Italy, Morocco, China and the UK, and is the author of Breaking Down Your Script.