ABSTRACT

In Mythic Imagination and the Actor, Marissa Chibás draws on over three decades of experience as a Latinx actor, writer, filmmaker, and teacher to offer an approach to acting that embraces collective imagination, archetypal work, and the mythic.

The book begins with a comparative analysis between method acting and mythic acting, encouraging actors to push past the limits of singular life experience and move to a realm where imagination and metaphor thrive. In the context of mythic acting, the book explores awareness work, solo performance creation, the power of archetypes, character building exercises, creating a body/text connection, and how to be the detective of your own process. Through this inclusive guide for a new age of diverse performers traversing gender, ability, culture, and race, readers are able to move beyond their limits to a deep engagement with the infinite possibilities of rich imagination. The final chapter empowers and motivates artists to live healthfully within the practice and create a personal artistic vision plan.

Written for actors and students of acting, American Drama, and film and theatre studies, Mythic Imagination and the Actor provides practical exercises and prompts to unlock and interpret an actor’s deepest creative sources.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|7 pages

The Mythic Sense

chapter 2|13 pages

Laying the Ground Work

chapter 3|14 pages

Archetypes

chapter 4|9 pages

Noir

chapter 5|14 pages

The Body Text Connection

chapter 6|7 pages

Spoken Improvs

chapter 7|6 pages

What Pro Wrestlers Taught Me About Acting

chapter 8|13 pages

Solo Performance

chapter 9|7 pages

Artistic Visioning