ABSTRACT
‘Novel of Life’ is a phrase created by Georgii Tovstonogov to describe what he considered to be a crucial part of the Reconnaissance of the Mind pre-production process. However, definitions of a Novel of Life are loose and sometimes contradictory, so this book recommends three ‘novels’ at three different stages of the ten Text Actions (see also Chapters 16 and 21). Novel of Life I is the most demanding of the three. In this exercise you will read the play microscopically, line by line, even word by word, and re-record it in your own words (with some quotations permitted). Not only does this process require close reading, it also begins one’s personal understanding of the play and/or role through this first act of transformation: changing the author’s words to your own as you follow the play in minute detail. This is hard and precise work, but the rewards go far beyond simply reading the play over and over again. This Text Action is fully recommended for directors – and for actors. The point is to learn the play first, then the role. At the end, your grasp of the play will be startling.
