A New Practical Guide to Rhetorical Gesture and Action

ISBN 978-0-9978664-0-7
35 full-color illustrations
foil-stamped cover

A New Practical Guide to Rhetorical Gesture and Action is based on Henry Siddons' illustrated guidebook for actors originally published in 1807. With 35 illustrations by Jesse Hawley of contemporary actors re-interpreting gestures from the original book, each accompanied by a panel of descriptive text by Normandy Sherwood rewritten in a poetic subversion of the original. With an introductory essay by James Stanley exploring the history of acting and acting training, placing the book project in a larger historical context. 

Performers documented include Kate Valk, Juliana Francis, David Patrick Kelly, and Black Eyed Susan, actor-director Paul Lazar, writer-choreographer-performer Okwui Okpokwasili, storyteller Edgar Oliver, stars of the neo-burlesque Julie Atlas Muz and Matt Frazier, radical performance ensemble Radiohole, inventor-performer Joe Silovsky and his robot Stanley, playwright Sibyl Kempson, as well as members of Half Straddle, Hoi Polloi, Elevator Repair Service, New York City Players and many independent artists and performers.