Aileen Gonsalves is Artistic Director of Butterfly Theatre Company, which specializes in immersive theatre online and in extraordinary spaces. Her expertise is in authentic acting and directing, particularly with Shakespeare, and she teaches her Meisner rooted actor training approach, the Gonsalves Method, across the globe. She has worked extensively with the RSC and as an associate artist with Kali Theatre Company, and has been Head of the MA in Acting at Arts Ed and Head of BA Acting at Drama Studio London.

Tracy Irish is an education practitioner, teacher and researcher with a specialism in Shakespeare. She has been a core member of the RSC's education team since 2008 and works regularly with the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick and with Butterfly Theatre Company. She completed an interdisciplinary PhD on the value of theatre-based practice for teaching Shakespeare and has authored a range of articles and resources on teaching Shakespeare and intercultural communication skills.

Preface
Foreword

Chapter 1: Introduction

Part 1: Sanford Meisner and his work
Chapter 2 - Meisner's influences
Chapter 3: The Reality of Doing
Chapter 4: Repetition
Chapter 5: Independent Activity and Knock on the Door
Chapter 6: Given and Imaginary Circumstances
Chapter 7: Preparation and As Ifs

Part 2: Bringing in text
Chapter 8: Learning Lines
Chapter 9: Paraphrasing, Breaking the Back and Soliloquies
Chapter 10: The strengths and limitations of Meisner for working with Shakespeare

Part 3: Aileen Gonsalves in conversation with Tracy Irish about how Butterfly theatre company use Meisner's technique
Chapter 11: Taking Meisner's principles into the practice of Butterfly Theatre Company's 'Five Conditions'
Chapter 12: Taking Meisner's principles into the practice of Butterfly Theatre Company's work with Shakespeare's text

References