Chapter 4The Actor

Potential Rewards of Acting:Thrill of a great performance, appreciation from audience, profits, glory of getting into a

character, high incomes possible, celebrity and fame

Potential Demands and Sacrifices of Acting:

Psychological, financial, moral, etc, Stage Fright , bullied by directors, bossed by stage managers, many paid less than janitors, hired/fired capriciously, deceived (and swindled) by agents, poked, prodded, etc uncertainty, etc fear of failure, competition, forgetting lines, losing emotional control, losing one’s looks, losing one’s fans, etc

What is Acting?1.oldest of the theatrical arts2.most public of the arts—most visible and recognized by an audience3.public thinks they know “how to act” because it seems simple—it’s not!

Two Notions of Acting1.Presentational/External/Technical (outside in)—imitations, skills, academic training,2.Representational/Internal/ (inside out)—“feel” the emotions, live the life of the character, in the US it is “Method” acting, and is derived from Stanislavsky’s and made popular by Lee Strasberg

Are these two styles mutually exclusive? Both are vital to great acting—technique and inspiration or head and heart; the “third eye”—actors are simultaneously absorbed in their character and aware of the audience and their reaction. The best actor is a trained actor who believes in his character and the world of the play and who pursues his objective with commitment.Examples: Aesop stabbed a stagehand because he was so in character, Polus placed the ashes of his own dead son onstage to inspire him during a lamentation speech in Electra

Why does the text call this conflict a paradox? And how does it relate to Diderot’s “paradox of the actor”? Horace “In order to move the audience you must first be moved yourself” Diderot claimed that “a great actor must be an unmoved and disinterested onlooker. . . he is best when he imitates anger. Actors impress the public not when they are furious but when they play fury well” Danger of being too emotional-- Diderot characteristic of the Enlightenment—demystify/classify/categorizeAnalogy: candle flame and hurricane glass

What was Stanislavsky’s response to Diderot’s assertions?

Rebelled/attacked (age of Romanticism—passion is everything and Realism/Naturalism—sense of truth and reality) but Stanislavski’s views changed throughout his career.

“Zadacha”—

character’s problem (incorrectly translated as objective—but we still use objective today)

Stanislavsky was the one of the first to investigate what notions of acting?. Motivation, character is striving to achieve something, “public solitude”—focus attention on the events/world of the play, subtext (unspoken meanings and undescribed character goals) Stanislavsky hated empty theatricality or “gimmicks” or “tricks” and believed actors must invest emotionally; he was almost obsessive about emotion early on in his career

What was Stanislavsky obsessed with and what acting technique did he create because of this obsession? Emotion; he developed the technique of emotional memory or emotional recall or affective memory by mentally substituting remembered situations from his own life into the action of the play

Was Stanislavsky strictly an “internal” actor?No. He was also very skilled and well-trained in theatre technique; he had performed in plays since the age of 6, was a trained singer, and recognized the necessity for rational control in performance “Feeling does not replace an immense amount of work on the part of our intellects.” By the middle of his career he had discarded emotional memory in favor of physical actions as the key to stimulating truthful acting and coached actors to stop “playing feelings” and see everything in terms of “action”

How did Stanislavsky influence the American system of acting and actor training?

2 disciples Richard Boleslavski and Maria Ouspenskaya moved to NY to found American Laboratory Theatre; among students was Lee Strasberg who formed the Group Theatre in 1931 and the Actor’s Studio shortly thereafter. Strasberg developed “The Method” using “Stanislavsky’s System” and incorporated emotional recall as a principal technique and it became the standard in actor training in the US. Others, such as Stella Adler and Sonia Moore studied with Stanislavsky later in his life and emphasized physical actions but almost all American acting teachers pay homage to Stanislavsky.

What is virtuosity?

Virtuosity of dramatic technique; requires that the actor possess a wide range of skills such as juggling, dancing, singing, vocal training, miming, clowning, stage combat, acrobatics, etc.

What are the two main features an actor needs to develop and why?

A magnificently expressive voice and a splendidly supple body;

Greek actors were awarded prizes for their vocal abilities alone and many modern actors are recognized for their signature voices; one type of acting in which some actors specialize is called “voice-over” usually for radio and television (like Simpsons). Actors who can draw on many “voices” have a wide range of roles they can play and they command the attention of an audience.

Actors must also be strong and supple, capable of physical self-mastery and artists of body language. Actors can communicate a huge amount with an arched eyebrow, a toss of the head or a flick of the wrist. Therefore an actor is never “done” training or learning to better use these tools

Traditional notions of virtuosity lost popularity in the mid-twentieth centuryb ecause rise of realism and cinema verite of post WWII fostered an “artless” acting style

In this era, it was thought that actors should be “natural” not trained (thought virtuosity was “affectation”). Certainly modern times require modern skills but training in theatre technique and specific skills can never hurt and are usually very helpful.

Example: popularity of “mumbling” actors; although they were speaking very “naturally” the audience couldn’t understand them!

The virtuosity of one age can seem mere affectation in the next.

What does the text mean by “magic”? presence, magnetism, charisma, a quality we cannot explain except to say we know it when we are under its spell, “it” factor; star quality. Much of it is confidence combined with skill.

How is the idea of “magic” related to theatre historically? Earliest actors were not technicians but priests and they embodied not ordinary men but gods; modern actors retain a hint of this transcendent divinity. Elevated on a stage, bathed in light—a “star” or a monster sacre (sacred monster).

Can “magic” be directly acquired or produced?

Why or why not? For gifted actors, it comes quickly or they are “born”

with it, for some even years of training it will never come.

What is the actor’s instrument? The actor’s self; voice and body primarily, but also emotions, intellect, imagination, past experiences and education, etc.

Historically, how did actors learn their craft? Master actors took on young apprentices; Japanese and French acting styles still learn their craft by relentless imitation of “the masters.” Today many educational specialists are incorporated into actor training. Acting cannot be learned by simply “reading books.”

Describe the goals and techniques involved in

developing the physiological instrument—

Voice—training to develop

breathing, phonation, resonance, etc

Speech—articulation,

pronunciation, phrasing

Movement—physical relaxation, muscular control, economy of action (selectivity—beginning actors often fidget, shuffle,pace and use nervous hand gestures; surprise is an actor’s “greatest weapon” and can be achieved only the economy of movement and mastery of the body), expressive rhythms and movement patterns

Specialized Movement skills—

dance, mime, fencing, acrobatics

Describe the 4 levels or aspects of the actor’s

development and use of the psychological

instrument.

1. Imagination and the willingness to use it in the service of art; belief in the imaginary world of the play so that you can convey that “reality to an audience”

2. Imagine themselves in the interpersonal situations in the play; in love with Juliet, in despair for their life, etc

3. Go “beyond” and become a creative force that makes their portrayal unique and original**Theatre games and early actor training are aimed at freeing the imagination because human imagination tends to rigidify in the course of maturation—the child’s imagination is usually much richer than that of the adult

4. Discipline—to some extent it rules all the others; imagination must be restricted by the requirements of the play, the director’s staging and interpretation and by certain established working conditions; discipline keeps the actor within certain established bounds. The actor works in an ensemble and theatre is only successful in collaboration. (Even a 1 person show has designers, crew members, stage managers and a director!)

Actors are sometimes stereotypically believed to be

temperamental and professionally difficult (divas) but the truth is the opposite; rigorous calls, rehearsal

and performance schedules, needs for physical health, psychological composure, concentration, a good

team player, etc.

Describe the 3 elements of the

actor’s approach to performance of a

role:

1.Stanislavsky’s primary principle: the actor creates his or her performance through the pursuit of the character’s zadacha or problem to be solved (objective, task, intention, want, or goal). This focuses the actor’s energy, displaces stage fright, aligns the actor with the character. Objectives are usually identified in relation to other character’s in the play so that acting becomes “interacting with other people”

2. Identification of the tactics necessary to achieve the goal or objective. Actors who play tactics boldy and who allow themselves to believe that they will win their goals (even if the play dictates that they will not) convey the theatre’s greatest intangible: hope. Hope achieved and hope dashed can create the moments of overwhelming thrill and unbearable poignancy of great theatrical climaxes. (Miracle Worker and Glass Menagerie examples)

3. Research into the style of play and mode of performance that will govern the production: representational, presentational, historical, comedy of manners and wit, etc. Shakespeare coaching or dialect training or tap dancing or playing guitar or riding horses or studying with people with a particular handicap for example

Describe the 3 stages of the actor’s routine:

1.Audition2.Rehearsal

3.Performance

Audition—Young, unknown actors audition hundreds of times a year. Well-known actors may only have to audition for sought after roles or if their careers are perceived to be in decline. In an audition the actor presents a prepared reading or a “cold” reading from script to demonstrate that they can portray the role.

Actors prepare several monologues for their repertoire (can also use poems, prose etc) to show a wide range and these should be well-rehearsed.

Qualities a director looks for in an audition: ease at handling the role, naturalness of delivery, physical, vocal, and emotional suitability for the part; spontaneity, power, charm, etc. They also look for experience, skills and training, someone who can work within and complement the ensemble, and that special “it” factor

Rehearsal—Most productions rehearse between 6 and 10 weeks although Brecht and Stanislavsky sometimes rehearsed for more than a year and summer stock or professional touring companies sometimes rehearse for a week or less. (Understudies have been known to “go on” on Broadway with 1 or no rehearsals! And sometimes that 1 rehearsal is with the stage manager only!)

During rehearsal the actor studies the character’s biography, subtext, objectives, and the world created by the playwright, memorizes lines, learns blocking and business. Rehearsal is both a time for experimentation and discovery and for getting secure in the role by repetition. French word for rehearsal is repetition.

Performance—the ultimate test of the actor and the production. And the production always changes somewhat with the introduction of the audience. Even when the audience is silent and invisible, the performer feels their presence; art of reading an audience. Professional stage actors risk going “stale”.