ACTING:
Here is some material that will help you navigate the content covered in Acting class. This is a broad overview, with certain areas that will provide you with the specific information that will help when analyzing scenes for performance. This information will also be included on various upcoming assessments (quizzes and tests) so make sure you take notes and master the material.
Meisner Technique:
The acting technique that will be studied in class is called Meisner Technique. The Meisner technique is an approach to acting which was developed by the American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner.
The focus of the Meisner approach is for the actor to "get out of their head", such that the actor is behaving instinctively to the surrounding environment. To this end, some exercises for the Meisner technique are rooted in repetition so that the words are deemed insignificant compared to the underlying emotion. In the Meisner technique, there is a greater focus on the other actor as opposed to one's internal thoughts or feelings associated to the character. The Meisner technique is oftentimes confused with "method" acting taught by Lee Strasberg, since both developed from the early teachings of Constantin Stanislavski.
To act means to do. So actors must always be doing something, since that is the only thing that they can control. People are defined by what they do, not always by what they say, so actors--in order to live truthfully--must always concentrate on the doing. The quality of one's acting is dependent on how fully one does what they set out to do.
In order for actors to "get out of their head" (thinking too much) they need to employ what is called the "Reality of Doing" which, simply put, involves the actor really doing something instead of faking it or making it look like anything. When one "does fully" the actor is now invested only in the doing and not on any feelings or any other element that is out of one's control.
The focus of the Meisner approach is for the actor to "get out of their head", such that the actor is behaving instinctively to the surrounding environment. To this end, some exercises for the Meisner technique are rooted in repetition so that the words are deemed insignificant compared to the underlying emotion. In the Meisner technique, there is a greater focus on the other actor as opposed to one's internal thoughts or feelings associated to the character. The Meisner technique is oftentimes confused with "method" acting taught by Lee Strasberg, since both developed from the early teachings of Constantin Stanislavski.
To act means to do. So actors must always be doing something, since that is the only thing that they can control. People are defined by what they do, not always by what they say, so actors--in order to live truthfully--must always concentrate on the doing. The quality of one's acting is dependent on how fully one does what they set out to do.
In order for actors to "get out of their head" (thinking too much) they need to employ what is called the "Reality of Doing" which, simply put, involves the actor really doing something instead of faking it or making it look like anything. When one "does fully" the actor is now invested only in the doing and not on any feelings or any other element that is out of one's control.
Repetition:
In order to effectively communicate, there is a series of steps that help the actor identify the core elements of living truthfully. The series of steps is called "Repetition" and the purpose of these steps is to get back to the basics of communication.
This series of videos break down these steps that are very similar to what is covered in our acting classes. The actors in these video lessons are executing the same exercises and actions that our students will be asked to do when enrolled in Acting I, Acting IV, Improvisation and Voice and Diction.
This series of videos break down these steps that are very similar to what is covered in our acting classes. The actors in these video lessons are executing the same exercises and actions that our students will be asked to do when enrolled in Acting I, Acting IV, Improvisation and Voice and Diction.
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Key Terms:
In order to communicate in theatre, as well as articulate what is going on in a scene, one needs to know some specific vocabulary that will enable the individual to analyze, decipher and communicate appropriately. Here are some terms that are necessary to learn so that the actor can accomplish just that:
Act: Means "to do"
Acting: Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances
Action: Physical pursuit of a specific goal
Beat: Unit of action
Beat Change: A change of action, which now changes to a new unit of action
Need/Objective: What the character has to have or is trying to obtain throughout the scene
Point of View: How you see the other
Acting: Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances
Action: Physical pursuit of a specific goal
Beat: Unit of action
Beat Change: A change of action, which now changes to a new unit of action
Need/Objective: What the character has to have or is trying to obtain throughout the scene
Point of View: How you see the other
Action Checklist:
Use this checklist to determine if your action is appropriate for "doing."
To gain a better understanding of what each of these items mean, please refer to Chapter One in A Practical Handbook for the Actor.
- Physically capable of being done
- You have to be able to accomplish the action physically, not mentally or emotionally
- Fun to do
- You have to be motivated to execute the action
- Be specific
- The action must not be general, but specific enough to know exactly what needs to be done
- Have its test in the other person
- It has to involve the other so that s/he can indicate how close/far away you are from accomplishing the action; other based, not "me" based
- Not an errand
- Not a task that someone else is making you do. You are compelled to act.
- Not presuppose a physical or emotional state
- Do not pre-plan what you will do physically or emotionally. Those things come out of doing something as a side-effect or by-product
- Not manipulative
- Executing the action is a two-way street. You can affect the other and the other can affect you
- Have a cap
- This is the end goal that you work towards when you execute the action. Reaching the cap tells you that you have accomplished it
- Be in line with the playwright's intent
- The playwright has established certain parameters within which the character is to operate. Do not project an action that does not make sense in the scene
To gain a better understanding of what each of these items mean, please refer to Chapter One in A Practical Handbook for the Actor.
Three Questions:
When reading a script/scene, the actor must use a set of tools to accurately assess what is going on in the scene. As a result, s/he also has to decipher what the character is really trying to accomplish (need/objective). In order to figure that out, one has to read the script and then ask some specific questions.
These are the three questions when analyzing a scene. They are used by the actor to identify what the character is literally doing, essentially doing and what that is like to the actor (hypothetically).
To gain a better understanding of what each of these items mean, please refer to Chapter One in A Practical Handbook for the Actor.
These are the three questions when analyzing a scene. They are used by the actor to identify what the character is literally doing, essentially doing and what that is like to the actor (hypothetically).
- What is the character literally doing?
- What is the essential action of what the character is doing in the scene?
- What is that action like to me (the actor)? It is as if...
To gain a better understanding of what each of these items mean, please refer to Chapter One in A Practical Handbook for the Actor.
How To Write Your Need/Objective:
Once you have done the analysis, have good answers to the questions and identified the essential action to be employed in the scene, you will want to write it down in the script.
There is a specific way you will want to write your need within the script. Just follow the format below:
I need_________(Point of View)_______ to (Essential Action) .
For example:
I need this lazy, irresponsible loser to confess the truth.
That puts the point of view and action in very simple and easy to understand terms. When you act in the scene, this is all you have to remember because this is the one thing you are trying to accomplish throughout the scene/beat.
Everything that the other does or says will determine how close or how far away you are from accomplishing your goal.
Remember, this is a need. That means that this is what you NEED to accomplish or your life will never be the same. Raise the stakes! Make it very important. The more important the better.
Also, define the consequences.
There is a specific way you will want to write your need within the script. Just follow the format below:
I need_________(Point of View)_______ to (Essential Action) .
For example:
I need this lazy, irresponsible loser to confess the truth.
That puts the point of view and action in very simple and easy to understand terms. When you act in the scene, this is all you have to remember because this is the one thing you are trying to accomplish throughout the scene/beat.
Everything that the other does or says will determine how close or how far away you are from accomplishing your goal.
Remember, this is a need. That means that this is what you NEED to accomplish or your life will never be the same. Raise the stakes! Make it very important. The more important the better.
Also, define the consequences.
- Know exactly what will happen if you do accomplish your need.
- If I do accomplish this, it will be... and complete the sentence with "the best ever, the most awesome, or other positive outcome"
- Know exactly what will happen if you do not accomplish your need.
- If I don't accomplish this, it will be... and complete the sentence with "the most horrific, the worst, or other negative outcome"
In Practice:
Let's put this into practice. We will analyze the scene as if we were playing character A.
Situation: A boss (A) is asking his late subordinate (B) questions
A: Hi
B: Hello
A: How's everything?
B: Fine, I guess
A: Do you know what time it is?
B: No, not exactly.
A: Don't you have a watch?
B: Not on me.
A: Well
B: Well what?
A: What did you do last night?
B: What do you mean?
A: What did you do last night?
B: Nothing
A: Nothing?
B: I said nothing!
In order to analyze the scene, we need to ask Three Questions:
Here is an example of good analysis:
This is good analysis because:
Here is an example of bad analysis:
Situation: A boss (A) is asking his late subordinate (B) questions
A: Hi
B: Hello
A: How's everything?
B: Fine, I guess
A: Do you know what time it is?
B: No, not exactly.
A: Don't you have a watch?
B: Not on me.
A: Well
B: Well what?
A: What did you do last night?
B: What do you mean?
A: What did you do last night?
B: Nothing
A: Nothing?
B: I said nothing!
In order to analyze the scene, we need to ask Three Questions:
Here is an example of good analysis:
- What is the character (A) literally doing?
- A is asking B questions
- What is the essential action of what the character is doing in the scene?
- I need this lazy, irresponsible loser to tell me the truth
- What is that action like to me (the actor)? It is as if...
- It is as if my son came home after curfew and will not be up front with why he is late
This is good analysis because:
- The literal action is phrased in third person because it involves the character and actions on the printed page (literal means word for word).
- The essential action is good because it satisfies every point in the action checklist.
- The "As If" works because it is a personally meaningful, hypothetical situation in which the actor could employ the same action.
Here is an example of bad analysis:
- What is the character literally doing?
- A is talking to B
- What is the essential action?
- I need him to answer my questions
- What is the as if?
- It is as if someone came into work late and I had to ask him some questions