“Theatre Brief” Cohen and Sherman Chapter Three THE ACTOR “Theatre Brief” Cohen and Sherman Chapter Three

What is acting? It is the oldest of the theatrical arts. THESPIS, the first actor, was the author of the plays in which he appeared. From his name comes the word THESPIAN, another word for actor.

Acting is a public art The average theatregoer can name many actors

Two notions of acting The actor “presents” to the audience in a form that we call “presentational.” It is also called “external” or “technical” acting. The second notion emanates from somewhere “inside” the actor. The actor works honestly and effectively to “live the life of the character.” To feel the emotions. It can be called “representational.” Actors of this school are often “method actors” named for a “system” devised by Konstantin Stanislavski.

Konstantin Stanislavski 1863-1938

Lee Strasberg In the United States, the “method” was made popular by the actor Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York City.

Presentational actors Represented by classically-trained British actors

Internal vs. external Has been long debated See text (page 78) for examples from the classical theatre including a passage from Socrates In the 18th century, French encyclopedist Denis Diderot discussed the differences in his essay “The Paradox of Acting” At the Moscow Art Theatre, Stanislavski taught that motivation gives meaning to action. And, as such, plays have subtexts the actor needs to understand.

Stanislavski’s legacy Almost all American teachers of acting pay homage to Stanislavski and his “theories” of acting... Famous American actors trained in the method include...

The actor as virtuoso Greatness in acting, like greatness in almost any endeavor, demands a superb set of skills In order to play HAMLET, for example, the actor himself needs to embody the genius of the character. To achieve this virtuosity, the actor must possess two features An expressive voice A supple body

Magnificent voices James Earl Jones Glenn Close

Splendid supple bodies Bill Irwin Meryl Streep

A celebrated virtuoso – Mark Rylance Bridge of Spies Shakespeare’s 12th Night Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem

Magic Beyond conviction and virtuosity, great actors possess “presence” or “magnetism” or “charisma”

BECOMING AN ACTOR Actor training takes place in colleges, universities, conservatories and private and commercial schools

Professional actors belong to an actor’s union

The actor’s instrument The self Mind Mettle Metabolism Training is both physical and psychological In France and Japan, actors are trained through apprenticeships All training requires practice, not simple book learning

PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAINING VOICE AND SPEECH VOICE: breathing, phonation, resonance SPEECH: articulation, pronunciation, phrasing PROJECTION

MOVEMENT Dance, mime, fencing, acrobatics Relaxation, control, economy Strength and endurance

PSYCHOLOGICAL instrument Imagination, and willingness and ability to use it in the service of art, are major components of the actor’s psychological instrument Make the artifice of the theatre real (flats and platforms become streets or mountains) Place the self in the imagined world of the play (Really fall in love with your acting mate) Characterize the role with uniqueness and life (liberate the actor’s imagination)

Discipline The fourth and final aspect of the actor’s psychological instrument Follow the working conditions Collaborate with fellow artists Be on time to calls Stay well and healthy Train your instrument in exercise or class Memorize parts before they are due Work vigorously to develop craft

Discipline?

Discipline?

Discipline?

THE ACTOR’S APPROACH Stanislavski described the actor’s ZADACHA [задача] which also translates to mean objective, task, goal, victory or intention. Each character has a primary goal and several minor goals in the play.

THE ACTOR’S APPROACH Secondly, the actor develops TACTICS necessary to achieve the GOALS

THE ACTOR’S APPROACH Finally, the actor must understand the style of given circumstances of the play and apply it to the role

Cohen’s GOTE GOAL. What the character wants OBJECT (Other). Who does the character want it from? TACTIC. How does the actor get it? EXPECTATION. Why does the actor expect to reach the goal?

THE ACTOR’S ROUTINE The audition

REHEARSAL

Rehearsal process Plays are in rehearsal for several weeks

Rehearsal process At rehearsal, actors learn lines and blocking… …and explore the characters motivations (goals)

Rehearsal process MEMORIZE …and work on the external elements of timing and delivery

Rehearsal process It is the most creative time for the actor

Patrick Stewart, Simon Callow & Ian McKellan Performance Patrick Stewart, Simon Callow & Ian McKellan

Patrick Stewart in Macbeth

...what the theatre is all about The excitement of live performance Philip Seymour Hoffman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN

The shift from rehearsal to performance Now, the actor is aware of his audience... The audience affects the actor’s timing, delivery and energy

Stage vs. film Stage actors must re-create their performance over and over. Each actor develops ways to adapt to the different demands of various media Dame Judi Dench in film and onstage.

The actor bows

Acting is an art... Actors are privileged people, they get to live the lives of saints, sinners, lovers, rulers, the great and the meek They get to reenter the wonder of childhood and play They get to fantasize freely and get paid for it Many want to act, but true acting is a calling The addicted actor is probably not very good

Actors must know more than acting, they must represent the human and therefore must understand humankind The proper study of acting is life: common sense, observation, perception, tolerance and understanding Actors need to possess training, business acumen and a realistic vision Very few are capable of a professional career in acting. Those that do possess great talent, skill, persistence, fortitude and luck