Acting Basics “Suit the action to the word, and the word to the action.” Hamlet Act III, Scene 2

Same thing we need to warm up: Body Voice Mind/Heart Actors tools

Character aspects All characters have two aspects: Internal External Mind and heart External Voice and body Character aspects

Partner with the person across from you and decide if this is an internal or external aspect. I am an extrovert! I have a limp. I have a beautiful singing voice. I was recently broken up with. I’ve been sheltered for most of my life. Talking to people is hard for me. My skin is green. I’m very smart. Which one is it?

-ations of acting Concentration Observation Imagination Relaxation Ability to focus and shut out distractions Observation Taking note of what your senses perceive Imagination Visualizing a pretend existence Relaxation Physical ease and mental calm Motivation A reason why your character does what they do. -ations of acting

Constantin Stanislavski Russian actor and director. Lived from 1863-1938 Came up with basic system for acting. We call it the Stanislavski method! Constantin Stanislavski

Stanislavski’s System Stanislavski believed that if an actor relied only on physical actions or only on internal emotions, the performance would fail. He came up with a system that would combine both. Stanislavski’s System

Stanislavski’s System: Magic “if” The first step was the magic “if” Since acting is NOT real life, actors have to ask themselves “what if….” For example, “what if I was in the same situation as my character?” “What would I do if I found myself in this situation?” These questions allow an actor to bring more “truth” to the scene. Stanislavski’s System: Magic “if”

Stanislavski’s System: Motivation Every character has a reason for doing what they are doing. This is one of the most important steps. You must determine what is the driving force behind your character. These are often subconscious. You can determine this best through looking at past actions. Stanislavski’s System: Motivation

Stanislavski’s method: Objectives Everything your character does is so that they can achieve something. This thing they want to achieve is called their objective. These are EXTERNAL goals. Something that can be achieved outside of themselves. NOT an objective: to have internal peace, to like themselves, etc. Objectives: make someone laugh, make someone angry. Stanislavski’s method: Objectives

Stanislavski’s System: Actions To achieve objectives, actors use ACTIONS. As your character tries to achieve an objective, they will use MULTIPLE actions. We identify these as actors using action verbs. Jill scares Sam. Audrey diverts Seymour. Actions are how the character will achieve their objective. Stanislavski’s System: Actions