1. ACTING: Methods,Techniques and Approaches
A presentation of different tools from masters of the craft

2. From Constantin Stanislavski to Sanford Meisner to Uta Hagen to Ivana Chubbuck, many different approaches have been used to teach and hone acting skills. All have merit, and no single approach is a “catch all” for inspired performing. However, a “toolbox” of the techniques provides avenues for exploration when crafting a character. In this slide presentation, we will investigate the techniques of various approaches to gain an understanding of character building.
Acting Gurus

3. The Theater: Do and Do Not…
If you’re early, you’re on time; if you’re on time…you’re late.
Do warm-ups privately
Monitor and be responsible for your own props and costumes
Do not touch other’s property
Do not hang out in the wings
Do not talk back stage
Respect other’s warm-ups; do not interrupt them
Superstitions:
Do not say “good luck.” Say “break a leg”, which comes from bowing during Elizabethan theater
Do not say “Macbeth”; refer to it as “the Scottish play”
(Johnston-Brown, Ten Commandments…)
The Theater: Do and Do Not…

4. Stanislavski, oft noted as the “father of the method”, was a Russian actor, director and teacher from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He firmly believed that a character is an imaginary creation, possibly based in history, that is quite separate from the actor. However, by implementing the imagination, actors can convincingly portray characters through the simple question of “what if?”. Stanislavski wrote that “truth on stage is whatever we can believe with sincerity…”
What if I, Jane Doe, were in this particular situation of Joan of Arc??
What feelings would I, Jane Doe, have if I believed wholeheartedly in my God and was willing to be persecuted?
What would I, Jane Doe, want to achieve or have happen through the crusades?
How would I, Jane Doe, behave while being tortured?
The “Magic If”

5. Character Building: Research!
Even though you are playing a character and pretending, you must know the character fully. However, NEVER try to imitate another actor’s portrayal of a character.
Read the entire script
Write down anything said about your character or that your character says about himself or herself
Record stage directions about your character
Ponder and record background information; fill in what is not known with your imagination, but be logical and justifiable
who is your character? Name? Appearance? Age? Personality?
What is your character’s past? Tragic events? Upbringing?
How does your character move?
What is said by others about your character?
What is the date? Where are you? What time is it? Season? Does location affect your character?
What is the style of the play? Comedy? Drama? Romance? Does this affect your character?
Do you know all the words in the play? Meaning? Pronunciation?
What is your relationship with other characters? Family problems? Strangers?
Character Building: Research!

6. Objectives, Intentions, Beats…
Super-objective: what the character wants from the story- leads to purpose of character in the play
Super-objectives NEVER change, but intentions and tactics to achieve it do
A strong choice in super-objective needs to guide character
Super-objectives are raw, simple and natural
Objective- what a character wants in a scene
Motivation- WHY a character wants an objective or super-obj.
Obstacle- challenges impeding the character in their actions to get what is wanted (these can be external or internal)
Intention- line by line goal of character
Beat- emotional and/or physical changes to HOW a character is getting what is wanted
We play scenes “beat to beat” until we achieve our super-objective
All objectives must be known for beat changes
Why does your character want something, someone, etc.
Knowing why maintains believability of intentions
If you don’t know why they want it, the character would logically give up
When does your character need it?
“When” creates and develops URGENCY, enhancing suspense and characterization
Who has what your character wants?
HOW does your character go about getting what is wanted?
This aids in understanding SUBTEXT, the underlying themes and reasons for character actions. BLOCKING is also affected.
Objectives, Intentions, Beats…

7. Putting the ACTION in ACTING
“ACT” means to do something. An actor must always being doing something onstage that can be observed by the audience.
ACT= “immediate and urgent needs cause actions in the pursuit of objectives within given circumstances” (Benedetti 9).
ACTING is DOING rather than SHOWING
Stanislavski believed inner needs of a character manifest themselves in the actions of the character. In Hamlet, Shakespeare writes, “suit the word to the action and the action to the word”.
Speech is considered action as well, but speech must be aligned with physical gestures and actions so that no incongruities exist. In fact, speech and action are often one.
Action is, of course, almost always REACTION. An action requires a stimulus, thus the ACTION must be directly and justifiably an effect of said stimulus. Stanislavski’s “TRUTH IN ACTING” occurs when this FLOW is uninterrupted.
Putting the ACTION in ACTING

8. Subtext is the TRUE or REAL emotion underneath a character’s line.
Subtext creates the natural rhythm and emotion of a scene which, in turn, solidifies the realism of experience within the script.
Organic acting is actually “reacting” to the set, other actor’s words and actions, sounds, light, and one’s own body.
Slow down and listen to the words and sounds of the set or stage. Look at what is going on around you as if seeing it for the first time. Allow the time, setting, season and other elements to affect your responses.
Subtext brings an intuitive, believable character to life.
Subtext

9. Each character in a scene has an objective
Each character in a scene has an objective. To be broad, they want to win the scene, whether competing with another character or striving to fulfill a need or desire. Whether or not a character “wins” within the plot is irrelevant to how they act until a victor is declared or subconsciously known.
Use action and voice within the given circumstances to fight for what you want.
Do not keep the end in mind when striving to win the scene or objective.
Do not look at director immediately following a scene shoot. The camera is rolling. The last facial gesture may be the most poignant.
Take your time with the scene. It’s not a race.
Who Wins? Hannibal or Clarisse?
Winning the scene!

10. Maintaining Character
An audience will never believe a lie; you, the actor, MUST believe in the situation of your character.
Consistently recall and “feel” the circumstances of your character’s super-objectives, setting, obstacles, etc.
Go to a similar environment to help you “sense” what your character is experiencing
You are not your character, so you must remind yourself of their problems, desires, personality, etc.
“You must discover your own differences to know what you will need to change about yourself.” – Johnston-Brown
Go to their setting
Listen to their speech
Research, research, research!
Listen to the director and stick with his or her vision.
Do not judge your character’s objectives (Johnston-Brown, Chubbuck)
Maintaining Character

11. First and foremost, read and reread your script
First and foremost, read and reread your script. Once you developed your super-objective, re- reading the script will take on new meaning.
SCORING: to score a script means to annotate it for actions, beats, intentions, gestures, and blocking.
Highlight or frame all of your lines
Jot down what your character is thinking within a scene; this is often referred to as an inner monologue
Always have a pencil for director notes or your personal changes
Use short hand when making blocking notes
Know the character and script so well that if you forget lines, ad-libbing comes naturally. Understanding super-objective, objectives and obstacles invites believable ad-libbing.
The Script

12. Know the areas of a stage and blocking terms:

13. Warming up to play a sport is no different than preparing to act
Warming up to play a sport is no different than preparing to act. You must have energy throughout your entire body. Spend time doing your warm-up, such as minutes.
Warm up by inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly
Stretch all parts the body that you’ll use during performance: arms, legs, neck, back, abs, shoulders, lips, face, etc.
Vocally warm up by repeating tongue twisters with increasing speed but clear articulation
Sing to prepare the throat, especially for musicals
Loosen legs and arms: shake them out and jump lightly
Preparation

14. After warming up, you must be prepared for your entrances
After warming up, you must be prepared for your entrances. Always enter in character, which means while you are in the wings or offstage, you must stay in character or get into character. Select the “moment before”, for your character within the plot.
What just happened?
How does the character feel as a result?
Can you manifest that in your acting? If not, employ the “magic if” OR select a time in your personal life when you experienced a similar emotion and recall it vividly. Allow your body to feel that time again.
Stay in your “moment before”
Enter the stage within the “moment before” then react to the setting, characters and obstacles around you, constantly keeping your objective at the forefront of your acting.
Maintain your inner monologue. Always think like your character during scenes to have seamless continuity and allow the audience to understand super-objectives and subtext. While your inner monologue may not be heard, it will be sensed through your voice and action.
Waiting in the Wings…

15. Communication– in and out of character
In theater, actors communicate with everyone: director, fellow actors, characters, crew and, most importantly, the audience. Therefore, we must be honest with our needs.
For the audience, we want an organic performance each night…living truthfully as a character without appearances of contrived notions
Never “act like you are acting” (Johnston-Brown)
We want the audience to understand the show, so we must stay committed to our super-objective. This aids continuity.
Do not strive for audience approval; instead, strive for truth
Mugging removes you from the scene and places you in the house (although musicals and “breaking the fourth wall” allow for this)
When communicating, use “I want…” statements
I want to get the sword.
I want to dance with her.
I want to admit my guilt.
Be aware of cue lines or cues.
Lines which indicate actions or reactions by other characters.
Use eyes, blocking and voice to communicate during scenes
(Johnston-Brown, Ten Commandments…)
Communication– in and out of character

16. Know common director cues and hand signals to facilitate a productive rehearsal.
Always respect the director’s vision and do not question it.
Do not experiment without the director’s knowledge and invitation.
Communicate clearly and ask questions.
Director Cues

17. Acting Critique

18. Voice Fluency is the ability to read:
effectively in a specific context or situation
Articulately
automatically and with appropriate expression Fluency includes:
Rate- reading speed
Accuracy- correctness of pronunciation and cues such as punctuation
Prosody- use of different volumes, speed, cadence and pauses aligned with written text to show expression
Adapted from The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists, Fifth Edition, ©2006 by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Voice

19. Line Memorization Line memorization techniques:
Cue words from line to line from different characters
Circle emotion/plot/conflict/theme- LINKED words like a web, connecting with light lines
Stay in character when asking for line. “Line!” “Line?” “Line!?”
Select single ANCHOR word in lines, then memorize these anchor words IN ORDER. Anchor words are often emotionally-laden, conflict-driven, or character- trait-driven.
“Chunk” pages for memorization, such as 2-4 pages, and immediately rehearse without scripts. Repeat. Lengthen or decrease number of memorized pages depending on actors’ scene success.
With scene partners, “shoot” anchor words back and forth in order rapidly.
Line Memorization

20. FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNTRYMEN…LEND ME YOUR EARS.
Prosody
Pitch- high or low tones
Volume- softness or loudness
Speed- fast or slow speaking
Pause- short or long (punctuation or contextual dependent)
Paralinguistic
Whisper- denotes secrecy
Breathiness- denotes emotion (i.e. exasperation)
Huskiness- denotes criticism or disapproval
Nasality- denotes nervousness or sarcasm
Over-articulation- denotes exaggeration
Examples (Note punctuation use)
Cut: “Stop, get away from me!” (angry, upset, rebellious)
Drawn out: “Well, maybe you should stop.” (nervous, unsure)
High pitch: “Stop! You really mean it?” (excited, happily incredulous)
Childish: “Stop, baby. Baby get hurt.” (speaking with baby, infant, puppy, etc.)
How would you say this line?
FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNTRYMEN…LEND ME YOUR EARS.
The Joker and Voice
Adapted from The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists, Fifth Edition, ©2006 by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Voice

21. Inflection is the emphasis, pitch and volume used in speaking
Inflection is the emphasis, pitch and volume used in speaking. Meaning is altered by inflection, which is created by supersegmental phonemes.
The following sentence can be read with different stresses on the parts of the sentence. With these differences, meaning changes.
Sample sentence: Brian didn’t punch Gary in the stomach.
Brian didn’t punch Gary in the stomach.
(But somebody else did.)
(Although, you apparently think he did.)
(Instead, Brian kicked him there.)
(But Brian did punch Jimmy.)
(Rather, Brian hit him in the head.)
Changing the stress of the sentence, as well as using different punctuation, can drastically alter the meaning. While inflection is fun to practice in the classroom, poor inflection can lead to much miscommunication.
Adapted from The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists, Fifth Edition, ©2006 by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Inflection

22. Punctuation Cues

23. According to Chubbuck, EMOTIONS are not and end result of a scene, but a TOOL that an actor uses to convey character and achieve the characters objectives.
Emotions are REACTIONS to a prompt by someone or something, not vice versa
Emotions manifest themselves in actions while actions cause emotions
Portray emotions you have actually felt so you can draw on the personal experiences
Never confuse your character’s emotions with your emotions.
Emotions

24. Should actors feel something before the do something
Should actors feel something before the do something? If you do not feel it, how can the performance be authentic?
Actors can use the process of substitution to gain feeling and emotion for scenes.
Substitute a personal, real event to understand, evoke and portray the appropriate emotions, then use the script and your lines to tell the make-believe character’s story
Always remember: action produces emotion, not vice versa
A character’s action or an action happening to that character creates the emotional response within the story. Do not race to the emotion.
Once an appropriate emotion is identified an the substitution even is in place…rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Eventually, the characters’ actions will produce the rehearsed emotion due to subconscious recall of the actual event.
Some refer to this process as “I flow”
To feel or not to feel

25. Truth versus Stage Truth
Stella Adler took many concepts from other masters, including Stanislavski. She elaborated on Truth versus stage truth which deals directly with emotion.
What did it feel like when you believed what you were doing?
Circumstances are more important than lines or words; your character must believe in the truth of the situation and background
Action begins off-stage and ends off-stage to maintain stage truth
(Adler)
Truth versus Stage Truth

26. Truth versus Stage Truth
JUSTIFICATION
Finding reason for what you do on stage. You, the actor, must justify your choices through the character.
Instant justification provides immediate needs
Do NOT include extraneous props or people in your justification. Instead, make whatever is onstage part of the justification; this gives life to the stage, enhancing your relationships with props, sets, characters, etc.
Truth versus Stage Truth

27. Comedy provides opportunities and challenges for actors
Comedy provides opportunities and challenges for actors. Improv and situational or scripted comedy are different, though some tenets remain. The hints below apply to both.
Drastic beat changes in emotion
Extreme motion as reaction. Slow turns, fast movements
Facial gestures: use eyebrows mouth, eyes and hands- on-head to convey emotional reaction
Do the unexpected
Voice modulation and inflection: again, use extremes and stereotypical features such as “whininess” or accents (drawls). Add stutters and other vocal differences that convey emotional state
Much of comedy is about a character being embarrassed. If you, the actor, finds embarrassment, the character probably does too. Embrace it.
Comedy and Emotions

28. Relax. Use a stretching routine from your head to your toes, focusing time on each part, including facial muscles. Dramatic tension ironically requires you to be loose and hold poses for a long time
During a scene, focus eyes on a prop, person or set piece, depending on your objective. Consider the intricate details of the “thing” and how you use it. What do your hands do? Your eyes? This helps eliminate nervous energy.
Be the character, do not pretend to be the character. Walk, talk and feel the conflicts of the character.
During rehearsal, always over-act. Exaggerate gestures, walking, accents, articulation, and most importantly, feelings. You are trying to be clear for the audience so they understand the story. Over-acting can be tamed, but boring cannot always be enlivened. Project your voice, even when being timid.
“Sweat the small things.” Treat the minutest details with great attention and care. These include small voice gestures, movements, words, etc. Contemplate each so that the maximum communication can occur for the audience.
Block out the audience. Unlike comedy, drama does not entail much laughter or vocalizing from the audience. This can actually make it easier than comedy, since no feedback should be expected. Focus solely on your actions and reactions to other characters. Their feedback from your “moves” and words drives the scene.
Dramatic Acting

29. Action in Acting: Blocking
Blocking is the physical movement on stage to tell the story through the actors.
Relationships
Emotions
Plot and conflict
Traits
kinesthetic identity- start with stance. People’s stance indicates their strength and personal belief about themselves (i.e. nervousness or confidence).
How you stand next to people (different people) indicates your
Relationship with and to them.
Feeling about them (fear, intimidation, mistrust, secrecy, etc.) desires of and from them
Robin Williams and the Art of Blocking
Action in Acting: Blocking

30. Action in Acting: Blocking
Blocking, is therefore, a comparative portrayal of strong and weak movements, and relative positions. This means that certain body positions; stage areas, planes, and levels along with character movements have definite values. They inject meaning into the picture and the telling of the story.
Recall your staging and consider: Movement from or to various areas is indicative of its character strength. Think about different movements across the stage and how they represent power (1) or potential weakness (3).
Action in Acting: Blocking

31. Action in Acting: Blocking
Blocking contrasts can confuse or purposely add traits to a character. For instance, if a character moves downstage from upstage, a “power” move is made. Yet, if that person then sits, a “weak” or subservient move is made. When scoring scripts, don’t confuse the audience.
Strength generally decreases as we move upstage, but movement like lying down, kneeling, etc. can usurp strength anywhere on-stage.
Sight-lines play a large role in determining strength. Your director or you, as the director/actor, must view the scene from various vantage points to communicate power.
Combine stage placement and blocking with gestures to portray realistic scene with thematic intent.
Always determine the power dynamic of characters and the relative importance to the scene. As an actor, find your personal interpretation of this and move accordingly (but listen to your director).
Action in Acting: Blocking

32. Blocking and Movement

33. Blocking and Movement (cont’d)

35. Reverse psychology. For some actors, it's about telling yourself in character not to cry. "Even if she leaves me, I'm not going to cry." "I refuse to let them see me cry." "No matter what they do to me, I won't break down." Tears will often result because you're removing the pressure and obligation to cry.
The outside in. Place your body in a position you were in when you cried in real life, and begin to move, breathe, and let out the sounds you would make if you were really crying. It may seem awkward and artificial at first, but if you practice this technique on a daily basis, your body's muscle memory will eventually allow the behavior to become real. Do not wait until you have an audition or you're on the set to begin exploring this method.
The inside out. Think of a past experience that caused you great sadness. Re- create the circumstances leading up to this event as if it were happening right now. Use all five of your senses. Be very specific as to what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. Don't worry about the result, and don't try to squeeze out the emotion. This isn't a documentary of your life; it's a creative exploration. So if you're stuck, you can change any or all of the memory's variables. You can change how old you were, what you were wearing, what was being said to you, or who was saying it. If your imagination isn't sparked, select another event. If you can sensorially re-create the circumstances leading up to this event, you'll be surprised how easily the tears flow.
Crying on Cue

36. Back door memory. Let's say the scene is about the death of your character's mother. If thinking about her last moments doesn't move you, focus on the prior circumstances. Examples: As the character, imagine the time your mother sang you a lullaby and rocked you to sleep when you were a toddler, the time you and she walked hand in hand to your first day of kindergarten, the day she taught you to ride a bicycle, or how she cried when you graduated from high school. Why should you be moved by the death of another character if you haven't created vthe life that would allow you to miss that character in the first place.
Power phrase. Select a phrase that fits the character you're playing and repeat it silently several times before you begin the scene. Pick something that really moves you, such as "Nobody loves me" or "Please don't leave me" or "Why can't I ever do anything right?"
Music. Select a piece of music that evokes a strong memory. Perhaps it's the music that was playing when you met the love of your life, or the music you blasted to drown out your parents' fighting. It may not have made you cry at the time, but it might put you in the necessary state if used in combination with the character's given circumstances. Bring a Walkman with you and play this music while you're waiting to read or perform.
Crying on Cue

37. Place. A strong sense of place may trigger the tears
Place. A strong sense of place may trigger the tears. Create a place from your past and/or your imagination that evokes painful or wonderful memories. Again, use all five of your senses.
Personal objects. Wear an item of jewelry or place something in your pocket that has a strong association for you. Then touch it or look at it before you start the scene. This personal object can be from your past, or you can endow it with personal associations from your imagination.
Use it. If you're feeling frustrated and defeated because you aren't able to cry, attribute those feelings to the character.
Sight light. Henry Fonda used to stare at the brightest light he could find without blinking, until his eyes began to water.
Crying on Cue

38. Someone else. Quite often we're more affected by someone else's plight than by our own. If your character's given circumstances don't move you, imagine they're happening to someone else.
A little help from your friends. It's not unusual to see actors having eucalyptus blown through their eyes by wardrobe in order to produce tears. This is perfectly acceptable, but it's only helpful if the tears are to come at the beginning of the scene. One more point to remember: How you cry is as important as whether you cry. You don't cry the same way at a wedding as you do at a funeral or when your team loses or when you stub your toe Bottom line: If your primary reason for crying is because "the script says I'm supposed to," your focus is in the wrong place. It's not about whether you cry. It's about whether the audience cries.
Crying on Cue Doug Warhit . “Crying on Cue.” Backstage September 2009.

39. Catharsis- a cleansing of emotions
Catharsis- a cleansing of emotions. Dynamic characters have epiphanies and overcome both internal and external struggles, often resulting in crying. This crying is cleansing, both literally and symbolically.
Audiences too go through a catharsis. Great acting allows the audience to peer inside a character and themselves, often resulting in a cleansing of their own internal issues. The audience “lives through” the actor. Both have the same goal of being cleansed.
Catharsis

40. Rehearsing Rehearsing is the most crucial aspect of any performance.
During rehearsals with scripts, actors should read lines then look at the character to whom lines were delivered.
Then actors should memorize lines prior to speaking them (line by line) to maintain eye contact with character to whom lines are delivered.
This allows actors to control the subtext and pacing of the lines, which begins meaning.
Memorizing individual phrases beginning the lines may suffice. If actor must look at script to finish the line, be sure to end the line with eye contact.
Rehearsing