ACTING

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ACTING

• Steve Wood
• DRA 111
• TCCC

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Dionysus
Tragedy developed from religious festivals
honoring Dionysus, the god of wine and the grape
vine.
These festivals celebrated Dionysus as the
sacrificial bleeding god who is slaughtered and
then is magically reborn.
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Cycle of Life

• These festivals were a celebration of the cycle
  of life-death-rebirth. Just as the grape vine is
  cut back to insure next years harvest, these
  festivals came to celebrate sacrifice and
  rebirth.
• Dionysus was also associated with goats, some
  believing that the term dithyramb, the hymn
  honoring Dionysus, originally meant goat-song.

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Thespis

• In 534 BC, Thespis stepped out of the chorus (the
  nucleus from which tragedy developed) and began
  to act out the story being told. Thus, narrative
  (telling a story) became drama (enacting a story)
  for the first time.

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Thespis

• The term for this first actor was protagonist.
  The name of this first actor, Thespis, of course,
  is where we get the term thespian.
• According to some legends, Thespis became a ghost
  upon his death and continues to haunt dramatic
  productions, imparting lessons of humility to
  actors and directors.

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Denis Diderot and the Paradox of the Actor

• Denis Diderot, best known for his Encyclopedia,
  defined the paradox of the actor. He said that,
  in order for an actor to seem natural, he must
  act artificial.

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A Definition of Acting

• Actors select physical and emotional responses in
  the search for selected behavior pertinent to a
  characters needs within the given circumstances
  of the play.

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Three Bases of Acting

• Physical imitation
• Emotional recall
• Textual understanding

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Stage vs. Film Acting

• Stage acting relies on an exaggeration of voice,
  reaction and gesture in order to be seen by the
  audience.
• Stage acting is done in continuity, and thus the
  stage actor maintains a certain flow, which helps
  with concentration.

• Film acting is a more subtle art, often relying
  on physical responses that cannot be seen on
  stage.
• Films are almost never shot in sequence, and the
  time it takes to set up shots insures a lengthy
  wait between scenes. Film actors have to
  maintain focus despite this.

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Stage vs. Film Acting

• Stage acting does not allow for retakes. As they
  say, the show must go on.
• Stage acting is in front of an audience, which
  allows the actor to feed off the energy of the
  audience, assuming that the performance is
  well-received.

• Film acting affords actors the opportunity to
  shoot a scene more than once.
• Film acting does not have the energy of an
  audience to affect the performance. Often the
  crew, while present, do not pay attention to the
  actors much because they are paying attention to
  their own job.

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Stage vs. Film Acting

• Stage acting often allows actors a greater range
  of movement, which is ironic given the limitation
  of the stage itself.

• Film acting depends on actors hitting a
  particular mark and being able to deliver lines
  in the midst of camera, microphones and crew (all
  the while pretending they dont exist).

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Mimetic vs. Anti-mimetic Acting

• While acting strives to create truth, not all
  actors create performances that seem realistic.
  Mimetic acting is when actors strive to create
  characters who are like real people.

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Mimetic vs. Anti-mimetic Acting

• Anti-mimetic acting is when actors create
  performances that dont remind us of the people
  around us.
• This is a choice of acting style it is not a
  matter of being a good actor.

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External vs. Internal Technique

• External technique is the traditional approach to
  acting.
• It involves working from the outside in. As an
  actor once said, I build the house first, then
  live in it.

• Internal technique is generally a twentieth
  century approach to acting.
• Internal technique involves working from the
  inside out. The actor attempts to become the
  character.

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Stanislavskis Method

• Konstantin Stanislavski (1863-1938) is generally
  credited with inventing the internal technique.
• His Method Acting is one of the most popular
  approaches to internal technique.

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Method Acting

• Method actors first attempt to enter the world of
  the play or film by learning as much as possible
  about that world.
• They then study the text (the script).
• They practice emotional recall.
• They use the magic if. NOT If I were Kane,
  what would I do? BUT If I(being Kane) were in a
  situation like this, how would I respond?

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Robert De Niro
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Copland
The Untouchables ?
Cape Fear ?
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Misc. Acting Terms

• Casting Call A call for actors for a particular
  film
• Audition A tryout for actors
• Screen Test An on film audition
• SAG Screen Actors Guild, the union for film
  actors
• AEA Actors Equity Association, the union for
  professional live theater actors
• Instrument The body and voice of the actor