University of Iowa : Basic Acting Final

Definition Of Acting

living truthfully under imaginary circumstances

Objective

What the character wants in a scene (noun)

Action

Physical pursuance of a specific goal (verb) what you do to get the objective (on the other person)

Tactic

a plan for attaining a particular goal

__________ is what actor does to accomplish objective while __________ refers to how it is accomplished

action

tactic

Obstacle

Stands in the way of a character achieving their action

Sense Memory

When you smell, see, hear, or touch something that reminds you of another place and/or time

Beat

Single unit of action (Change in tone/motion/thought)

Beat Change

The point in which a new action begins

Unit of Action

A single dramatic event. A unit contains the character's immediate objective. Each time the character pursues a new immediate objective this is a new unit for the actor.

Cap

event that indicates actor succeeded in action

Analyze

Best way to prepare for a scene

Konstantin Stanislavski

the director who developed a theory of acting known as "The Method" (grandfather of acting)

Method Acting

A style of stage acting developed from the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavsky, which trains actors to get into character through the use of emotional memory.

"as if" or "magic if"

finding real life analogous situation to relate to a character

Label the "mountain" play diagram

1st (bottom)- Inciting incident

2nd (middle)- rising action

3rd (top)- climax

4th (bottom)- denowment

stage directions

http://www.ia470.com/basics/stagebasics.html (shows picture)

Top left- Up Stage Right

Top middle- Up Center Stage

Top right- Up Stage Left

Middle left- Center Stage Right

Center- Center Stage

Middle right- Center Stage Left

Bottom left- Down Stage Right

Bottom middle- Down Stage Center

Bottom right- Down Stage Left

9 rules for an action

1. Must be physically able to do

2. Must be fun

3. Must be specific

4. Must have its test in the other person

5. Cannot be an errand

6. Can't presuppose any physical/ emotional state

7. Cannot be manipulative

8. The action must have a"cap"

9. Must be in-line with what the playwright intended

Super Objective

what a character wants over the course of the entire play

Physical States

Drunkenness, exhaustion, feeling hot/cold, illness

Bodily Adjustments

Posture, voice alterations, and physical handicaps

Ornaments

Costumes or makeup

Through Line of Action

Single overriding action that all the individual actions serve

Given Circumstances

The who, what, when, where, why of the play or scene or character. (everything that influences a performance)

Analyzing a Scene

LEM

1. what is the character literally doing?

2. what is the "essential action" of what the character is doing in this scene?

3. what is that action like to me?

Moment Before

the character's experience prior to the beginning of a play or scene

Work off the other person

Listening and Responding - To be in the moment and be present. Most radically effects your tactics.

Conflict

Starts with the inciting incident--> Continual build of action to the climax. There are advances and reversals, but underneath a steady build up

Inciting Incident

A specific event which sets the conflict of the play in motion. Generally right after the play begins or just before it starts

Climax (turning point/ point of no return)

This is where the major conflict reaches its fulfillment. It may be a single moment or an entire scene.

Declining Action (denouement/ resolution)

What happens after the climax--> the conclusion of the play. Usually brief (all the unsolved questions introduced by the play are answered)

Examples of Given Circumstances

setting

props

characters

time

costumes

lights

sound

relationship

directors notes

plot

Principal of acting

"I don't do anything unless something makes me do it" "**** it"

Units of Action

Ways in which we divide the scene

Exposition

Background information revealed through text (EX: narrator)

Dominant Rhythm

How lines are written. EX: Long sentences, talking fast, specificity ("What can you tell from what they say")