THE 109

action

a physical pursuance of a specific goal

physical action

main building block that you can do consistently onstage

Steps to physical action

1. be physically capable of being done.
2. be fun to do
3. be specific
4. have its test in the other person
5. not be an errand
6. not presuppose any physical or emotional state
7. not be manipulative
8. have a "cap"
9. be in line with the intentions of the playwright

What is a cap?

you notice you have successfully completed doing an action
(Being given a friend's forgiveness is a cap)
(Maintaining someone's interest isn't)
You may not always achieve that cap but you must always have an end to work to

analyzing a scene

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? It's as if...

Example of analyzing a scene

1. Oedipus is getting people to help him fulfill his final responsibilities in Thebes
2. Making sure loved ones will be taken care of.
3. Making sure my family is in a good place before going to college.

Stanislavski introduced

Theatrical realism

the performer is

being

their focus is on

internal psychology

the style is

natural

the actor is pursuing

a goal

the performance is

selfless

scene objective

the characters' objective in a scene

super objective

the characters' objective throughout the play

three questions an actor should ask themselves when preparing to enter a scene

1. what did I just do?
2. what am I doing?
3. what is my first objective?

given circumstances

Any piece of information or activity written into the script or demanded by the director comprising the imaginary framework within which an action is performed.

magic if

how would you react and behave if you were in the same situation as the character?

body

facial expressions, posture, gestures, movement

voice

tempo/rate, pitch, tone/quality, volume