chapter 4 theatre

emotional/subjective acting

the playing of a role in such a way hat the actor weeps, suffers or struggles emotionally

technical or objective acting

use of learned skills of acting, movement, speech, and interpretation to create roles; no emotional response is used

leading roles

the main character in a play

protagonist

the main character in a play

antagonist

the person or force working against the protagonist

supporting roles

those characters who act as contrast to others; characters with whom other characters, usually the protagonist, are compared

straight parts

a role in which the actor and the character portrayed are similar in appearance and personality

character parts

role in which an actor portrays traits that differ from his or her own to produce a desired character

characterization

putting together all facets of a character to bring life and interest to that character

primary source

an individual whose posture, movements, habits, voice inflections, & mannerisms are observed in order to build character

secondary sources

books that help in developing characterization

body language

communication that uses gestures, posture, and facial expressions instead of words

master gesture

a distinctive action that is repeated and serves as a clue to a characters personality. such as a peculiar laugh or walk

inflection

modulation, variety in pitch

subtext

the meaning between the lines that an actor must draw from the script

substitution

the use by an actor of a personal experience to relate to the experience of a character within a play

improvisation

the impromptu portrayal of a character or a scene without any rehearsal or preparation

paraphrasing

restating lines in ones own words