realistic, acting techniques lecture

Flashcards covering the history of realistic acting, the Stanislavsky system, emotional recall, and Michael Chekhov's physical techniques.

How long have people been performing theater compared to how long realistic acting has been practiced?

Theater performance has existed for about 2,000 years, while realistic acting has only been practiced for about the last 100 years.

What types of characters and stories were depicted in theater prior to the development of realistic acting?

Theater featured over-the-top, extraordinary characters such as heroes, villains, gods, and monsters in giant epic tales.

Who was Anton Chekhov and what was his primary profession by trade?

Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright who wrote realistic plays and was a doctor by trade.

Why did the initial production of Anton Chekhov's play 'The Seagull' flop?

The performers did not know how to act like real people; they only knew how to overexaggerate and act like kings and queens.

Who was Konstantin Stanislavsky and what theater company did he establish in Moscow?

Konstantin Stanislavsky was a director in Moscow who developed the Moscow Art Theater.

How did Konstantin Stanislavsky make 'The Seagull' a success after its initial failure?

He brought the play to the Moscow Art Theater, established his first studio, and trained actors in his new realistic acting technique.

Which plays did Anton Chekhov write for the Moscow Art Theater following the success of 'The Seagull'?

He wrote 'Three Sisters' and 'The Cherry Orchard'.

What are the core components required for a performer in the Stanislavsky system?

Relaxation, concentration, specificity, inner truth (including active listening and dealing with the magic gift), a through line (objectives and super objective), and ensemble playing.

What is the difference between a character's objective and super objective in the Stanislavsky system?

An objective is what a character wants within a specific scene, whereas a super objective is the character's long-term goal over the entire play.

What are the essential guidelines for defining a character's objective?

An objective must be rooted in another character, positively phrased, grounded in the script, and immediately followed by a new objective once it ends.

What was the technique of emotional recall as originally used by Stanislavsky?

It was a technique where actors attempted to remember an emotional state from a past personal life experience to reproduce that emotion on stage.

What incident with young Michael Chekhov caused Stanislavsky to re-evaluate emotional recall?

Michael Chekhov wept bitterly during an exercise recalling his grandfather's death, but Anton Chekhov later revealed the grandfather was not dead, proving the emotion was generated through imagination rather than actual memory.

Which acting instructor continued to use emotional recall and refused to abandon it?

Lee Strasberg.

What is Stanislavsky's method of physical action?

A psychophysical approach where actions must be present in the actor's mind before being physically executed, serving as the actor's spine.

Who was Michael Chekhov and which famous American actors did he coach?

He was Anton Chekhov's nephew and Stanislavsky's most brilliant student who fled Russia during World War II; he coached Yul Brunner, Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, and Gregory Peck.

What addition did Michael Chekhov make to the method of physical action?

He added 'quality' (or quality of action), which functions as an adverb describing how the physical action (verb) is executed, such as convincing nicely, threateningly, or slyly.

What praise did Morris Karvovsky give to Michael Chekhov?

Morris Karvovsky stated that Michael Chekhov understood the actor's nature better than anyone else since perhaps including Stanislavsky.

What are psychological gestures according to Michael Chekhov's approach?

Literal physical gestures (such as throwing, pulling, pushing, opening, or closing) practiced in rehearsal to externalize and internalize a character's psychological motivation.

What are the three physical centers defined in Michael Chekhov's technique?

The thinking center (head/mind/brain), the feeling center (chest/heart), and the willing center (pelvis).

How does the 'imaginary body' exercise work in Michael Chekhov's system?

The actor closes their eyes, visualizes the character standing in front of them, and physically 'puts on' the character like a coat or costume to step into their physical movements and gestures.

What is the method technique in acting, and which actors were cited as examples of it?

A technique where an actor remains as the character for an extended period of time; examples given include Viggo Mortensen playing Aragorn and Heath Ledger playing the Joker.