An Actors Encyclopedia

Most acting teachers will make students study and practice the ideas of Stanislavski since he was a great Russian director and acting teacher. The ideas and techniques he used will benefit students later on when acting or performing, it will give them more to think about when playing their characters. I think it was a good idea for Stanislavski to first let his actors observe and imitate other actors that worked on stage to comprehend of what is expected. He also created a book and recorded all his approaches to acting which I think is a great opportunity for actors to use and should take advantage of it and embrace new methods that will help them. What I realized about Stanislavski is that he is more focused on an actor's emotions since he believes that an actors ability to find emotional truth. He's attention towards his actors are their internal thoughts and feelings which bring them out to be real actors. Even though Stanislavski paid more attention to the emotional and mental aspect of acting, I appreciate him for also turning towards physical actions and vocal expression, which he considered reliable part in acting aswell. One of the directors called Lee Strasberg embraced Stanislavski's techniques and use it to work with actors and their emotional memory. I noticed members develop their own theories but at the same time continued to refer back to Stanislavski's techniques. I think it's important for directors to look for sources and ther things to benefit their actors on their improvement and help them with acting, to make it more believable for an audience. There are a list of terms which are commonly used today to help actors to acknowledge the term more and to get a better understanding of what it is and what is expected.

Acting: I agree with the statement that acting is the behaviour that is believable. In order for an audience to believe in what an actor is doing an actor must believe in themselves first. An audience will accept an act, if the actor knows what he is trying to accomplish or knows what he is doing to make it as believable as possible, an audience will believe anything aslong as the actor is portrayin it well with the right gestures and facial expressions. It's important for an actor to know their character well and get familiar with their surroundings inorder for them to carry out their role.

Actions: I think Actions are important they are a series of events that occur throughout a play, normally the significant events that happen for example a conflict. I believe it's important for an audience to have an understanding of the plot which is essential for an audience to follow an order so that they can keep up with the character. Following a characters characterization and analysing them is known as a journey, where the characters change from beginning to end by the look of their communication, physica actions and the way they respond and approach to certain situations. Actors should keep this term in mind, since it's vital for an audience to know when a character transitions from what they were into something different, so that it makes more sense and it will affect their surroundings aswell. When actors are acting on stage I suppose they should always have an objective in mind which reflect their needs and what their aim is, there should be bonds between actions and specific reasons as to why the actors are doing what they are assigned to do. Often in conflicts characters are trying to gain something from the other character. What I love about actions is the beauty of acting sometimes actors won't know what they are trying to pursue yet to the audience they create an illusion as if they know what they are doing.

Beginnings, middles and ends- When acting actors should follow a specific pattern to make the play more believeable. I think actors can differentiate a beginning from a middle and an end by for example having a freezing moment and then beginning the action or having an impulse to do the action, actors have to find the need to do something for a purpose. We all physically show what we are going to do and how we feel before speaking. An audience can always tell by physical movement what is expected to happen next.

Blocking- I consider this term to be one of the most important, since it can tell a lot about a character. When acting there are certain rules when playing characters. The audience has to be able to see the characters face, a character can turn at a 45 degree angle but not more than that, otherwise an audience would only have a view of a side profile which is not as powerful as seeing their actualy facial expressions. Whenever an actor turns their body immediately voice projection is lost. Physical action is also associated with blocking, it explains what type of person the character is like.

Character- I deem it's imperative for a person to know their characters inside and out. Internally by really focusing on the characters emotions and state of being, while externally portraying the characters with makeup and costume. Even if the actor is playing opposite to what they really are, it's important for them to research them or maybe even ask a person who has been in similar situations that your character is playing. With practice actors habitually inhabit their characters from head to toe, actors also have important choices to make when playing a character, asking questions like how would they feel if this happend etc.

Choices- I think this is a difficuly aspect to follow, for actors to constantly make choices for their character. In real life we make decisions for ourselves where as acting they have to make choices for how their character is like, their needs and wants. They need to make choices inorder to portray their character as best as possible for an audience to really get a feel of their character and can even maybe relate to them. Whenever I act, I always ask myself questions, which I think most actors do themselves too if they are unaware of what to do. Actors should be mostly influenced by positive choices.

Conflict- I believe conflicts always draw the attention of an audience towards the play more, the audience would too then get involved and also ask questions like what's going to happen next etc. They want to know more about what's going to happen next, they are asking for more. An audience is always interested in a climax or conflict between characters it garuntees them a play worth watching.

Emotional Memory/ Truth- I really love using this term in acting, because I do this myself and it really helps me. It's where when actors are not sure of the characters they are playing, they need to think or recall a memory of when they were for example sad or frustrated. It would bring back a lot of feelings and it would almost be as if you are reliving it all over again in the moment. But it's important not to just think about it emotionally but also how your body responded to the problem at that time. Actors have to find their emotions deep in themselves and it has to be honest and come from them and should be controlled through physical actions. It's tough for actors to focus on both physically and emotionally portraying their characters because usually we only think about the emotional state.

Gesture- Gestures are essential movements and I think are noteworthy for actors, every move they make it tells something about their character. It will confirm to the audience about a characters attitude and communications to other characters and also the surroundings they are placed in. With practice, gestures will become natural once your body inhabits the character, your body will just speak through gestures.

Given circumstances- Is significant because actors are always thrown with decisions and choices to make, which I think is a tough situation but as the actors progress into their characters it will just come naturally. There are different ways of saying or portraying certain actions for it to make sense. But with the help of the mood and setting it makes the choices much smaller.

The Magic If- I love this strategy of Stanislavski's technique. I always or try and do something similar to this. When an actor is having trouble knowing what their character will do next, they normally ask 'if' questions which I think is very clever and a suitable exercise. What would I do if I were to do this character in this situation. Actors always have to put themselves in someone elses shoes, to get what the character will do physically and emotionally. Also the magic if can help with making choices too.

Physical Actions- I believe physical actions say more about a character than vocal expression, because an audience can autmatically realize if something is wrong by the way the actor is expressing himself through thier body postures. It's always good to portray the action as best as you can, to make it clear to the audience what you're trying to do or say. Sometimes people exagorate the action but surely the actors will learn to control it.

Risk- Taking risks is what I think acting is all about, I believe it's a way of making acting more interesting yet challenging for actors. Some actors are left with big choices to decide upon. Watching a fascinating act will become more memorable to the audience and make them think more rather than just sitting and watching the entertainment. Actors have to do what's best for their character, even if they get stuck, they should improvise with other characters or their surroundings so it won't look awkward.

Sense Memory- I think it's essential to have a great imagination when acting on stage, because you never know what might be thrown at you. It's important to know your senses, taste, touch, smell and sight and you always have to be alert about when to use it on stage. Actors have to become very familiar with their senses inorder to expose what they're doing or feeling. For example cooking and smelling food, actors have to enhance the smell of deliciously cooked food. Rather than just making it up on the spot, it's better to use a personal memory of when you smelt, touched, heard or saw a certain things to make it easier on the actors, and a bold memory will certainly stick out. I think it's difficult for actors to try and communicate that to an audience and making it make sense at the same time.

Transition- This is where actors transition what they're doing from one thing to another and also how they feel from one emotion to another. I believe it's hard for actors to find the right moment to do so and also physicall transforming so it can be evident to the audience that it's taking place. Sometimes you really have to expand on the action inorder for the audience to see a transitional phrase happening. I think it's a great opportunity to show an audience who you were and what you're trying to become by expressing it through physical movement and emotionally. The rapid switch from one emotion to another sensation will also draw in the characters. I find this really hard to do, because I need to think about what my character will do next and actors just have to go with the flow and do it straight away without thinking about it too much, actors have to be part of their characters always, to make it easier on them to do certain things. The playwrights intentions should be well understood to adapt choice making skills.

Pitch

Taken from the music piece Mussorgsky, the section becomes more than just a sound to your ears but transforms and emerges into a “Tough Love” situation.  A state of affairs that examines between love, trust and betrayal, three very strong but diverse emotions.  These powerful sensations sometimes work against and from time to time toil together. “Tough Love” will certainly magnetize those who have encountered struggles involving trickery and despondency. The word ‘tough’ definitely applies to those who can take on a gripping journey.

Partakers in “Tough Love” should be ready to protect their fragile hearts and well-informed minds to fight against despair and hatred.  Participants must be prepared to face the challenges, when things are not as they appear to be sending emotions intertwining causing relationships to disrupt between loved and close ones. In pursuit of the piece of Othello by the one and only William Shakespeare, following the story’s outline and reoccurring themes of tragedy and jealousy, which occurs within a married couple and close friends.  One who’s sly will find a way to change another’s mind with the help of his engaging talk and fiddly strategies. The puppet master has his connections on his fingertips and has the potential to turn things from superior to dire, by just the adjustment of appearance, to alter things his way.

“Tough Love” is an example of the use of the natural world and how humans perceive things at times, which aren’t always true. With one poisoning and toying with bonds, the final result could be lethal and could remain having a taste their own medicine.

Directing scenes and being directed

The first play I was chosen to be in was Our Town directed by Morcom. Morcom explained my character to me, I was playing Mrs. Gibbs who was Emily's husbands mother. A person who suggests the importance of seizing the opportunities life presents, rather than waiting for things to happen. Mostly all the characters present in this play were dead. Morcom set out the stage the way he wants it to be and placed us in our positions, he explained to all of us how our expression has to be lifeless in order t represent the dead so that the audience can understand. We all sat on chairs being our graves and infront of us were our gravestones. When Morcom set us out that way, I could see what he was trying to accomplish. We did a run through and he pointed out some mistakes, he told us really what he was looking for in each character, it was the most play we had to run through to get all the little details right. What was really hard to maintain was the tone and facial expressions, since we are so used to smiling and really feeling our character, but with this it was different, all our emotions had to be something we weren't used to, very gentle and still. We had to keep our body postures straight as well and not move, losing character will ruin everything for the audience and they won't know what we are suppose to be. Except for some parts either I or Nour being Emily said, he would tell us to emphasis it or vary our tone since some parts had importance that needed to stand out, even Emily at some stages could get up and talk. I got over the difficulties by just practicing and kept my composure and got myself into this serious mood, which aloud me to not be as energetic as I usually am.


I was also chosen for Mamma Mia directed by Asceal and Nour. I was a character named Donna who was the main character Sophie's mother. This character was very much opposite to Mrs. Gibbs with her being lifeless now I have to be very lively and full of energy, which is someone that I am like so I was very excited to play this character. Nour and Asceal had a lot of ideas on what to do for the play, they told us our positions. I could see they were thrilled about this play. They told us what to do for each character, Donna being the main character in this scene, she sings and dances. When I heard that I had to sing at first I thought oh no, I'm not a good singer but then I just lip sang for the formative because at the time I was not very confident with my singing, but then when it came down to the summative I got so into it and loosened up and actually sang the song, I thought I could do this since I did Annie, I rather enjoyed myself more than I thought I would. I loved playing her character, even though she was a mother she still acted like a teenager in the sense that she is always hyped up and goes crazy when meeting her friends she hasn't seen for a long time, just like teenagers would. She is doing everything she can to make Sophie's wedding spectacular. There wasn't any specific choreography, we just danced on our own and in our own ways. The directors told me while the piano is playing I should sit with my legs crossed on the piano all sexy like, which I thought was a smart concept and I also enjoyed doing it. Overall, I think I could have improved my dancing more, I don't really like dancing infront of people unless I know what I'm doing and I have the final product ready.


The last play I was asked to be in was Twelve Angry Men directed by Max. Since it's about jurors who are in a jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. It's a case that soon becomes dramatic and turns into a mini drama due to each of the jurors preconceptions about the trial. I was chosen to be juror number 2, he is a quiet and meek character who finds it difficult to maintain an independent opinion. He always contributes to the discussions and states side comments which become useful to the other jurors. I did not like playing this character because he was very shy and did not speak a lot, which I am the opposite of and I wasn't used to it. I overlooked this issue by just reacting to what other jurors were saying with my facial expressions. Max set up the stage as if we were in a courtroom and I got that feel straight away after there was tension between certain jurors. I could see he did not take a lot of time to think about this play, however he seemed very interested. He did not comment a lot on how we looked like with facial expression but told specific jurors on what to do if they had a part to get up, walk or fight with each other. At the end I was just reacting to what the jurors were arguing about. I wasn't as comfortable, but I wouldn't mind doing it again.

Lauren and I directed Look Homeward Angel, we chose the scene where Bens death occured since it was the most active and chaotic. There is a lot of actions and emotions involved which we thought would be an advantage for the people playing the different characters. We set up the stage so that on the right side is where Bens bedroom is and on the left side there's a porch, an illusion we created to make 2 different locations come together and still tell a story. We chose Max to play Ben because we thought he'd suit the character, he didn't have to do much besides acting sick and weak. Asceal played Bens Mom who was the very dramatic person in the situation always wondering and worrying about Ben. Nour played his sister who was always panicing about Ben as well making sure he is okay and doing what she can to help. Amal was the doctor her character was very calming and queit, we assigned Colin to be the dad since we know he has a loud voice and big character and knew he would do this part well. Morcom played Bens brother, he nurtured his mother and makes sure she is always okay and comforting her. Su yin played Fatty who was currently in a relationship with Ben and was by his side. Yashoda had the role of playing Bens sister. Outside the porch there were chairs where the family would sit down and wait for the doctor to finish up with Ben who was just lying down all sick. We told the characters their role and how they should react and where they should go at what time, the most occuring problem was the blocking, because at certain times the characters would just stand and look awkward, we told them to loosen up and imagine they are in a state where a close relative was about to die how would they react. Because at first they were not reacting enough to what was going on, we gave them some advice and encouraged them to be sad and mad and find it in themselves to imagine what they would feel like. Directing is not as hard as I thought, you just have to give orders to the characters and say what you want from them because you want them to play the character well. It get's frustrated when the characters don't play up to your expectations, you have to push them sometimes but not in a mean way just helping them. Make sure everyone is doing what you told them to do to make the scene just the way you want it to be.

Doll House Scene

I did a Doll's house scene with Max and Suyin, we chose the scene where Mrs. Linde was paying Nora a visit at her home with the presence of Dr. Rank. I chose to play the character of Mrs. Linde because I knew she was a sophisticated person and I like playing mature people. At the beginning of this scene Nora and Mrs. Linde talk about Krogstad and Mrs. Linde seems very intereseted in him and what's going on in his life.In this scene mainly Dr. Rank and Nora are discussing eachothers perception about society that are very different from one another. Half of the time, Mrs. Linde is just listening in to what both of them have to say and see if anything unusual or interesting is said, she takes notes of everything. Playing Mrs. Linde was queit an easy characte to play since the genre of the play is realism it gives us an advantage to just play normal people and it's not anything bizarre. For Mrs. Lindes character I had to act her age very grown up, mature and classy. I also had to adjust my tone to make it sound more of an adult rather than a teenager but also have variations because we don't say everything the same way at the same time. While Dr. Rank and Nora were having a conversation, I let them talk and only had little to say especially when it came to something shocking. Majority of the time I just reacted with my facial expressions and was always being really kind to Dr. Rank since I needed someone to help me find a job. At first for the formative we didn't use any props on stage, then for the summative we used them and it made a huge difference, it brought the scene more to life and made it look more realistic, we all felt more comfortable too and it brought out our characters more like Max having cruches for Dr. Rank. What I thought I could have improved would be the projection of my voice like Mrs. Morris mentioned, since Dr. Ranks voice was so weak and soft, Nora and myself could have sounded much louder, so that the audience can tell the difference about how healthy we are and how sick Dr. Rank is.

Annie Production

On December 6th and 7th it was time to perform Annie.We got dressed had our makeup and hair done, I think putting on costumes is one of the fun things to enjoy and embrace in a production. I liked the feeling of getting pampered. I was not as nervous but while we were getting dressed and putting on makeup I felt butterflies in my stomach, I was just thinking whether this was a good thing or not. Then after everyone got dressed and had their hair and makeup done we had a group meeting. Luckily Mrs. Morris told us that we should be nervous, because everything you've been working so hard for is being performed infront of an audience for the first time, when you're nervous all your energy comes out and everything you say and do is projected better. Before the performance I went up to my group the mansion chorus and just told them all the little tips not to forget, such as smiling and facial expressions work together as a team etc just to give some encouragement. As the show began I just tried my best to be positive and just knew that we didn't just do all this work for nothing and now it's time to show the audience what we are made of and what a spectacular show we are going to put on. I was up in scene one, going behind the curtains I could see how many people there were I started to get scared but I didn't want to dissapoint myself and everyone just because I was nervous. My newspaper character was up first, I waited for Yashoda to finish her lines and then I went on and did mine, with so many people I tried to project my voice as loud as possible and was smiling my biggest. I then saw my parents and wanted to do them proud so I held my head up high and did my part. I strolled through the audience offering newspapers, at times it was awkward when people looked at me and didn't know whether to take it or not, but I just did my best and smiled. Afterwards I had to change quickly into my second costume which was the dress for the mansion chorus. I waited for the curtains to close, and because I had a sense of how big the audience was I was not as shy anymore. I stood behind the curtain frozen, as it opened I had my note book and wrote down some notes since I was a busy bee, Drake and Mrs. Pugh we were all close discussing things for Warbucks arrival. I wore a floral dress with an apron and black ballet shoes and my hair was in a bun. When it came to the dancing we were all synchronized and on time, I was more positive I think we did a great job since before we were always practicing in our groups trying to revise the moves making it right. What I thought was thought-provoking was to remember all the little details that I had to do such as turning on the pillar lights when it's Christmas, setting up the table, getting the presents and bring on the champagne glasses. The scene I liked most was the Christmas scene because I liked how everyone was full of joy and very cheerful, it even felt so realistic that it seemed like Christmas already. At first the Christmas scene was the hardest for the mansion chorus to do since we had problems with bringing on the Christmas tree it kept leaning or the decorations kept falling off. But in the actual production we pulled through and the most important part was working as a team, because when preparing an even things will go wrong and the audience would think it's part of the act for the servants to quickly fix things. In this scene I was standing with all my friend servants at a cocktail table improvising, while Annie's parents came to visit, it was tough improvising and not spectating the play. But we had to act as if we were busy talking with each other so we won't get distracted. The first day of the production the audience was much more lively and there were more adults meaning they laughed more and got the small jokes, which made us feel good. However the second day I thought our energy was not as good since the audience people this time were mostly children with adults, so they didn't laugh as much, but Mrs. Morris said we looked more natural and that to her it was perceived better. To me it felt like since we already had one performance the second time we would know what to expect. I enjoyed how the play ended with a song, it's a memorable moment for the audience to remember us by, when singing or dancing. I strived to keep my facial expressions bouncy and energetic. I was really proud of everyone and we made a big success. After the productions I just kept on getting good compliments from people and teachers which was a great sign and made me feel incredible. I learned a lot from this experience and hope to do it again in the future.

Annie Notes

I tried out for the Annie because I thought it would be an impeccable opportunity to experience onstage acting. I love to act but I've never done so on stage infront of a crow or audience so I knew this would be a great chance to. When it came to the auditions I originally tried out for an orphan and I also sang which was so nerve wrecking because I did not have a good voice. Overall I did not get that part I wanted however I did get a lead in the mansion chorus which I was very happy and surprised about. I felt so joyful just to be in the musical and felt honored. Reherseals started and at first we would just stay from 3 to 4 going through lines, memorizing songs and getting to know the people who we will be working with. I recognized a couple of people who were staring in the play, but I was not very close to them. After a couple of weeks from staying afterschool we got the songs memorized and practiced them with Mr. Winograd, we then started to run through the lines with some movement. That took us about a month and then we stayed afterschool from 3 to 5 practicing Act 1 with the scenes but only the main characters. By this time we were already on stage going through the scenes. My character was Mrs. Greer one of the main servants in the mansion chorus, she's a rather old lady who nurtures Annie and loves her like she's her child. And so when she hears that Annie's parents have come for her, she starts crying. She has a very bubbly character and is always prompt when Miss Grace or Mr. Warbucks calls. She cleans the mansion making sure it's spik and span and is in charge of all the other servants and having them do duties too. She loves her job and working for Mr. Warbucks, she's always happy and smiling. Being her character was simple and hard at the same time. I can relate to her character since I am a smiling happy person most of the time, but being in character as a servant was difficult. I always had to move around with my duster or notepad and pen joting down notes and collaborating with my close friend Mrs. Pugh who was in charge of cooking and confirm with head assistant Drake if everything is alright. It was hard at first getting into mode, I'm always up for a challenge I like doing things outside my comfort zone, I had to pu my mind to the aim as if I was working for someone famous and I want to do a good job. Sometimes even if I wasn't in the mood to practice it's all about acting, you have to pretend you are having fun and having a good time, that way the audience will believe your character by the way you're acting it out. I loved playing her character, I think I suited her well and enjoyed being her. The one thing that was also a difficult was that when we had to change scenes and get our props ready. We had to make sure they are in place inorder for us to get them in time. Dancing was also involved which I love, but the choreography we learnt was more of a ballet style that I also found hard at first, the moves were very fast and elegant, I'm more of a hip hop dancer girl but. But practice makes perfect so eventually I got the hang of it and started to enjoy it and make the best out of it, I think the dance suited the servants good since we are quick and choppy yet graceful which I liked. As an ensemble we sometimes had difficulties with some people who were behind or couldn't get the steps right, we made sure everyone caught up and worked well as a group. The singing was the one thing I was having most trouble with, since I knew I was not a very good singer, however with an ensemble, I was more confident. And because we practiced so much with the singing and always had good vocal warm ups it, I started realizing that I'm not as bad as a singer than I thought I was. Just with the right amount of practice, I managed to pull myself through and also the people who I was singing with I got really close with, which made me feel comfortable. The only problem with singing was that we really had to project our voices since the walls and all the audience absorbs our voices making us sing much louder. Another role I played was a newspaper person, I did not like playing this character as much as I liked Mrs. Greer because I could relate to her personality more. It was hard to imagine myself as being a newspaper person, with the way I dressed, all brown and beige with a cap which I wasn't used to at all, so it took me some time to adjust, with Mrs. Greer atleast she had a bit of style and colour. I kept thinking of how awkward my character is because I go on stage with my apple selling friend and just shout newspapers, newspaper, wallstreet journal new york times for sale 10 cents each. I kept thinking what am I doing, this is not me. But then again it's all about acting, as long as I believe in myself the audience will too. I never hated the part I played, I can never, acting is all about facing your fears. There’s never a time where one is not active and involved in the process of performing. There must always be a purpose for one to be on stage, whether it’s to act, for movement or even filling up space. By practicing my character more and more I started to get more confident in myself. I overcame being doubtful by really seeing the audience as being part of New York, with the help of the buildings on the side and lights I imagened walking the streets of New York and because I had an apple selling partner it made things easier for me and felt more realistic, we communicated and were close friends since our jobs were selling things. At the end of the two month practice I thought we improved a lot from when we first started as a cast, we stayed after from 3 to 6 and on Thursdays, however Mrs. Morris and Miss Denley still seemed frustrated somehow. I mean we memorized all the songs and lines, but then I realized they were just stressed and was just pushing us to do our best and get us to act at our best ability. I could understand from their point of view that they just didn't want to embaress us infront of an audience if we are not capable of doing our best. I'm so happy that they forced all these long hours of practice because when it was a week away from the performance I thought we were a million times better than we ever were and knew we were ready to perform, there is always room for improvement. I've never been in a play or musical before so I was certainly surprised by the amount of hours and effort you really had to commit too. They are such good directors and wouldn't have had it any other way.

Stanislavski Prac Work

One of Stanislavski's methods to train his actors was called 'emotional recall' it's based on the concept of emotional memory for which an actor focuses internally to portray a character's emotions onstage. It requires actors to call on personal memories of situations similar to those of their characters, to get the sense of what their character's would feel like not only emotionally but how it affects their body physically. For this exercise I decided to be a character who is frustrated, an emotion I do not show as much to the public but comes out when I'm alone. To accomplish being frustrated I took myself back in time to a situation where I was really upset, confused and sad, all mixed emotions. What triggered my mind was when my grandpa passed away when I was young around 11 years old. What frustrated me the most was how I knew my grandpa was sick but not dying. My family did not confess to me that he was on his way to be with God, instead they acted normal around me, I was confused and did not know what was going on. The memory came to me so vividly it was like I relived that moment again, I used to go visit my grandpa in the hospital by just looking at him through the window doors, he knew I was there. He was situated in a special room for very sick people and children were prohibited in the room and could not enter. I remember so clearly I was just standing there thinking how am I suppose to tell him I love him, can't I just hold his hand for a bit? All these thoughts started running through my mind, I just knew I had to see him even if it was  for the last time. I caught myself in a dilemma, I started contemplating whether I should just run in there and hug him or not go inside and feel sorry for myself and live with regret. Staring through the window I checked if anyone was around, it seemed clear, so I made a run for it. I just ran inside, held his hand remembering it was ice cold, he looked down at me and smiled. I had maybe 10 seconds to spare until I saw a nurse shouting at me and running towards me, so I quickly kissed him on the cheek and said I love you. Not long later, two nurses came and struggled to get me out of the room with all my shouting and crying and shrugging. At first this exercise was really hard to do, firstly everyone just straight away started emotionally warming up, I heard from other peers screaming, excitement and anger. I did the same, slowly but surely recalled the memory and started to emotionally feel mad and sad which was the more easier part, but one thing that was a challenge for me was to also act physically with body movement. I had to keep on practicing them both, because I'd find myself doing one but not the other. Eventually after maybe 10-15 minutes I felt the frustration really building up in me, so I started from the bottom. I crouched down on my knees, and put my head down and really thought about it and just let my body speak. Afterwards my hands started to thump on the floor and I slowly rose up stomping my feet and looking down, I found myself jumping up and down with anger, my hands turned into fists and bit by bit, I started to sense my feelings overpowering me. I continued to stomp my feet and make noises with my mouth closed and just my teeth showing almost like a growling sound, I just heard it getting louder and louder. I really felt myself getting goosebumps and turning red, not long after it just poured out everything I held in I just shouted out really loudly, with that came tears which led to crying. After the exercise I felt so relieved and good, I was still tearing though, but I don't mind crying I love it, I think it's really great way to drench your body with all the
emotions sticking inside a person. Screaming is not normally my way of getting my feelings across I usually write poems but physically and emotionally this exercise felt amazing to just empty yourself and dispose of all the negative feelings that's jared up to just let go. I had overcome my difficulties by just really giving deep thought about how I felt that time and place since I remember it so clearly and I just let my mind wonder and my body speak. This exercise was very helpful for me and gave me a lot of tips and tricks on how you can achieve a character you're not usually like. I admire Stanislavski for using this technique to help his actors because it really helped me too. This will certainly be useful for upcoming acting. Another method Stanislavski used was to place his actors on chairs and make them look down at first and to also think about and recall a memory and how it made them feel like at the time then look up and hold your emotion. I did not practice this exercise however my peer Colin showed us his emotional recall. By sitting in a chair face down, he thought of a memory in the past or even recently and not long after held up his head, froze and held his emotion. We were all trying to guess what he felt like, most of us thought he was frustrated or mad because his face was so red but all of a sudden he started to tear and that was a sign of sadness. At the end he was sad because he had a tragic loss of a loved one who passed away. I can relate to his feelings, since a similar situation happend to myself. The exercise looked even harder than the previous one because this time you had to hold in your emotion,inorder for the audience to understand how and what you're feeling in that moment. This method will be really hard for me because I'm all about letting everything out just to feel better already. Both of his methods are really good guiding techniques on how to characterize the character you aren't fimiliar with or are the opposite of.

Quotes

1.           This quote refers to an actor and how there’s never a time where one is not active and involved in the process of performing. There must always be a purpose for one to be on stage, whether it’s to act, for movement or even filling up space.

2.            This quote states that all the actions that occur on stage must be done with reason, there has to be an explanation as to why the actor is doing it. The action has to have a cause and motive. The actor acts like a driving force to complete the action with purpose. The actions occurring must contain logic in order to follow a specific pattern so that the audience can still believe the act through the imaginary belief that the actor portrays. Being coherent is associated with being logical. An action should include logical, justification and coherent to be able to achieve the act the actor is trying to accomplish.

3.            This quote mentions that actors have to commit to their thinking ability and rely mostly on their visual encouragement in order for them to improve and develop the skill of imagination; actors should go through a visualized flashback, to connect with their thoughts.

4.            This quote discusses how actors need to practice methods to allow their bodies to rest in order for their imagination to grow and so that they can realize their inner selves when acting. This could help actors build a more powerful imagination when playing a character. Actors should learn to hold their emotions and believe in them, to put on a more realistic act. Also if an actor is playing a character they don’t normally act like, actors could ask a person who has been in a similar situation and ask them how it feels like, so that actors can get a clear idea on how to act it out.

 

5.             This quote I think is saying how when actors try and be as real as the character they’re playing, they are not acting in the moment. I think the use of their emotional memory can’t make you act, but only make you live what you once felt. Instead of acting ‘real’ actors actually talk from the heart and what they’ve been through, that way they can connect more with their emotions and yet play the character. Instead of playing the character’s feeling, the actors play their own it’s important to know how they felt at the time.

 

6.             This quote deliberates how actors may be able to distinguish the rhythms of their roles  and themselves, but in most cases is that actors working together will fall into another actor’s rhythm, often the slowest, and this makes for a dull performance.  He draws attention to the strength of stillness, which in itself is a tempo-rhythm, and how that can be contrasted with rapid movement by other characters in the same scene. Different rhythms can indicate huge insights and differences into the characters and their make-up.