Acting

I

Introduction

Acting, the creation, on stage or on screen, of the image of a character involved in a series of actions and situations usually outlined by an author, or set out in a script or scenario, and conveyed by the actor to an audience.

The tools an actor uses to express character are his or her own attributes: vocal and physical apparatus, and emotional and kinetic responses. The finished performance may be enhanced by the use of, for instance, make-up, costume, masks, or specialized lighting. Styles of acting, and the status of the acting profession within society, have greatly fluctuated over the years.

II

History

Of the origins of acting little is known, but it seems clear that its first manifestations were in religious rituals and the act of worship. The art of drama was born in the festivals of Dionysus in ancient Greece. Acting was a highly regarded profession and the actors, all of whom were men, formed their own guilds. In Roman theatre actors had a low social status, and many of them were slaves. With the fall of Rome in 476, and the advent of Christianity, the theatres were closed and the profession lapsed into obscurity.

Vestiges of these early forms of theatre were retained throughout the 11th to the 15th centuries by the troupes of jugglers, acrobats, mimics, and raconteurs who were the professional entertainers of the Middle Ages. These largely itinerant players performed in market places and the noblemen’s halls. They formed their own guilds and are thought to have influenced the custom of liturgical drama in Europe during the Middle Ages. These Bible plays were eventually taken out of the Church and became the miracle, mystery, and morality plays performed by amateur guild performers.

The profession of the actor was established in most European countries during the 16th century, for instance with the creation of the company at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in France, or with the commedia dell’arte in Italy (when the first professional actress, Isabella Andreini, appeared on the stage). In England, actors, all of whom were male, toured in troupes. The most famous actor of his day was Richard Burbage, who in 1576 founded the first permanent purpose-built theatre in London. Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare brought plays up to the level of great literature, although actors were still officially classed as “rogues and vagabonds”. During the English Renaissance, until theatre was banned altogether by the Puritans, female roles were played by boys and young men. It was not until 1660 when Charles II re-established the theatre in London that professional actresses appeared on the English stage, the most famous of this first generation being Nell Gwyn.

The craft of the actor was artistically reformed in the 18th century by David Garrick who was, in effect, British theatre’s first director. His less mannered style represented a move towards the Naturalism that flourished in the 19th century. The seminal proponent of this shift was Konstantin Stanislavski. His work at the Moscow Arts Theatre was to have enormous influence over the acting styles in the 20th century.

In the 19th century Henry Irving became the first actor to be knighted, a sign of the rise in status of the profession. In 1891 Irving was the president of the first Actors’ Association, which was replaced by the Equity, the professional actors’ association, in 1929. The 20th century has also seen the evolution of new acting techniques in response to the development of cinema and television. The modern actor must be a good “all-rounder”, equipped to work within these media as well as the traditional and alternative theatrical outlets.

III

Styles of Acting

A

Naturalism

Much contemporary drama has been influenced by Naturalism. The roots of Naturalism are in the theatre of the late 19th century and the movement is associated with the work of Konstantin Stanislavski. Naturalism requires the identification with the inner life of the character being played, from the whole being of the actor.

B

The Method

Evolved from the work of Elia Kazan and later Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York, “The Method” is a systematic approach to actors’ training, based on the work of Stanislavski, which aims to enable the actor to give an authentic interpretation of a role based on personal experience. A method actor strives to “be” as opposed to “act”. This style of acting appears to be particularly suited to the cinema. Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger are examples of successful method actors.