Acting

C

Improvisation

Improvised acting is done without a text, but with ground rules. Improvisation is used in actors’ training and in rehearsal to stimulate the imagination and encourage spontaneity. Much modern improvisation is influenced by the work of the commedia dell’arte. The work of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop and the plays and films of Mike Leigh are examples of actors being asked to use improvisation in the process of devising an entire piece. Comedy improvisation has become a genre in its own right, both in the theatre and on television.

D

Epic Acting

Epic acting was developed by Bertolt Brecht, who saw theatre as a force for social change. He sought to engage intellectually with an audience and to stimulate their powers of reasoning, rather than arousing too much emotional involvement. To this end, he encouraged his actors to absorb themselves in their roles but to abandon the idea that they were “living the part”, and instead to play the character at a critical distance.

E

Physical Theatre

“Physical theatre” is a broad term, embracing a range of acting styles and influences. The roots of physical theatre are in Expressionism and in the experimental work of Jerzi Grotowski. Grotowski envisaged a “poor” theatre, stripped of all the inessentials, such as lights, music, or text. The actors’ physical, vocal, and mental skills were the essence of this theatre. Today physical theatre has become more mainstream and incorporates the influences of dance, mime, and circus skills. Examples of what can be termed physical theatre include the work of director Richard Jones and that of the dance company DV8.

F

Musicals

An actor working in musical theatre will need to combine being a good all-round actor, able to convey a wide range of emotions, with the development of movement and vocal skills. Both the singing voice and the dancing ability of the actor should be adaptable to different genres of musical.

IV

Stage and Screen

The theatre actor performs on a stage where the focus for the audience is governed by the changes in the stage picture and indicated by the other actors. On screen, however, the audience sees the actor at much closer range and the screen actor must be able to adapt his or her approach to creating a role in response to the technical specifications of film-making.

Screen actors need to be aware of the technical vocabulary of film-making, especially the different shots and angles that will affect or limit a performance. An understanding of the relationship between actor and camera is crucial. The camera tends to magnify even the slightest of movements giving the screen actor the opportunity to work in the smallest detail. In close-up shots where the focus is on the actor’s thoughts, feelings, responses, and reactions, the actor must be confident that the camera registers the nuances of the performance.

For many actors the most difficult aspect of film-making is the discontinuity of the shooting schedule. In the theatre, scenes are played consecutively, allowing the actor to gather emotional momentum as the play progresses. This is not the case in film-making. Film and television scenes are made in little bits and pieces, or “shots”. The actor’s performance must retain the same level of concentration and emotional intensity from one shot to the next. The actor must be able to recall, in minute detail, the exact sequence of the character’s emotional response, often at a moment’s notice. This requires enormous concentration and mental coordination.

It is often said that film is a director’s medium, whereas theatre is an actor’s medium. Certainly in the theatre the actor is much more in charge of his performance. In film-making, it is the director who decides, for example, from where the actor’s performance is shot; how it is lit; and whether the voice will be dubbed by another actor. It will be the director’s vision of the character that is recreated during the final editing of the film.