Acting Methods Class
Tuesdays 7:30-9:30
Hello All,
This page will provide you with access to the exercises, assignments and information we will cover in class. If you are unable to join us for class, you can always do the work at home (because you won't be going many other places).
This page will provide you with access to the exercises, assignments and information we will cover in class. If you are unable to join us for class, you can always do the work at home (because you won't be going many other places).
Week 1
We will be working with monologues for the coming classes. You can use one you already know or find a new one to explore in class.
Once you have a monologue, please do the soaking exercise.
Here is an explanation of how it works.
Here is a written explanation by George Morrison
Once you have a monologue, please do the soaking exercise.
Here is an explanation of how it works.
Here is a written explanation by George Morrison
| soaking_exercise__1_.pdf |
Once you have completed this exercise, divide the monologue into three beats: the beginning, middle and end. These divisions may change as you begin working on the monologue, so don't fret too much about it now.
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The Johari window is a technique that helps people better understand their relationship with themselves and others. It can be a useful tool in understanding a character and mapping their similarities and differences to the actor's self. We will be working with this model later, but you can apply it to your self now.
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Week 2/ Week 3
Beginning our work exploring both the internal/personal connections to the character and story and the external/technical cues that inform the storytelling, we will focus simultaneously on both internal and external techniques each week to explore working from "inside out" and from "outside in."
Internal Connections/ Personalization
Identify the "event" of your monologue. The event may happen anywhere within the monologue, just before or immediately after. Here is how to identify the "event":
Event:
1. An occurrence especially one that is particularly significant, interesting exciting, or unusual
2. A happening or occurrence
3. An occurrence defined in the theory of relativity as a single point in space-time
2
An event is a notable occurrence at a particular point in time.
Naming the event of each bit and then of the scene.
Joan Darling and George Morrison each presented a different question to ask to discern the
event of the scene.
Joan
1.“How is this night different from all other nights?” The answer is couched in the phrase, “Because it’s the
moment when___________________." Joan’s description is derived from the Passover Seder question, and
the event of Passover, where God makes it possible for the Israelites to escape from Egypt. This question
can be applied to a scene to discern the change from one state to the other.
George
2.“If this scene had not occurred what would life be like?” If we apply the Passover event to George’s
question, the answer would be, “Israel would still be in bondage to Egypt.” So the Israelites go from a state of bondage to a state of freedom.
How is this night different from all other nights? This is the moment when we escaped from bondage and became
free.
So when we discern the event we look for a change in the state of the story, character or relationship. As each bit is
named, we see a tiny action, event, change that occurs in a steady line of cause and effect until the story resolves.
This is the through line of action. Along this event chain are critical events, such as the event of the scene, and finally the event of the entire story.
Event:
1. An occurrence especially one that is particularly significant, interesting exciting, or unusual
2. A happening or occurrence
3. An occurrence defined in the theory of relativity as a single point in space-time
2
An event is a notable occurrence at a particular point in time.
Naming the event of each bit and then of the scene.
Joan Darling and George Morrison each presented a different question to ask to discern the
event of the scene.
Joan
1.“How is this night different from all other nights?” The answer is couched in the phrase, “Because it’s the
moment when___________________." Joan’s description is derived from the Passover Seder question, and
the event of Passover, where God makes it possible for the Israelites to escape from Egypt. This question
can be applied to a scene to discern the change from one state to the other.
George
2.“If this scene had not occurred what would life be like?” If we apply the Passover event to George’s
question, the answer would be, “Israel would still be in bondage to Egypt.” So the Israelites go from a state of bondage to a state of freedom.
How is this night different from all other nights? This is the moment when we escaped from bondage and became
free.
So when we discern the event we look for a change in the state of the story, character or relationship. As each bit is
named, we see a tiny action, event, change that occurs in a steady line of cause and effect until the story resolves.
This is the through line of action. Along this event chain are critical events, such as the event of the scene, and finally the event of the entire story.
Once you think you have identified the event, identify a time in your life that was similar to the one your character is having. With that moment in your life in mind, please do the place exercise below.
| place_exercise_1_-_3_22_20_1.12_pm.m4a |
External/Technical Exercises
Facial Expressions
The 6 universal emotions and facial expressions:
Happy
Sad
Anger
Fear
Surprise
Disgust (Dis-Smell or Dis-Taste)
The 6 universal emotions and facial expressions:
Happy
Sad
Anger
Fear
Surprise
Disgust (Dis-Smell or Dis-Taste)
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There are many ways to apply facial expressions to your monologue as a method to explore various ways of telling the story and defining the character.
1. Choose one expression and use it through the entire monologue. This is one way to discover a characters overall state of being. Think of it as their "resting face" or the mask they use to project a public persona. 2. Do the monologue and have a partner call out emotions. Shift to that emotion immediately and discover how that changes the intent of the story or your experience of the character. 3. Using the three sections identified earlier (beginning, middle and end) assign an emotion to each section and do the monologue trying to keep that face throughout the section. Allow the transitions to be a slow as necessary to shift from one to the next one both externally and internally. Additional Resource:
The book- Alba Emoting: A Scientific Method for Emotional Induction by Susana Bloch https://www.scribd.com/book/308003451/Alba-Emoting-A-Scientific-Method-for-Emotional-Induction |
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Week 4
Internal Connections/ Personalization
Building off the place exercise last week, identify the primary person that is present during your personal event. Do the following exercise focusing on that person. When you have finished, write down the "trigger" that was a result of the exercise.
| felt_sense_acting_exercise.m4a |
Week 5
External/ Technical Exercises
Working through the monologue sentence by sentence, apply the vocal variations one "element" (pitch, staccato/legato, speed, etc.) at a time. Do the entire monologue focusing on one element, and then go through again focusing on a different element.
Here is the audio explanation:
Here is the audio explanation:
| vocal_variations.m4a |
Week 6
External/ Technical Exercises
Continuing our work with exploring vocal variety, choose one of the other vocal sub-modalities and use it with a sentence from your monologue working through the pattern of A, B, A to B, B to A, A to B to A, B to A to B. After doing this, perform the entire monologue focusing on using this sub-modality. Be aware of how the variations change the meaning and push yourself to "up the rate of change" as you use the sub-modality in surprising or unexpected ways.
Do this with each sub-modality and then perform the monologue focusing on the voice and see how the voice pattern may have changed.
Do this with each sub-modality and then perform the monologue focusing on the voice and see how the voice pattern may have changed.
Here is a list of the sub modalities and another explanation of the exercise:
| vocal_variations.pdf |
Week 7
External / Technical Exercises
This week focuses on the third mode of expression: the body. These exercises will help the actor use gestures and body language to explore and communicate meaning, expand the actor's gesture vocabulary and hone the ability to be still.
After warming up with "Moving for Fun" and going back to the exercise whenever the actor feels tense or notices extraneous movements.
Delayed Gesture
This is done a partner or a television show (preferably a sitcom)
Do the monologue and the only movements/gestures the actor can use are those given to them by their partner or the actors on the show. Once the actor has been given a gesture, they can wait to use it when they think it fits or use at at any point and allow the gesture to change or influence the presentation or meaning.
If working with a partner, the pattern for gestures is:
Right Hand
Left Hand
Both Hands
Head
Repeat
The actor can also use the same pattern when practicing the monologue in order to explore alternative gestures and to break movement patterns that they may have.
After warming up with "Moving for Fun" and going back to the exercise whenever the actor feels tense or notices extraneous movements.
Delayed Gesture
This is done a partner or a television show (preferably a sitcom)
Do the monologue and the only movements/gestures the actor can use are those given to them by their partner or the actors on the show. Once the actor has been given a gesture, they can wait to use it when they think it fits or use at at any point and allow the gesture to change or influence the presentation or meaning.
If working with a partner, the pattern for gestures is:
Right Hand
Left Hand
Both Hands
Head
Repeat
The actor can also use the same pattern when practicing the monologue in order to explore alternative gestures and to break movement patterns that they may have.
Week 8
Putting it all together
After working on connecting to the monologue both internally and externally, the actor now does the monologue in a series using different focuses to incorporate all the different aspects of the work.