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ACTING ACKNOWLEDGED Already an experienced actor and almost always acting ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE The Seven Ages 3 Seven Acts 8 OBSERVING YOURSELF ACT Active Ingredients 15 Actor Guidelines 18 Alternatives 20 WHY STUDY ACTING? 23 A Richer Life 24 Actors versus Others 26 Offstage Action 27 OK, Wait a Minute... ? 36 Already an Actor 37 NOTES 38 EXERCISES 1.1 Imitating Ages 6 1.2 Ages Experienced, Ages Observed 7 1.3 Striking/Successful Acting 12 1.4 My Most Memorable Act 13 1.5 Dueling Performances 13 1.6 Scripting and Improvising 13 1.7 Shared Pasts 14 1.8 Playing Objectives 17 1.9 Real Life 17 1.10 Text versus Subtext 19 1.11 Get the Dollar 22 1.12 Changing Tactics 22 1.13 Observing Alternatives 22 1.14 Observing and Identifying 22 1.15 Observing Class 23 1.16 Observing Offstage Acting 23 1.17 Observing Onstage Acting 23 1.18 Offstage Action Acknowledged 36 2 RELAXED READINESS 39 Calm enough, yet energized enough to do your best WARMING UP 39 Balancing Opposing States 40 MENTAL WARM-UPS 40 Class Commitment 42 Stage Fright Substitutes 43 Accepting the Audience 43 GROUP WARM-UPS 44 Sharing Now 44 Too Much, Too Soon? 47 Names 48 Exercise Adaptations 48 PHYSICAL WARM-UPS 50 Narrowing Your Circle 51 Meditation 51 Tensing/Releasing 52 Alignment 54 Shaking 55 Stretching 56 Breathing 59 Aerobics 60 Changing Images 63 VOCAL WARM-UPS 64 Releasing 64 Breathing 65 Rooting Sound 66 Shaping Sound 67 Precision 68 Vocal Progression 70 WHEN AND WHERE TO WARM UP 70 Offstage Adaptations 71 NOTES 73 EXERCISES 2.1 Dumping the Demons 41 2.2 Shared Opinions 45 2.3 Shared Performances 46 2.4 Shared Viewing 48 2.5 Name Trunk 48 2.6 Partner Greetings 49 2.7 Group Greetings 49 2.8 Circle Jumps 49 2.9 Group Breath and Sound 50 2.10 Everybody's Esprit 50 2.11 Here and Now, Part I 51 2.12 The Prune 52 2.13 The Accordion 54 2.14 The Puppet 54 2.15 Rag Doll 55 2.16 Head Rolls 56 2.17 The Sun 57 2.18 Lung Vacuum 59 2.19 The Blender 60 2.20 The Journey 62 2.21 Anything Aerobic 62 2.22 Here and Now, Part II 63 2.23 Letting Go 65 2.24 Respirating 65 2.25 Sounding 67 2.26 Isolations 67 2.27 Lip Reading 69 2.28 Twisters 69 2.29 Offstage Action: Readiness 72 2.30 Warm-Ups in Real Life 72 INDIVIDUAL INVENTORY 74 Knowing enough about yourself to use everything you have TAKING STOCK 74 Knowing Your Instrument 75 BODY AWARENESS 75 Habits 76 Adaptations 76 Cultural Binding 77 I Am What I Am 81 Imitation for Double Awareness 83 Physical Life Project 84 Imitation Payoffs 90 Applying Body Awareness 91 VOCAL AWARENESS 91 Quality 92 Tempo/Rhythm 93 Articulation 93 Pronunciation 93 Pitch 93 Volume 93 Word Choice 93 Nonverbals 94 Influences 94 Vocal Life Project 100 Applying Vocal Awareness 101 PERSONAL AWARENESS 102 Bringing Yourself Onstage 104 Choosing for Yourself 106 NOTES 107 EXERCISES 3.1 Habits 77 3.2 Adaptations 80 3.3 Cultural Binding 80 3.4 Using the Body List 83 3.5 Self-Imitation 84 3.6 Imitation Sequence 89 3.7 Alternative Imitations 90 3.8 Basic Parts of a Vocal Life 94 3.9 Using the Vocal Awareness Checklist 97 3.10 Resonators 97 3.11 Classic Voices 98 3.12 Around Town 98 3.13 Mosts and Leasts 98 3.14 Do the Teacher 99 3.15 Celebrities 99 3.16 Voiceovers 99 3.17 Solo Vocal Imitation 101 3.18 Partner Vocal Imitation 101 3.19 Your Past 102 3.20 Your Present 103 3.21 Your Future 103 3.22 Acting Journal 105 3.23 Offstage Action: Inventory 106 4 STANISLAVSKI'S SYSTEM A complete processfor characterization MYTH AND REALITY 109 The Method 110 WhoWasStanislavski? 110 Basic Ingredients 111 TheLegacy 112 Most Misunderstood 114 Empathy 116 TEN SYSTEM STEPS 119 Step 1: Given Circumstances 120 Step 2: The Magic If 120 Step 3: Super Objective 121 Step 4: Through-Line of Actions 123 Step 5: Scoring the Role 125 Step 6: Endowment 126 Step 7: Recall 127 Step 8: Images 129 Step 9: External Adjustments 131 Step 10: The Creative State 132 OPEN SCENES 132 Closing Scenes 133 Open Interpretations 134 Open Scene Presentations 141 NOTES 142 EXERCISES 4.1 Comprehending 117 4.2 Other's Givens 120 4.3 Planting 121 4.4 Class Ifs 121 4.5 Hierarchies 122 4.6 Class Objectives 123 4.7 Tiny Triumphs 124 4.8 Triumphant Entries 125 4.9 Adding Consequence 127 4.10 Bringing It Back 128 4.11 Release Album 129 4.12 Total Recall 129 4.13 Imaging 130 4.14 Time Games 131 4.15 Open Dialogue 132 4.16 Motivation Units 139 4.17 Open Scene Project 139 5 STANISLAVSKI STRETCHED The system twisted and expanded BEYOND STANISLAVSKI 144 STANISLAVSKI IN RUSSIA: THREE ARTISTIC "SONS" 145 Evgeni (Eugene) Vakhtangov (1883-1922) 145 Vsevolod Meyerhold (1874-1940) 147 Michael Chekhov (1891-1955) 150 STANISLAVSKI IN THE USA: THREE AMERICAN ADAPTERS 152 Lee Strasberg (1901-1982) 153 Stella Adler (1901-1992) 155 Sanford Meisner (1905-) 158 Summary 161 POSTMODERN STANISLAVSKI 161 Playing with Dials 161 Stanislavski Bozos 165 STANISLAVSKI EXTENDED 166 Private Audience 167 Grouping 168 Substitution 169 Conditioning Forces 169 Rehearsed Futures 171 Suppression 172 Working with a Partner 174 NOTES 178 EXERCISES 5.1 Outer Before Inner 146 5.2 The Stick 148 5.3 Throwing the Ball 149 5.4 ThePG 151 5.5 The Castle 151 5.6 Personal Object 154 5.7 Living with Pain 157 5.8 Your Own Words 157 5.9 Repetition 159 5.10 One-Two-Three 160 5.11 Naming Members 167 5.12 Group Bias 168 5.13 Adding Conditions 171 5.14 Crazy Car Conditions 171 5.15 Open Futures 172 5.16 Playing Against 173 5.17 Observing the System Plus 173 5.18 Partner Sharing 175 5.19 Offstage Action: Stretching 176 5.20 Pulling It All Together 177 6TRUTH/TECHNIQUE Balancing spontaneity with consistency WHICH WAY? 179 As True as Possible 180 A Marriage of Necessity 181 BODY MANUEVERS 182 The Acting Space 182 Acting Areas 183 Stage Movement 185 Movement as Technique 186 Onstage/Offstage Comparisons 191 VOICE MANUEVERS 192 Vocal Directions 192 Vocal Technique 194 IMPROVISATION AND FREEDOM 196 Improv Ground Rules 197 Basic Awareness Improvs 197 BLENDING AND BALANCING 206 NOTES 207 EXERCISES 6.1 Using the Map 184 6.2 Maneuvering 186 6.3 Living Pictures 187 6.4 Offstage Pictures 189 6.5 Adding Motion 189 6.6 Exchanges 190 6.7 Contrast 191 6.8 Vocal Changes 194 6.9 Adding Repertoire 194 6.10 T-Shirt Philosophy 195 6.11 OldT-Shirts 195 6.12 Being and Doing 198 6.13 Changing 198 6.14 Spectator Sport 199 6.15 Sounds of Music 199 6.16 Senses Alive 199 6.17 Weather Watch 199 6.18 FiveAlive 199 6.19 Where Are We? 200 6.20 Helping Out 200 6.21 Building 200 6.22 Changing 201 6.23 Who Am ? 201 6.24 Eat, Drink, and Be Merry 201 6.25 Preoccupation 201 6.26 I've Got a Secret 202 6.27 Drawing and Drawing 202 6.28 Slow Motion Tag 202 6.29 Passing Sounds and Moves 202 6.30 Coming and Going 203 6.31 Help Me 203 6.32 Translating 203 6.33 Selling 204 6.34 Interplay 204 6.35 3 Ps 204 6.36 Audience Coaches 204 6.37 Audience Handicaps 205 6.38 Play Ball 205 6.39 Passing Objects 205 6.40 Passing Masks 205 6.41 Magic Clothes 206 6.42 On and Off 206 7 SCENE STUDY Finding character through script SCENE SELECTION 209 Scene Suggestions 209 SCRIPT ANALYSIS 216 CUTTING THE SCENE 219 CHARACTER ANALYSIS 220 The Three I's: Investigation, Inference, Invention 221 Abstracting 224 STAGING 227 SCRIPT AWARENESS IMPROVS 228 Characters Offstage 228 Characters Onstage 230 Keys 231 SHAKING UP THE SCENE 232 Character Explorations 233 Character Confidence 239 NOTES 242 EXERCISES 7.1 Scene Project 209 7.2 Analyzing the Script 218 7.3 Fitting into the World 219 7.4 Edit Three Minutes 220 7.5 Character Past 222 7.6 Character Present 222 7.7 Character Future 223 7.8 Character Abstracts 224 7.9 Character's Autobiography 225 7.10 Analysis into System 226 7.11 Warming In 226 7.12 First Meeting of the Characters 228 7.13 Crucial Offstage Event 229 7.14 Character Wake-Up 229 7.15 Typical Time 229 7.16 Character Interview 229 7.17 Character Encounter 230 7.18 Scoreboard 230 7.19 Unrelated Activity 230 7.20 Stop Partner from Leaving 230 7.21 Talking Beats 231 7.22 Key Searching 232 7.23 Spoken Silent Script 233 7.24 Shadowing 233 7.25 Isolating 234 7.26 Role Reversal 234 7.27 Passing 235 7.28 Animal Abstractions 235 7.29 Contact 236 7.30 Gibbalogue 236 7.31 Handicaps 236 7.32 Counterpoint 237 7.33 Layering 237 7.34 Rally Squad 238 7.35 Speed-Through 238 7.36 Character Hot Seat 239 7.37 Comparisons 239 7.38 Character Encounter, Part II: The Sequel 240 7.39 Meet Another Character 240 7.40 Offstage Action: Analysis 241 8 PERFORMANCE PROCESS 243 What to expect fromfirst audition through closing night ACTING ETIQUETTE 244 Taking Time 244 Auditions 246 Rehearsal 249 After Opening 253 ADAPTATIONS 254 Adapting Show Process to Class Process 254 Schedules and Objectives 255 Memorizing 256 Working with a Teacher, Coach, or Director 25 Working without a Director 258 Working with a Non-Director 258 Working with Untrained Observers 259 Criticism: Give and Take 261 PROCESS VERSUS PRODUCT 262 Kiss the Line Good-Bye 263 OFFSTAGE PERFORMANCE PROCESS 264 NOTES 266 EXERCISES 8.1 Stage Shorthand 251 8.2 War Stories 254 8.3 Setting a Schedule 255 8.4 What You See 259 8.5 A Little Help from My Friends 261 8.6 Offstage Action: Process 264 9 ACTING ANTICIPATED 267 Setting goals for growth and satisfaction LOOKING TO THE FUTURE 267 Is the Art for You? Are You for It? 268 Training Objectives 269 MILLENNIAL ACTING 270 Alba Emoting 270 Augusto Boal 274 Anne Bogart 278 Neuro-Linguistic Programming 282 Acting Somatics 285 Tadashi Suzuki 287 Summary 289 PRODUCTION-PROOF ACTORS 290 POST-AUDITION MORTEM 290 Constant Reminders 293 General Casting 297 POST-APPLICATION MORTEM 302 Interviews 303 PERSONAL OBJECTIVES 305 Choosing Partners and Playmates 305 Using Theatre in Your Life 306 Casting Yourself 307 LIVING FULLY: ONSTAGE AND OFF 311 NOTES 312 EXERCISES 9.1 Stepping Out 271 9.2 Archetypal Action I 272 9.3 Archetypal Action II 273 9.4 Real to Ideal 276 9.5 Forum Fundamentals 277 9.6 Exploring Space 279 9.7 Points of View 279 9.8 Closing and Opening the Open Scene 280 9.9 What's My Mode? 284 9.10 Pure Modes 284 9.11 Switching Modes 284 9.12 Feel, Fuse, and Follow: Touch 286 9.13 A New Way of Walking 288 9.14 Audition Observation 298 9.15 Choices 301 9.16 Offstage Auditions 302 9.17 Offstage Action: Anticipation 311 ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 2-1 The Prune 53 FIGURE 2-2 The Puppet 55 FIGURE 2-3 The Sun 58 FIGURE 2-4 The Blender 60 FIGURE 2-5 Active Breathing 66 FIGURE 3-1 Habits (Sitting) 78 FIGURE 6-1 Acting Areas 183 FIGURE 6-2 Area Power 184 FIGURE 6-3 Implied Relationships 188 FIGURE 7-1 The Generic Floor Plan 227 FIGURE 8-1 Stage Shorthand 251 FIGURE 9-1 Sampler: Life 293 FIGURE 9-2 Sampler: Rounds 295 APPENDICES APPENDIX A My Acting History 314 APPENDIX B Acting Observation 316 APPENDIX C Physical Life Observation 318 APPENDIX D Vocal Life Observation 320 APPENDIX E Open Scene Scenarios 322 APPENDIX F Open Scene Score 324 APPENDIX G Stanislavski Observation 327 APPENDIX H Script Analysis 329 APPENDIX I Character Analysis 331 APPENDIX J Audition Observation 336 APPENDIX K Sample Scene: The Rehearsal 338