Acting Technique Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Would that the stage were a tight rope where no incompetent would dare to tread.† -GOETHE Goethe is speaking from an author’s point of view. It is the actor’s tremendous and frustrating challenge to act in plays written by Goethe and other great playwrights. Actors have to communicate complex and subtle ideas, like those that appear in Strindberg, Ibsen, Shaw and Arthur Miller. The modern actor must have virtues that the playwright, perhaps, does not have, and one is the instinct that awakens the actor to act. That instinct is stronger than we know or can analyze. An actor’s total being – mind, spirit, soul, and that essence which is talent – must be devoted to his craft. In this life, most people are forced to use only one side of themselves. All those other selves create a unique unquiet in the actor’s soul, and what provokes the actor‘s talent to be heard. Before an actor can let his voice be heard, he must visualize his needs and fears. He must make a distinction between growth and success. To humanize a young actor, have them list their assets and faults. The actor has only his own body as an instrument. Thus, he must continuously work on four tools: the body, the speech, the mind, and the emotions. An actor has the right to survive, to grow as an artist. This entails a special strength, a new discipline, and self-awareness. Only then can he realize his goals and the work ahead of him as a professional actor. The profession of acting gives the actor the opportunity to make of himself the most that he can be. The ultimate aim of this technique is to create an actor who can be responsible for his artistic development and achievement. The first tier is the energy of the voice. Resonating to reach the audi... ...ications that are more creative. This is why professional productions are more captivating and real than proletarian shows. Justifications that are more complex can be found and based on the circumstances. Justification can be taken one-step further when it is applied to characters and their beliefs. This will aid in character development and is beneficial on stage. Like a juggler of sentiment, an actor must be flexible on stage. He must be quick in reacting, but deliberate in emoting. He must have extraordinary imagination, and resolute justification. The actor’s profession is not an easy one, but is an art that crosses the aesthetic barrier and reaches an audience. He knows there is a difference between the truth of life and the truth of the theatre. The actor must communicate on the highest level. The actor must be a master of both words and ideas.