Acting Methods

Part I

Francois Delsarte
Statue of Quintilian in the main plaza of Calahorra

Delsarte system

Stanislavski

Chekhov reading The Seagull

with members of Moscow Art Theatre

MAT production of Hamlet, 1911

The Stanislavski System

System that would provide the actor a technique for building a live human
being on the stage
Stanislavskis laws are based on how human beings function according to
natural laws or the laws of nature
Entitled his system The Elementary Grammar of Dramatic Art
Using this system, actors came to learn natural laws and how to use them
subconsciously to re-create human behavior (which Stanislavski called
action) on stage.
Began by pointing out that emotions cannot be stirred directly
Called inner mechanisms that control emotions the actors subconscious
Believed key for triggering the mechanisms that control emotional
reactions was the method of physical actions (called human behavior
action)
Method of Physical Actions became the essence of the system, the key to
emotional response, the basis of an actors creativity according to the
Stanislavski system, and the solution to spontaneity on stage

Method of Physical Actions

Rather than force an emotion beforehand, Stanislavskis actor
enters the scene to fulfill a simple physical action
In carrying out the action, the actor involves his emotions by
triggering the mechanisms that control emotional reactions
Action is the key
Stanislavski proposed that an actor prepare his role as a sort of
to do list of actions to be carried out. This would give the
actor a sense of carrying out the actions as if they were
happening for the first time and make each performance
spontaneous
Realized that when an actor on stage executes only a physical
movement, he does not trigger an emotion through his actions
Believed an actor must express his characters thoughts
and feelings (emotions) though his actions and words or
verbal action

First step is to begin with the physical creation of a character

Attempting to prevent actor from instantly summoning or forcing
an emotion, so he chose to begin with the physical side of the
psycho-physical union (outside-in)
Selecting the correct physical action must be an action connected
to the emotion the actor must portray based on the circumstances
of the play
Involves experimentation through improvisation
(experimentation) and preparatory work (analysis of the play)
Every gesture an actor makes on stage must be
absolutely essential and easily understood. Superfluous
actions must be cut.
Actor cannot discover correct action without first discovering the
motivation for the action, which requires a thorough analysis of
the play

Elements of an Action
Stanislavski divided action into several parts:
The Magic If
Given Circumstances
Imagination
Concentration or Attention
Truth and Belief
Communion
Adaptation
Tempo-Rhythm
Emotional Memory

The Magic If
Stanislavski did not think an actor could honestly believe in the
truth and reality of events on stage, but said an actor can
believe in the possibility of events by asking What would I do
if I were in Romeos position or Juliets position?

This transforms the characters aim or goal into the actors aim
or goal, giving him or her a strong stimulus to physical actions
that will generate the required emotions
The Magic If leads the actor to use imagination and
thought to create logical actions, and correctly executed
logical actions trigger correct emotions

Given Circumstances
Given Circumstances refers to everything an actor encounters as
he creates the role
Just as physical and psychological behavior is subject to the
external influences of the environment they occur in, an actors
choice of actions are subject to the environment they occur in, an
actors choice of actions are subject to the environment they
occur in
We build characters based on these given circumstances, so the
actor must become extremely familiar with the given
circumstances of the play by studying the play thoroughly

Imagination
Imagination plays a big part in transforming the story of the play
into an artistic reality
An actor needs:
To be able to think on any theme or subject
To be an observer of the world around him
To learn to dream (to create scenes and take part in them)

A playwright rarely describes the past or future of his characters.

An actor has to complete his or her characters biography
from beginning to end to give substance to the present life
of the character and a perspective from which to create
actions for the character

Subtext
Imagination also contributes to an actors interpretation of the
lines, filling them with the meaning behind the lines or the
subtext of the lines
Using imagination an actor can create interesting meanings,
thoughts or intentions behind the words and, in combination
with the actions he or she takes before, during, and after the
words are spoken, he or she can create a character that is
expressive and interesting to watch and hear
Everything an actor imagines for his or her character (actions
and subtext) must be precise and logical (proceed from the
given circumstances of the play)

Concentration of attention
Stanislavski believed actor must concentrate on what is
taking place on stage in order to eliminate distractions
that occur beyond the stage
But actor must not try to forget the audience because
forgetting the audience defeats the purpose of the theatre
Actor can create public solitude by giving maximum
attention to physical actions and to the use of imagination
in creating physical actions
A concrete thought and the expression of that
thought through a concrete physical action can and
should be the focus of the actors attention on stage

 An actor must learn to really see and listen on stage

Actors achieve actually seeing objects on stage by building
imaginary details around it that make it attractive to his or her eye
Requires imagination and concentration to create details in
the mind and then focus the mind on bringing those details to
life in the actors eyes
When an actor feels his attention wandering, Stanislavski advised
using the circles of attention or focusing on separate parts of the
stage, which is helped by focusing on objects on the stage:
A small circle of attention is the small area that includes the
actor and maybe a set prop
A medium circle of attention is an area that includes several
actors/characters and several pieces of furniture
A large circle of attention is everything an actor can see on
stage

Truth and Belief

Belief on stage means the actor treats things or persons as if they
really were what he wants the audience to believe they are
The ability of an actor to make the audience to believe what
he/she wants it to believe is called scenic truth
Actors achieve scenic truth by carrying out logical actions
within given circumstances and justified by the magic if
because physical actions develop concentration,
imagination, and feelings of truth and belief
A truthfully executed physical action justified by given
circumstances will generate truthful emotions and introduce the
actor to the inner experience of the character he/she is portraying

Communion
Communion refers to the communion between actors
on stage
The actor must be in communion with his partner, not
an imaginary person
To be in communion with another person on stage
means:
To be aware of that persons presence
To make sure that he/she understands what you tell
them
To make sure that you understand what they tell you
Called mutual influence

Mutual Influence
The actor must see images and transmit those images
to fellow actors in order to actively transmit his/her
lines and impress on his fellow actor(s) what he/she
wants them to see and hear
The actor must absorb what other actors tell him/her;
their words, their actions, their thoughts must come
through to him/her as if they were seeing and hearing
them for the first time
Actors influence other actors through concrete actions
that make use of imagination and concentration and stir
concrete reactions from other actors to achieve strong
communion

Adaptation
Adaptation is the overcoming of a physical obstacle in
the pursuit of a goal or objective
Once an actor has chosen an action (What do I do?)
within the given circumstances (Why do I do it?), an
adaptation answers the question How do I carry out
the action?
The action and the given circumstances can be
considered and decided on beforehand, but the
adaptation depends on the actors partner(s) and
his/her/their behavior
To be interesting, an adaptation must be imaginative, in
good taste, strong, and sharp

Tempo-Rhythm
There is an individual tempo-rhythm in every person
and every situation. An actor must find it for the
character he portrays
Every action on stage has a certain tempo-rhythm and
should be executed accordingly
Tempo-rhythm must correspond to given
circumstances
If the correct tempo-rhythm is not carried out, the
truthfulness of the actions is lost (If actions are too
slow or too fast, they are not believable)

Emotional Memory
Experience on stage is different from experience in
life because an actor lives on stage as a character but
also as the actor who creates the character.
The circumstances and experiences of the character
influence the choices the actor makes in creating the
character just as the real life experiences of the actor
influence how he or she carries out the creation of the
character on stage.
Stanislavski believed that the actor creating the
character on stage must create true stage experiences.
The actor cannot create true experiences on stage
because the actor on stage lives a repeated
experience, not a primary experience.

 Stage experiences or emotions are not the same as real

experiences and real emotions.
Stanislavski believed that real emotions arise from
actual cause, while an actor can bring forth stage
emotions through actions and because he/she has
experienced an analogous emotion in their own lives.
There is a commonality to emotions. If an actor has
experienced similar feelings, the experience/emotion
has left a deep imprint on his/her memory.
From the traces of what was experienced, a memory
of emotions is formed. An actor must bring forth the
imprint of the past experience or emotion and make it
respond to the conditions occurring on stage.

 But a re-created emotion is not a primary

emotion, so it does not absorb the actor entirely. An
actor living the life of the character never forgets
that he/she is an actor performing on stage.
Two sources of emotional memory:
1. The inner life of the actor
2. An actors observations of the outside world
An actors emotional memory is the storage facility of
past experiences and the source for emotions being
portrayed on stage.

Stanislavskis system challenged at home:

Evgeni Vakhtangov
A student of Stanislavski and
co-founder of the MAT Studio
Acting at the Studio
marked by extreme
emotional realism
Called the Grotesque
A method that enabled the actor
to inwardly justify the content of
the play
Actors exaggerate and distort
characters based on inner truth
(Fantastic or Theatrical Realism)

Vakhtangov added adjustment or

justification

Use of motivations completely unrelated to

the content of the play

Use of immediate and unrelated

circumstances (as opposed to characters
past) to justify actions
Vakhtangovs method would have a profound
effect on Lee Strasberg and the Group Theatre
in America

Michael Chekhov
Nephew of Anton Chekhov
Admitted to the MAT in 1912
Used Vakhtangovs justification
imaginatively
Believed Stanislavski slighted
the use of imagination in the
creation of a character
Rejected Emotional Memory as restricting and
believed actor could use imaginary events and
images to help stimulate emotions

Atmospheres and Qualities are source of moods and

feelings that emanate from surroundings
Atmospheres
Talked of atmospheres that could lead to emotional response
more reliably than Emotional Memory
Believed atmosphere influenced behavior and emotion
Every scene, every play is permeated with atmospheres
(physical and psychological) which give direction to way in
which actor pursues goals and executes action
Today, Atmospheres are called Creative Visualization
Visualizing can also be applied to character
Actor can see character (how he/she dresses, how they
move, run, cry, sit, laugh, etc.) and arrives at character
in living, vivid way as opposed to arriving at character
through use of analyses and intellect

Qualities
Chekhov used qualities as substitutes for emotion
Extended system to include the psychological
gesture or physical action which reveals inner
feeling and personality of character
Gestures illuminate inner character (similar to actions
illuminating emotion)

Neither Vakhtangov nor Chekhov actually broke

with system but extended and enlarged it

Vsevolod Meyerhold
1903- left the MAT to start a theatre of his own
1905- returned and set up in studio of his own
Studio failed (lost money) but compelled Meyerhold
to rethink his ideas:
Realized actors lacked physical expressivity
Wanted to do away with the fourth wall and challenge the
audience directly
Not interested in the theater of personal feeling:
Emotion came from actions but did not want actors to be
overcome by feeling; actor was to be in control of his
body and his feelings
Quintilian, Delsarte, Stanislavski concerned with expression of
authentic feeling/emotion in actor; Meyerhold more concerned
with creation of feeling in audience

Revolutionary Ideas
Meyerhold wanted to create a revolution in the theatre and a
revolution for the actor
Realized that in order to break free of the restraints of
realism, he needed to approach acting in a purely
physical way
Stanislavski had created an internal-external approach
Meyerhold attempted to create external-internal/surface-core
approach
Borrowed from the techniques of Commedia del arte
(extended lazzi or bits), pantomime (strong and flexible
actors), the circus (clowns use of masks, exaggeration and
foolishness) Kabuki and Noh theater (centers of gravity)
Idea was to celebrate the theatrical, excite and challenge the
audience and free the actor from the prison of natural
behavior

Motion (Action and Reaction)

Meyerhold believed movement and gesture more important than
words
Motion was the key to Meyerholds new system

Interested in efficiency of motion because he wanted to

achieve the maximum effect on the audience in the most
direct way possible

Turned to ideas of efficiency expert Frederick Taylor

(discovered inefficiencies of movement in assembly line
workers) to create new revolutionary training of actors
Believed and taught that the nucleus of expression (emotion) is
action and reaction of the nerves and muscles
Wanted to arouse audience to action as well:
Believed properly presented physical actions could arouse
emotions in the audience and shock them into insights
that would remain with them after they left the theater

Biomechanics
Needed actors to be capable of carrying out the actions required
Required training in boxing, tumbling, dancing, climbing, etc.
Rejected idea of fourth wall; actor should be fully aware of the
audience and deliberately acknowledge and play for them
Freed actor from prison of natural behavior but required actor to
submit to rigorous training regimen called Biomechanics
Exercises included The Leap from the Back, Dropping the
Weight, Throwing the Stone, The Slap in the Face, Carrying
the Sack, Shooting the Bow, etc.
First rule of these exercises is for the actor to find his/her
center of balance
Second rule is for the actor to find for his/her body an
expressive position in space

Biomechanics Exercises demonstrate cycle of acting fundamental

to Meyerholds system:
Intention- similar to Stanislavskis objective
Realization- similar to Stanislavskis action
Refusal of Action- reaction to action
Training created physically flexible
and responsive actors for innovative
productions

Meyerholds biomechanical ideas never constituted a

complete system but became inspiration for actors and
directors who felt constrained by the boundaries of
realism

The American Revolution

From January, 1923- spring, 1924, the Moscow Art
Theater toured America and forever changed the
American theatrical landscape:
Prior to the tour, the American stage was dominated
by the star system as opposed to MAT productions
in which every actor in every role was a student of
Stanislavskis System which led to true ensemble
acting
The MATs tour was a wake-up call for American
actors and directors

One member of the MAT, Richard Boleslavsky, opened a

school for actors called the American Lab Theater
Among the students was Lee Strasberg, who would
transform the Stanislavski System into the Method

Lab taught Stanislavskis System as altered by

Vakhtangov, i.e., emphasized the creation of
true emotion through improvisations that
explored the given circumstances of the play as well as the
sense memory and emotional memory of the actors

Lab promoted the use of affective memory (called

affective memory the golden keys)

Lab also taught Vakhtangovs reformulation (Adjustment

or Justification) of the Magic If (How do I motivate
myself? or What would motivate me to behave as this
character behaves?- Use of motivations completely
unrelated to the content of the play)

In an effort to create an MAT or Stanislavski-based

theater in America, Strasberg, Cheryl Crawford,
and Harold Clurman created The Group Theater
in May of 1930
The Group would become the most important and
influential theater in American Theater history
Lee Strasberg
Immigrant to America 1901
Member of Dramatic Club at Christie Street
Settlement House
Harold Clurman
Wanted unity in American Theatre
Wanted single vision, common vocabulary and common purpose among American actors
Wanted vision to be focus on problems of society and creation of community with the
public
Cheryl Crawford
Left the Group in 1937 to work independently
Became noted for producing unusual plays, including four Tennessee Williams plays and
innovative musicals like One Touch of Venus
Acting members of the Group included Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Clifford Odets

Actors were trained in Stanislavski System to

achieve an ensemble quality and inner truth in
portrayal of characters:
Clurman lectured on Theatre History and
Practice
Strasberg taught Stanislavskis System and
directed the Groups first play
Strasberg called the System The Method
Mixture of Stanislavski and Vakhtangov
Exercises were designed to increase
concentration

Students used improvisation when working on scenes from

the play:

Created situations implied by the text and acted

them out
Created a history between the actors and manifested
itself onstage as a greater connection between the
actor

Did improvs based on scenes in the play

Played given circumstances of the scene but not
using the writers words
Allowed actors to respond honestly and
spontaneously to the situation
Later used the authors text

The main technique taught by Strasberg at The Group Theatre was

affective memory

The idea was to use remembered emotions of the actor and

express them through the character on stage

At appropriate moments in the play (moments that called for

strong emotion), the actor would engage in an affective
memory exercise (later), then speak their lines and perform
their actions in the appropriate emotional state
Exercises in affective memory led many actors in the Group to
believe they were achieving new levels of inner truth and expression
and came to regard Strasberg as their leader
In return, Strasberg pushed them to dig deeper into themselves to
reveal their deepest feelings

The Method

RELAXATION
CONCENTRATION
SENSE MEMORY

Stella Adler
Original member of the Group Theatre
Had trouble with Strasbergs use of
affective memory
Had very little problem finding
and communicating proper
emotion for scene
Met Stanislavski in Paris in July, 1934

Stanislavski told Adler that he

had abandoned affective
memory because it led to
hysteria in actors

Said actors should play actions

and live in circumstances of the
play

Adler began teaching classes for members of the Group

Opened her own acting studio in 1949
Like Stanislavski, Adler placed great emphasis on
imagination, circumstances and action
If actor encountered problems in summing up
an emotion, she would allow him/her to search
for parallel but focus would be on physical
embodiment that went along with emotion
Actor does not focus on emotion but on physical
embodiment of emotion (gestures, voice, animation) that
will lead him/her to the feeling

Imagination
According to Adler, actors job is to defictionalize the fiction
which is an act of imagination (consistent with Magic If)
Circumstances
Emotion should ideally come from commitment to circumstances

If actor can make characters situation vivid and believable,

emotion will flow naturally

Requires clear and deep understanding of given circumstances

First approach to understanding circumstance is the where
Setting has profound effect on behavior
Circumstances are also composed of a when, a what, and a who
Each must be thoroughly explored and understood before
actor can truly live in circumstances

Action
An action is something you do
Adler broke actions down into parts:
Activities (small actions) in support of larger action
Overall action
Justification for action
Activities and actions must be justified in support of
overall action
Example: Pilot flying airplane in war
Adlers focus was authors text (not just words but
character and circumstances)
Goal was uniting actor and part within context of the
play

Characterization
First step toward characterization is thorough understanding of
circumstances
Next step is to narrow focus to circumstances of character
Good character background illuminates subsequent behavior of the
character
Tempo-rhythm and observation of animals plays part in Adlers approach
to characterization:
Example: Easily distracted character with limited powers of
concentration
Actor observes puppy and transfers attitude of puppy to human
behavior
Once believable behavior is mastered, actor puts the character in
circumstances within and without the scene
Once behavior is found, voice falls into place (or vice-versa)
But characteristics are not character

Dialogue
Words only have meaning within a circumstance
Find actions logical to circumstances of play and
character and paraphrase dialogue with your own
words
Look at authors words
Whatever has been left out is not understood
Paraphrase when you do understand important points
author is making
Play truth and logic of circumstances, live and act
imaginatively within them, and the dialogue will flow

Sanford Meisner
Became original
member of Group
Theatre in 1931
Wanted to transcend
casual realism and find
a way to use
Stanislavskis work to
create more stylized
(conventional)
characters
Inspired by Strasberg
and Adler, began
teaching in the mid1930s

Definition of acting:
Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances
Disturbed by extensive use of paraphrasing at Group Theatre
(valuable tool for Adler)
Paraphrasing put actor too much in his head
Acting came from the heart
Affective memory led to actors loss of connection with his or her
scene partner
Believed connection between actors was vital to the life of
the scene
Strasberg introverted the introverted. All actors like all
artists are introverted because they live on whats going on in
their instincts, and to attempt to make that conscious is to
confuse the actor.

Teaching focused on one of the most ignored

elements of Stanislavskis system:
Communion

Energy and tension of a scene came from

interaction between characters

Audience responds to give and take of

characters fully engaged with one another

Dynamics between people most fully

illuminated the complexity of the human
soul

All my exercises were designed to

strengthen the guiding principle
that art expresses the human
experience
The word repetition game
The knock on the door
Essential Element : the reality of
doing

Applying Meisners techniques to scenes (or

structuring a part to fit the reality of doing):
1. Learning Lines
Learn lines without meaningful inflections
Learn lines mechanically (keeps actor from
preconceived ways of saying lines)
Learn lines away from partner (deprives actor of
stimulus that will eventually animate dialogue)

Applying Meisners techniques to scenes: (contd)

2. Emotions
Excitation of feeling should occur offstage before an
entrance (Preparation)
Use given circumstances or Vakhtangovs
adjustment
Once on stage, actor must respond to those around
him/her and to any change in circumstances
Preparation is individual choice
Point is to come on with something going on
Emotions will change depending on circumstances of
scene
Doesnt have to be life or death (elaborate); can enter
scene to carry out minor everyday action

Particularization
When emotion is not engaged, must use
Stanislavskis Magic If
Make the if conscious
3. Pick up on impulses not cues
Do not wait to react until partner has finished their
line
React with face, body, or with action when
the impulse occurs
But actor is obligated not to say line until partner is
done

4. Character
Character is behavior
Playing a character does not mean that you leave
yourself behind but does not mean that you only
play yourself
Stanislavski: Actor uses himself when he plays
character
Meisner: Actor uses preparation and
particularization