Part IV. Theory & Cases

Featured Pages : You

Of course, you have to work on your characters, but this work is ALAWYS must also your work on yourself. You should ask yourself, how this experience change me as an actor? If there are no changes, you wasted your time.

How to work on developing youself as an actor?

Ask yourself, why do I want to play this character?

Part III. ACTOR

Often I say to the actors -- "Listen, now I am not working on the show, not on your character or the scene.... I am working on YOU."

What it means that there is an individual, an actor behind every role.

I see other parts I believe you should put on your wish list. Some monologues you must try to develop YOURSELF.

CRITERIA: If I see a professional potential.

Four Files:

Actor

Act

Director

PaperActive

Rehearse

Help yourself!

Work on yourself!

Roles MUST serve this self-development task!

[Read Cast, PS, Last Notes pages.]

This part of the work is not spoken about often. Not unless you are a star.

Do you want to be a star?

Well, start treating yourself as such.

Do you have your wish list? The roles you want to play.

You should. Write it down, the list. Get the monologues from those play, memorize and rehearse them, audition with them.

Do you know what you shouldn't do?

You have to know.

Do you know your strong and weak sides?

You must....

Do you keep your actor's journal? Do you have one?

Well, who is your manager? Your agent? Your publicist?

No, you are wrong, you have them! It's you. Do the work!

"I divided myself, as it were, into two personalities. One continued as an actor, the other was an observer. Strangely enough this duality not only did not impede, it actually promoted my creative work. It encouraged and lent impetus to it."

Stanislavsky in Building a Character writes about the UNIVERSAL LAW for every artist. This is life-long task -- developing this second personality, the observer! You have to have this skill to SEE and to NOTICE.

Do you remember our formula?

actor = artist + medium

Let's change the word "artist" with "self" ... or even with the another one -- "director"!

Aha! You see? I told you that I am writing "Method for Directors"!

Now our formula looks like:

actor = director + instrument

That's how, my friend, you will work with yourself and on yourself.

Ready?

Summary

Self-directing: steps.

Questions

What's next?

Notes

This is for Advanced Acting THR321.

Intro

The next secret is very simple. Let's change our formula "actor = director + instrument"

director = actor - instrument

Now we have a definition of "director": director is "actor without body"!

Remember what Stanislavsky said about doubling (folding, in postmodern theories)?

Without my body I can see and understand myself better!

This "director" is Actor' Self = Artist.

Drector = Artist

This is the part in you that works not only on your choices, developing ROLE and understanding CHARACTER, but guides you through your acting LIFE!

Do you want to know more about "director" and directors? Read StageMatrix!

Notes

This is like PS or Summary pages for the Part Three "ACTOR"...

Enough theory, Anatoly!

What? How about the use of it? We are one stay away from the fruits of our intellectual labors!

actor = director + instrument

Now we have to examine this "+" -- understand?

How your two identities work with each other. Now we have to put together again!

Without "+" there is no "=" -- right?