Method Acting Lecture Notes

8/20/2019 Method Acting Lecture Notes

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© James Senft - 2007 (Revised)

LECTURE NOTES:

HISTORY

FUNDAMENTALS

OF METHOD ACTING


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HISTORY FUNDAMENTALS OF

ETHOD ACTING

The 9 points of Method that we will study in depth are: Relaxation Observation Concentration The Importance of Specifics Inner Truth Ensemble Playing

Emotional Recall Thru Line Textual Analysis of Script


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HISTORY OF METHOD ACTING

ISTORY OF METHOD ACTING

Before we start on the guts of Method, we need to explore abit of the historical elements of it. Method Acting or “The

Method” was founded by noted acting teacher and directorConstantine Stanislavski who in the later part of the 19th

century was the Artistic Director of the famed RussianMoscow Arts Theatre.

Stanislavski felt that the theatre of his time was overexaggerated, too external from the true grit emotion of thecharacter and not real but a façade. He felt that actingwould only be believable if the actor entered more ofpsychological examination of the character. Basically, theexaggerated, over-extended surrealism of the playing acharacter could only be tamed into a realistic performance ifthe actor truly was the character; and this could only beaccomplished if the actor, through a series of well-structuredexercises, entered the world of imagination and play. Herehe could tame the emotion, realism and inner truth of the

character and subsequently, the character could live if onlyfor the moments on the stage.

The impact of the Stanislavskian moment was far reaching.He began his work at The Moscow Arts Theatre where weworked the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Chekhov’smost famous works included The Sea Gull, The CherryOrchard and The Three Sisters; these plays developedcharacters with deep subtext, emotion and truth whichrequired a great deal of realism to play effectively.

Constantine Stanislavski


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STANISLAVSKI THE METHOD

Stanislavski survived the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Russian Revolution of 1917, with Lenin apparentlyintervening to protect him. In 1918, Stanislavski established the First Studio as a school for young actors and wroteseveral works: those available in English translation include: An Actor Prepares , Building a Character , Creating a Role ,and the autobiography My Life in Art .

Stanislavski always thought of his system as if it were a table of contents for a large book which dealt with all aspects ofacting. His final work, now known as The Method of Physical Actions , or The Stanislavskian System , is in no way arejection of his early interest in sense and affective memory. At no time did he ever reject the notion of emotion

memory; he simply found other means of accessing emotion, among them the absolute belief in given circumstances;the exercise of the imagination; and the use of physical action.

Proscenium Stage of The Moscow Arts Theatre


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THE GROUP THEATRE

In the summer of 1931, three young idealists, Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford andLee Strasberg, were inspired by a passionate dream of transforming the American

theater. They recruited 28 actors to form a permanent ensemble dedicated todramatizing the life of their times. They conceived The Group Theatre as a responseto what they saw as the old-fashioned light entertainment that dominated thetheater of the late 1920’s. Their vision was of a new theater that would mountoriginal American plays to mirror -- even change -- the life of their troubled times.Over its ten years and twenty productions, they not only met these goals, but alteredthe course of American theater forever.

The Group Theatre was a company based on an ensemble approach to acting. Firstseen in the work of the Moscow Art Theater, the ensemble approach proposed ahighly personal and cooperative method. That individual actors played individualparts was no longer important. The focus was on a cast that was familiar andbelievable as a whole. If the actors had relationships off-stage, then the relationshipson stage would not only seem, but be more "real." As the members of the ensemblegrew to know each other, this familiarity was successfully reflected in their work.

Based on the innovative techniques of the Russian master Constantin Stanislavsky,

Lee Strasberg came up with "the method." The method, or "method acting", as ithas come to be known, proposed a series of physical and psychological exercises. Itheld, for example, that if a part called for fear, the actor must remember fear andbring this honest emotion to the stage. These exercises were meant to break downthe actor’s barrier between life on and off the stage. By the time the curtain camedown on their first production, "The House of Connelly", the Group Theater knewthey had succeeded. What was important was not simply the enthusiastic response,but that the audience and reviewers had recognized that this one performance

signaled a shift in American theater

Lee Strasberg


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THE GROUP THEATRE

The Group Theatre believed what they were doing to be of great political significance. While disregarding the calls forindividual fame in an embrace of cooperation. It was not, however, until Clifford Odets, then an actor in the group,

wrote "Awake and Sing!" that they found their full voice. His highly charged plays, which were often expressed in thelanguage and circumstances of working-class characters, mirrored the essence of what the group wanted to be anddo, fulfilling the dream of a theater speaking to and for its audience. Both audience and critics respondedenthusiastically, and such works as "Awake and Sing!," "Waiting for Lefty, " and "Paradise Lost" were among themost memorable productions of the decade.

By the late 1930’s however, the cohesiveness of the group began to crumble. The chronic financial problems andlong-simmering disputes about "the method" began to chip away at their solidarity. An attempt to solve their financialproblems that sent many of the actors to Hollywood (where some stayed) ended in the resignation of both LeeStrasberg and Cheryl Crawford. As a last resort, Harold Clurman decided to take on Hollywood stars in an attempt toenhance box office appeal. To many long-time members this seemed a compromise of the fundamental ideals of thegroup. Even the financial success of Clifford Odets’ "Golden Boy" in 1937 was not enough to halt the decline, and in1941 the group dissolved.

Despite its relatively short life span, The Group Theatre has been called the bravest and single most significant

experiment in the history of American theater, and its impact continues to be felt. Many of the group’s members wenton to become leading acting teachers and directors, passing on to subsequent generations the spirit and principlesthat motivated them. Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, and Robert Lewis have counted among theirstudents actors, directors, and playwrights such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, GregoryPeck, and David Mamet. To this day institutions such as the Actors Studio, founded by Cheryl Crawford, Elia Kazan,and Robert Lewis continue the tradition of The Group Theatre.


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THE ACTOR’S STUDIO

The American Home to Method Acting came in the conversion of an old chruch in the “Hell’s Kitchen” neighbourhood of New York City called The Actor’s Studio. Founded in

1947 by Group Theater members Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, and Robert Lewis, the ActorsStudio trains actors in the realistic style developed by the Group in the thirties. That style,which had grown out of techniques pioneered by Constantin Stanislavsky at the Moscow Art Theatre, was further refined into the "Method" at the Actor's Studio. In 1952 LeeStrasberg, who had done a great deal of work with Stanislavsky's theories while he waswith the Group, took over as director. Strasberg's "Method" concentrated on preparing anactor to feel and express the emotional subtexts of scripts. A charismatic and controllingman, Strasberg brought a high level of intensity and seriousness to the American theater.

Throughout his fifty year, career Strasberg continued to refine his "Method," concentratingon relaxation, improvisation, sense memory, and transformation. These physical andpsychological exercises are still at the center of work done at the Actors Studio.

Once accepted to the Studio, members attend as frequently as they wish. The Studio is aplace where actors can experiment with roles they might not otherwise have the chance toperform. For actors, the Studio is a place to concentrate on process rather than

performance. It has also provided a setting for playwrights such as Edward Albee,Tennessee Williams and James Baldwin to develop a number of their classic works. TheStudio is a meeting ground for a dedicated group of peers from all areas of the theater andentertainment industries. While concentrating primarily on work for the stage, many of theactors from the studio have gone on to use the Method in film. It is one of the few placesout of the public eye where these famous actors can truly challenge themselves. TheStudio continues to teach actors how to plumb the depths of the soul with the hope ofgoing just a little bit deeper.

The Actor’s Studio in New York City

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/williams_t.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/baldwin_j.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/baldwin_j.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/williams_t.html


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1. RELAXATION

Stanislavski’s thoughts on relaxation were based on the premise thatin order to achieve control of all motor and intellectual faculties, theactor needed to relax his muscles: In The Actor Prepares he statesthat, ‘Muscular tautness interferes with inner emotional experience’

A core to understanding the method is to be relaxed in the character.Overly tense actors look tense even when they are playing an

excitable character let alone a passive one. The system or methodrequired the actor to develop a sense of “oneness” with his audience.Oneness is not referring to bring the audience into the world of thecharacter as a physical presence but rather sitting on the outsidelooking in through the glass wall of the actor into the piercing depthof his character. Relaxation is the foundation upon which rests the"house of method". Without this foundation, the house sinks into thequicksand of chaotic convention.

Stanislavski referred to tension as the "occupational disease" of theactor. Strasberg believed that tension is the actor's greatest enemy."Tension" for the actor, is the use of those muscles, thoughts andenergies not necessary to accomplish the actor's specific task on thestage, this task being the actor's object of attention , or "object" ,upon which the actor has chosen to concentrate.

Marilyn Monroe and James Dean


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2. OBSERVATION

One of the greatest tools of the actor, and a key principle of the Stanislavskian system,

is the critical tool of observation. If your craft is playing the inner truth of people on astage, you must study your source. Your craft is everywhere around you, visualize realpeople in real everyday situations and you will have developed an ability to sense, toactivate sense memory or rather to see with all of your senses. Some classic techniquesof observation in real and surreal situations are riding a bus and watching the people.Who are they, where are they going, what clues about their respective lives are theygiving you?? Butt in front of a line up at Wal-Mart or Costco. What is the reaction of the

people around you, can you sense the irritation, does someone say something, how hasyour action lead to a reaction.

When Glenn Close was offered the part of Alex Forrest, the psychopathic, jaded lover inthe 1987 blockbuster Fatal Attraction she was at a loss. How do you play such acharacter?? Her initial thoughts were big, boisterous fits of hysteria, acts of sheer

madness but it didn’t feel right, she just couldn’t grasp the character. It was at thatpoint that she decided to have herself checked into a mental hospital for the insane.While there, she watched her fellow inmates. There was no hysteria, few fits of rage, just a solemn staring into an unknown and unimaginable horror for literally hours at atime. There is a scene in the movie where Close is sitting on the floor, clicking a lampswitch on and off, listening to the opera Madame Butterfly, the silent pain of isolatedmadness clearly evident in her face, the entire story told without a word spoken.

Glenn Close, in the epicMadame Butterfly scene fromthe movie, “Fatal Attraction”.


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3. CONCENTRATION

It is important for actors to be able to concentrate on their performance. But because there are many people around actors

(film crews or live audiences), this can be very tricky. Stanislavski notes the importance of not blocking out the audiencecompletely. They are an integral part to character acting.

In order to best maintain concentration, Stanislavski stresses the importance of achieving what he terms public solitude . Actors must maximize the available attention placed on physical action and imagination. Rather than merely pretend to see,think, or hear while performing, using physical actions and imagination will enable an actor's concentration to be brought tothe next level.

In order to use all of the tools to the best of an actor's ability, Stanislavski developed a system of circles of attention . As

these circles increase in size, it becomes more and more difficult to concentration and be attentive to the objects locatedtherein.

Small circle of attention -- This is the area immediately surrounding an actor and includes the actor himself along with anyclosely nearby object.

Medium circle of attention -- An expanded area that could include a group of actors and nearby objects.

Large circle of attention -- The largest area of concentration, this includes everything seen on stage or set.

Because it is difficult to maintain focus on something such as an entire stage, actors must work inwardly between the circlesto gather focus and outwardly between the circles once their attention is centered. Basically, the actor closes his eyes andlistens to every sound around that are of a distance around him. The traffic outside, a group of students greeting eachother out in the hallway, everyday sounds that are of a distance. Then going deeper into himself, the actor starts to filterout these sounds and more into listening to closer sounds; the air conditioning system in the theatre that he is standing, thebreathing of the actor next to him, the slight shuffle of feet of the instructor across the room. Now going even deeper, theactor filters out even these sounds, concentrating on his own breathing, the delicate dance of air in and out, the beating of

his own heartbeat and so forth. By doing all of this, the actor has moved his attention from the outside inward and thissame process is how the actor relaxes, bring the audience into the picture.


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4. THE IMPORTANCE OF SPECIFICS

“Generality is the Enemy of all Art”

This famous quote by Stanislavski rings true for everything from an actor’sperformance, to a painter’s canvass to a composer’s sheet music. Good artis specific, it is clearly defined and is never cluttered with generalities.

When an actor was playing the part of Marius in Les Mis on Broadway, hewas having a great deal of problem making the Eponine death scenerealistic. In the scene, he was to hold her as rain poured on both of them,

until on the last note of the song, her shivering stops and with an opendead stare she just lies in his arms. How does one do justice to such andextreme scene. In consultation with his director, they created an “AS-IF” ora fictional story, based in the actor’s real life that could trigger a relationshipwith the current circumstance.

The actor looked into his own life, and came up with the following story. It

was an ugly winter morning in New York City where the snow isn’t sure ifit’s falling as rain or ice pellets. At any rate, my wife headed off to workahead of me in her grey Volkswagon Jetta. Specifically now, asked thedirector, how did she leave, angry, rushed?? Well he said, it was just anormal morning where we kissed good-bye, mutually said, “I love you” andoff she went…continue said the director.

Broadway’s “LES MISERABLES”


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5. INNER TRUTH

The concept of inner truth is basically playing the character fromthe inside out, in all of its glory, psychological motives,

imperfections and desires.

Stanislavski stated that truth on stage was different from truth inreal life. This was an important factor in acting, especially so inrealism where the aim of the actor was to create the appearanceof reality or ‘truth’ on stage. In Stanislavskian technique, as inmost other theatre training techniques, an actor does not actuallybelieve in the truth of the events on stage, only in the imaginative

creation of them. Indeed, an actor who honestly believed himselfto be Hamlet would be deeply deluded and in need of psychiatrichelp. This then posed the problem of creatingthe appearance ofreality for the spectator.

Stanislavski’s answer to this problem was in the creation of the ‘Magic If.' The actor tried to answer the question, “If I were inMacbeth ’s position, what would I do?” Thus, the character’sobjectives drove the actor’s physical action choices. Through thestimulus of the powerful ‘if,' an actor could make strong theatricalchoices that would appear to the audience as real, true andbelievable. In Stanislavski’s opinion, the actor who had the abilityto make the audience believe in what he/she wanted them tobelieve, achieved ‘inner truth.' Stanislavski defined ‘inner truth’ asthat which originated ‘on the plane of imaginative and artisticfiction.‘

Scene from Broadway’s “The Drowsy Chaprone”


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6. ENSEMBLE PLAYING

Don’t Act, REACT, to quote Lee Strasberg is the principle of ensemble playing or play off of your fellowactor(s). Except in rare soliloguy or monologue situations, the craft of acting is playing off of your fellowactor. Without ensemble playing, acting is disjointed with the scene coming across as chopping and runnigthe risk of losing the audience. The principle of ensemble playing embraces playing not to the audience butto your fellow actor(s) and as an ensemble you play to the house.

Dustin Hoffman & John Malkovich in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”


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7. EMOTIONAL RECALL

Affective memory, also known as 'emotional recall', is an element ofStanislavski's ‘system’ and of Method Acting, two related approaches toacting. Affective memory requires the actor to call on the memories he orshe felt when they were in a situation similar (or more recently a situationwith similar emotional import) to that of their character. Stanislavskibelieved an actor needed to take emotion and personality to the stage andcall upon it when playing their character. He also explored the use ofobjectives, the physical body's effect on emotions and empathizing with the

character.

"Emotional recall" is a the basis for Lee Strasberg's Method Acting. "Sensememory" is used to refer to the recall of physical sensations (instead ofemotions). Many modern actors and actresses, however, believe thatemotional recall is not authentic "acting". The argument is that the actor ismeant to be imitating the character's emotions and not actuallyexperiencing them. Further criticisms of Emotional Recall deal with the factthat once the actor brings on emotion via the sense memory that turningoff the tap, so to speak, is very difficult and can negatively affect the nextscene. The general consensus, however, is that proper acting is acombination of many techniques, and that no actor should be restricted toone way of performing.

Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando in the attack scene From “A Streetcar Named Desire”, a scene often played

using affective memory or emotional recall.


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8. THRU LINE OF ROLE

The Thru Line of Role—spelt THRU not THROUGH—is a single phase that anactor uses to sum up his entire character. It is a base point to get to the trueguts of the character. The thru line, sometimes also called the spine, wasfirst suggested by Stanislavski as a simplified way for actors to think aboutcharacterisation. He believed actors should not only understand what theircharacter was doing, or trying to do, (their objective or motive) in any givenunit, but should also strive to understand the through line which linked theseobjectives together and thus pushed the character forward through thenarrative.

Sweeney Todd is the story is of a barber, falsely imprisoned so that JudgeTurpin can take Sweeney’s beautiful wife and young daughter. Now, fifteenyears hence, he returns to exact revenge on that Judge and a society thatenables such judicial malfeasants. When Johnny Depp enacted the part, histhru line, “I will have vengeance, I will have salvation!” was a tool the actorused as a leaping point to develop the entire character.

When objectives were strung together in a logical and coherent form, athrough line of action was mapped out for the character. This was importantin order to create a sense of the whole. Stanislavski developed the concept ofthe Super Objective or Super Motive that would carry this ‘through line ofaction.’ The Super Motive could then be looked at as the ‘spine’ with theobjectives as ‘vertebrae.Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd”


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9. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SCRIPT

The following is an example of script analysis. Script analysis is actually quite a simple process. The trick is to find outwhen your motive changes. Many people make the mistake in thinking that every time they have a new line theyhave a new motive and subsequently they start to analyze everything all over again. You end up with way to manymotives to realistically play.

The proper way to do script analysis is to analyze each beat not each line. A beat is a single unit of acting with amotive that the actor is trying to achieve. The beat can be as short as one word or as long as pages of script. Thelength is irrelevant. Every time your motive changes its called an acting beat change and you must analyze the beat.So the first trick is for you to determine when you have a new motive and subsequently a new beat. You are in thedriver’s seat here—only you can determine when your motive changes. Rule of thumb, if you are reading a line and itdoesn’t seem to fit with what your declared motive was, chances are the motive changed and you have to analyze thisnew motive or new acting beat.

Now once you have found your motive and new beat you now can analyze it. This is done by answering four points: Literal Action: What physically is your character doing in this beat? Picking up a newspaper, sitting in a chair, crossing

the room etc. Don’t confuse this as a why , we don’t need to why you are doing it just what are you doing. Motive: This is the why. Why are you doing something? What is your purpose? What are you trying to fulfill? Express

my love, show her that she offended me, brush him off, these are all excellent motives.

Conflict: Because motives are so important in method acting, you as an actor need something in order to help you actout the motive. The conflict or the thing that’s getting in the way of you achieving your motive is the next thing youhave to identify. If your motive is express my love a possible conflict would be she would think I’m crazy or I’m wayto shy. If your motive is brush him off your conflict could be he’ll hate me or I don’t want to hurt him. Do you seehow easy it is to act a beat when you have the conflict that is standing in the way of your motive. The conflict bringsthe motive to life.


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As If: If the conflict brings the motive to life, the AsIf makes the motive real and personal to you the actor. The AsIf is apersonal statement that allows you the actor to feel something from the motive. So, if the motive is express my love andthe conflict was she would think I’m crazy, the AsIf could be, It’s as if I stood up in English class, screaming at theteacher to put her clothes back on when she was fully dressed. You will notice here that the AsIf used is directly relatedto the conflict and not the motive. This is because if you relate the AsIf to the conflict as opposed to the motive it iseasier to make the motive more actable.

(Left to Right) Kristy Cates, Stacie Morgain Lewis and Gene Weygandt star in the Chicago cast of "Wicked"


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In summary, the AsIf makes the conflict real and in turn the conflict bringsthe motive to life. Now comes the next problem, how can you possiblyremember all of this when you are up on stage concerned with tempos,intensities and so forth? Well the answer is in a Transitional Verb or morecommonly referred to as verbing. The Transitional verb is the title of thebeat. It sums up the entire beat and is one word that ends in either “ly” or “ing”. It is one word that as a verb is instantly actable. You chose yourverbing after you are done everything else in the beat analysis. So, if themotive is express my love and the conflict was she would think I’m crazy,the AsIf could be, It’s as if I stood up in English class, screaming at the

teacher to put her clothes back on when she was fully dressed. A possibletransitional verb for all of this would be Awkwardly or Embarrassing.

So that’s how you do script analysis. Below is a copy from last year.Because he had the typed script he just inserted the analysis in blue andput the transitional verb in italics just before the analysis. If you areworking directly from the script just do your analysis off to the right side ofthe line. Put a #1 beside the line and a #1 next to the first line of youranalysis so that it doesn’t get to confusing. Use the left side of the pagefor the transitional verbs so that you have them available for easy access. You will also notice that he has put several transitional verbs in withoutdoing analysis. This simply means the motive is staying the same but he’susing new verbs to enhance and refine the same motive. This is also fineonly don’t overdo this and subsequently miss where the motivelegitimately changes.

Paul Newman & Elizabeth Taylor in

Tennessee William’s “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”


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Act 1, Scene 1 NICELY: Poor Miss Sarah! I wonder why a refined doll like her is mixed up in a mission dodge. BENNY: She is a beautiful doll, all right, with one hundred percent eyes. -Ogling Literal action: drooling Motive: to express my feelings for Sarah Conflict: she’s a mission doll, and I’m a gambler As If: I was a bear that wanted to mate with a giraffe NICELY: It is too bad that such a doll wastes all her time being good. How can she make any money from

that? BENNY: Maybe she owns a piece of the Mission. -Suggesting NICELY: Yeah. (HARRY THE HORSE enters from L.1, crosses to Benny.) HARRY: Hey! Benny Southstreet! BENNY: Harry the Horse! How are you! You know Nicely-Nicely Johnson. -Greeting Literal action: greeting Harry the Horse

Motive: To get Harry involved with the crap game Conflict: There isn’t a place for the game As If: I was a teacher without a classroom to teach in HARRY: Yeah. How goes it? NICELY: Nicely, nicely, thank you. (Brannigan glares and exits’ L.1)


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HARRY: Tell me, what about Nathan Detroit? Is he got aplace for his crap game?

BENNY: We don’t know yet. – Answering NICELY (Jazzy ):The heat is on. BENNY: He’s still looking for a place. - Adding HARRY: Well, tell him I’m loaded and looking for action. I

just acquired five thousand potatoes. BENNY (loudly): Five thousand bucks!!! –Whooping NICELY: Where did your acquire it? HARRY: I collected the reward on my father. BENNY: Everybody is looking for action. I wish Nathan

finds a- -Explicating (He stops as BRANNIGAN enters-gets paper at

newsstand-crossed to Benny ) NICELY: Why, Lieutenant Brannigan! Mr.Southstreet, it is

Lieutenant Brannigan of the New York Police Department. BENNY: A pleasure. Covering Literal action: lying to Brannigan Motive: to make Brannigan think there isn’t really a crap

game Conflict: if he finds out, we could get arrested As If: We’re babies that were just caught opening a giant

bag of flour that we poured all over ourselves

Miss Adelaide and Hot Box Dancers in “Take Back Your Mink” From “Guys N’ Dolls”

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