Reflect on the Studio activities we have completed over the last few weeks.
Pick one that you think would be most beneficial to the actor when creating a character.
State the activity.
Explain how it would support an actor when creating a character.
Explain how it would help an actor understand the psychology of a character.
Make mention of how you could develop or extend the activity to get greater understanding of the character.
Personally, I think the most recent trip into the studio, where we read over 'Creditors' and discussed 'Given Circumstances' shortly, would have been the most beneficial.
ReplyDeleteAs we understand, Stanislavski's system was, really, created with his era in mind, and so plays conceived around this time or with Stanislavski's system at the forefront of the author's mind, means that such plays (performed with Stanislavski's acting system,)are, in their raw form, only relevant to that time. So, in order to better create a character when taking into account a Stanislavskian performance, we need to look over the 'Given Circumstances'. Doing so means we have a better scope of the age's customs and social systems, the toils and trials our 'character' might have been embroiled in, and other similar themes. For example, Sir's sojourn into the age of Naturalism could give us a deeper understanding of any play set in those times of industry and revolution; and so help us to better craft a character that would be likened to the time.
Of course, I'm not saying it's an infallible component of Stanislavski's 'System'. As with 'Creditors' (in which we are given for the time period, "The present") we might not be able to apply the 'Given Circumstances' as easily as we could do without tinkering with the play or confining ourselves to the author's original concepts.
Well personally, I don't agree with Stanislavsky,
ReplyDeleteI can - of course - agree with the imagination, emotion memory and the motivation, however I do not believe that a vast portion of his "system" is necessary (probably controversial :') )
To clarify;
I disagree with the idea of units and objectives. I believe this would stagger the performance and force the play to become robotic and repetitive which may cause the actor to become bored and therefore lazy.
Of course the "through line of action" is Important but I believe that it is slightly over-rated to an extent.
It is important to understand the general direction of the play but I believe a play should be open to interpretation by the cast as a whole and that the direction should be discovered through preforming the play in practice sessions.
[Now to the actual Task]
The system would (support an actor)since its primarily focused on the actor understanding the psychology of the character and only through understanding the character can you play them to the fullest extent. (this is not an oxymoron of my previous statement.
As opposed to the idea of units and objectives, I believe we should instead preform the exercises whilst focusing on Imagination, Adaptation and perhaps Emotion memory.
(I used http://homepage.smc.edu/sawoski_perviz/Stanislavski.pdf to help remind myself of his "system"
I believe relaxation would be the most beneficial to actor. It is a gate to becoming a role and to thinking about there moments also the speech. If you were wound up and angry for example this would not work to the greatest extent.
ReplyDeleteOf course relaxation can not help you become a character by itself however it must be combined with other elements of the system. Emotion memory for example; how can you think about past experiences in a agitated state.
To focus more on relaxation you would have to be isolated, truly apart from the world and this is near impossible since we all have worries that play on our mind. However it would help greatly as you could dive deeper into the characters mind.
i think that emotion memory would be the most benefical to any actor or actress. As if you take on a character or most roles they need you to recall on past life expirence to act the part at a better standard.
ReplyDeleteemtion memory can help in so many ways to understand the phycology of a character because the certian situation that you have to act out amd woith emption mempry ypu can recall on how ypu felt in that situation to preform that scene better (hope that makes sense:/)
to get a greater understanding of the character i would sit in a corner in a low lighted room and make sure i was relaxed and have a think of how i would feel in those situation which then leads on to magic if questions that you ask yourself to create a deep understandong of that character
(sorry if it dont make sense i did thios task when i wasent well at all sorry guys)