Information
Acting is defined by the dictionary "the art or occupation of performing in plays, movies, or television productions." However, this is a very poor definition of "acting". When I think of acting, I think of taking on a role much like we take on roles everyday. You as a person will take on the role of "student". You will also take on other roles of "friend", "worker", and "son" or "daughter". You are the same person but you act differently (even though it may be slightly different) in each of those roles. I act different at my job than I do when I am out with my friends.What actors are able to do is apply themselves to a role that is given to them by a playwright. They have to identify who the character is in the role and imagine themselves within that role. In order to do this one of the first things an actor does with a character is to identify the character's motivation. For example, in my role as a teacher, I have certain objectives, while in the role of friend I have different objectives. In the same way, characters in a play have an objective.
This objectives (or objectives) become the motivation for an actor to put themselves within that role. It will drive the actions of the actor within the role of that character.
Dramatic tension is then created by a character having a set of objectives, but either circumstances or other characters (or both circumstances and other characters) become barriers to accomplishing those objectives. For example, in Hamlet, young Hamlet has an objective to find out if his uncle killed his father. However, he can't just come out and accuse his uncle. If he did, without any evidence, he would dismissed and branded a traitor of suggesting such a horrible crime of the current king. So, another objective he has is to stay alive and find out the truth. Other characters and the circumstances of not having evidence become barriers to both of those objectives of finding out the truth and staying alive.
Action
Exercise A: StretchInstructions: Stand on the right foot: reach as high as you can with your left hand. Reverse: stand on your left foot and reach with your right hand.
Exercise B: Precious Jewel
Instructions: Imagine that there is a jewel hanging just above your head. Reach for it stretching as much as possible.
Exercise C: Stomach Issues
Instructions: Imagine the same jewel is hanging just above your head. This time as you reach for it, you become more sick and you are fearful of losing control of your bowels. The more excited you get at reaching for the jewel, the more fearful you become that you will publicly embarrass yourself.
Exercise D: Liar, Liar
Instructions: Break into partners. Get a set of images and divide them between the partners. One partner looks at the image without letting the other seeing. Then, describes the image to the partner. Now the description can be accurate or it can be a lie. The partner needs to decide if the description is the truth or a lie.
