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Great Acting Teachers
Resource: Marcus and Marcus. Theater As Life, 2011.
Constantin Stanislavski
Life• 1863 – 1938, Moscow,
Russia• Actor, singer, performer
since age 6• Raised by aristocratic
theater family• Founded Moscow Art
Theater (1898)• Created First Studio
(1912)
Theory• Developed “System” of
actor preparation to create realistic characters• Given Circumstances• Public Solitude• Subtext• Communion• Emotion Memory• Physical Action
• Illusion of the first time
“Love Art in Yourselves, Not Yourselves in Art.”
Richard BolaslavskiLife
• 1889 - 1937, Poland• Studied under Stanislavski
at the First Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre.
• Served with Russian military during WWI.
• Founder of American Laboratory Theatre (1923)
• Acting: The First Six Lessons (1933)
Theory• Dialectic of Artistic Truth
• Concentration• Memory of Emotion• Dramatic Action• Characterization• Observation• Rhythm
“To imitate is wrong. To create is right.”
Michael Chekhov
Life• 1891 – 1955, Russia• Original member of the
Moscow Art Theatre’s First Studio
• Fled Russia in 1928• Chekhov Theatre Studio
(1938)• Hollywood acting coach
(1942)• On the Technique of Acting
(1912)• To the Actor (1953)
Theory• Psycho-physical approach
to acting:• Creative Individuality• Psychological Gesture• Visualization
• The body is a sensitive instrument to express ideas and emotions.
• Actors should be “experts” of theater, understanding production elements, music, and writing.
“An actor has a thousand eyes”
Bertolt BrechtLife
• 1898 – 1956, Germany• The Modern Theater is the
Epic Theater(1930)• Fled Nazi Germany (1933)• Screenwriter in Hollywood
(1943)• Founder of the Berliner
Ensemble (1949)
Theory• Sought to bring about social
change by challenging audiences’ conventions and norms• Dialectic Materialism• Epic Theater• The V-effect• Gestus or gest
• Actors were expected to be educated, politically informed, observers of the external world
Pair Work Exercise“The actor’s job is to give a reading of a character
rather than become it.”
Lee StrasbergLife
• 1901 – 1982, Austrian born, immigrant to New York
• Co-founder The Group Theatre (1931)
• Artistic Director of The Actors Studio (1951)
• A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method (1988)
Theory• Created a “Method” of
acting, based on the work of Stanislavski• Relaxation• Improvisation• Concentration• Affective memory• Justification• Substitution
• Used the actor’s past experiences and emotions to create believable characters
“Talent alone isn't enough. What makes for greatness in the actor?
Greatness needs that extra effort, which is commitment.”
Stella Adler
Life• 1901 – 1992, New York• Actress of vaudeville,
stage, and screen• Member of American
Laboratory Theater (1925)• Founding member of The
Group Theater (1951)• Stella Adler Acting Studio
(1949)• The Technique of Acting
(1988)
Theory• Technique based on
humanist approach of service to others • Circumstances• Imagination• Action• Justification• Characterization
• Acting requires great vulnerability and the elimination of human barriers
Adler vs. Strasberg“Your talent is in your choice.”
Sanford Meisner
Life• 1905 – 1997• Founding member of The
Group Theater (1951)• Director of New Talent
Division, 20th Century Fox (1958)
• Head of the Drama Department at NYC’s Neighborhood Playhouse (1964 – 1990)
• Sanford Meisner on Acting (1987)
Theory• “Meisner Technique”
focuses on instinct, “inner impulses” and simplicity• Being in the Moment• Reality of Doing• Word Repetition Game• Living truthfully under
imaginary circumstances• Preparation
“An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.”
Bobby LewisLife
• 1909 – 1997, New York• Founding member of The
Group Theatre (1931)• Co-Founder, Actors Studio
(1947)• Robert Lewis Theater
Workshop (1952)• Advice to the Players
(1980)• Head of the Yale School of
Drama Acting and Directing Departments
Theory• “Total Acting” incorporates
Stanislavski, Boleslavski and Michael Chekhov• Inner Action• Intention• Sensory Perception
“To help bridge the gap from the classroom to the stage,
it’s a good idea to perform.”
Viola Spolin
Life• 1906 – 1994, Chicago, IL• Drama Supervisor for the
Chicago branch of the WPA’s Recreational Project (1939-1941)
• Founded the Young Actors Company in Hollywood, CA (1946)
• Workshop Director for Second City Company (1960 – 1965)
• Improvisation for the Theater(1963)
Theory• “Theater Games” system of
actor training:• Cultivate playfulness • Develop interpersonal trust• Increase spontaneity• Creativity• Organic response• Physicalization
Single File Activity
“Everyone can act. Everyone can improvise…"Talent" or "lack of talent" have very little to do with it."
Uta HagenLife
• 1919 – 2004, German-born• Immigrated to Madison, WI
(1924)• Three-time Tony Award
Winner• Cofounder of Herbert
Berghof Studio in New York City
• Respect for Acting (1973)• A Challenge for the Actor
(1991)
Theory• Approach advocates
realistic acting• Identification• Immediacy• Endowment• Object Exercises
Video Clip
“We must overcome the notion that we must be regular... it robs you of the chance to be extraordinary
and leads you to the mediocre.”
Michael ShurtleffLife
• 1920 – 2007, Chicago, IL.• Leading Broadway
casting director• Established Casting
Consultants independent casting service(1962)
• Established workshop in Los Angeles (1978)
• Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part (1978)
Theory• The 12 Guideposts:
1. Relationship2. Conflict3. The Moment Before4. Humor5. Opposites6. Discoveries7. Communication and
Competition8. Importance9. Find the Events10.Place11.Game Playing & Role Playing12.Mystery and Secrets
“Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.”
Jerzy Grotowski
Life• 1933 – 1999, Poland• Teatr Laboratorium in
Wroclaw, Poland (1965)• Paratheatrical Phase (1969-
1975)• Theatre of Sources (1976 -
1982)• Objective Drama (1983 -
1986)• Pontedera WorkCenter
established (1986)• Towards a Poor Theatre
(1968)
Theory• “Poor Theatre”
• Simplicity of Production• Communion between actors
and audience• Via Negativa• Organicity• Psychophysical Exercises
Video Clip
“One must give oneself totally…with confidence, as when one gives oneself in love”
Augusto Boal
Life• 1931 – 2009, Brazil• Director of Arena Theatre
in Sao Paulo, Brazil• Exiled to Argentina
(1971)• Theatre of the Oppressed
(1979)
Theory• “Theatre of the Oppressed”
uses theatre to promote social and political change.• Image Theatre• Forum Theatre• Invisible Theatre• Facilitators• Spect-actors
• Uses theatre to establish a dialogue among opposing viewpoints.
“Theatre is the passionate combat of two human beings on a platform.”
Eric Morris
Life• 1931 - • Graduate of
Northwestern University• Currently an acting
coach in Los Angeles• No Acting Please (1977)• Being & Doing (1998)
Theory• “The Eric Morris System”• Involves intense emotional
work that some consider inappropriate to a classroom environment.• Obligations to the Material• Being State• Ultimate Consciousness • Choice Approaches
• Focuses on the actor’s instrument
Video ClipPrezi – Sarah Newstrom
“There is more to learn about acting than being a heart surgeon”
Robert BenedettiLife
• 1939 - ??, Chicago, IL.• Film producer, writer,
teacher, artist• Artistic Director of the Court
Theatre, Chicago, IL• Professor at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas• Artistic Director of the Nevada
Conservatory Theatre• The Actor at Work (1968)• Seeming, being, and
becoming: Acting in our century (1976)
Theory• Focuses on the major skills
required of all actors:• Creativity• Movement• Voice/Speech• Analysis• Characterization
Tadashi Suzuki
Life• 1939 - , Japan• Founder of SCOT, Suzuki
Company of Toga (1976)• Co-founder of SITI,
Saratoga International Theater Institute, Saratoga Springs, NY (1992)
• The Way of Acting (1986)
Theory• Suzuki Actor Training
Method• Stamping• Physicality• Repetition• Sacred Spaces
Video Clip
“The value of my training can be said to begin and end with the feet.”
David MametLife
• 1947 - , Chicago, IL• Pulitzer Prize-winning
playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director
• Co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company, New York City (1985)
• True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor (1997)
Theory• “Practical Aesthetics”
provides principle of the craft, that focuses on commitment to truth, not talent.• Simplicity of Action• Pursuit of an Objective• Compelling Storytelling• Physical Action versus Emotion
• Believed in a deep connection between actor’s personal identity and his effectiveness onstage.
“A life in the theater is a life spent giving things away…
An act of selfless spirit.”
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