Knight Theatre’s Secrets to Telling a Great Story

*Your audience must go on a journey with your character, and providing the inspiration for that journey is your responsibility!

*It’s a common belief that once you have the script, you (the actor) must simply memorize it and then perform it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. To be an effective interpreter of literature, you must do the ‘brain work’ before even beginning the rehearsal process.

*There are three components involved in creating a memorable performance:

1. The Text – the script – this is the vehicle for you to work with2. The Character – the person/people you portray – this is the engine3. The Self – the performer – YOU are the fuel of the performance

None of these work independently; each must have the others in order to be successful on the stage!

Breaking it down:

PART 1 – THE TEXT

A) Dramatic Structure – diagram up on the board

a. Exposition – background information; the establishment of character (who, what, where…)

b. Inciting Incident – the event that sets the plot into motion

c. Rising Action – the conflict (internal/external) that pushes plot along

d. Climax – key turning point; things get better or worse (comedy vs. drama)

e. Falling Action – conflict/events unravel for character

f. Resolution – conflict comes to a conclusion/endingg. Denouement – sense of hope/demise is revealed; degree depends on script

B) Units of Actiona. Theme – the overall message of the play, determined by the playwright and

the director of the playb. Super-Objective – determined by the director and the cast/crew; the

OVERALL goal of a cast/crew for performing this piecec. Objective – determined by the director and the performing artist; a specific

goal of a character within a scenei. For example, in a dramatic piece, the character’s overall goal is to:

1. Be heard; Be validated; Be absolved; can be more than one

d. Events – major changes in thought, action, or situationi. Each event should have a beginning, middle, and end

ii. Strong events and strong choices create strong performancesiii. Events change because of entrances, exits, time, places, thoughts

change the environment of that timee. Obstacles – whatever stops you from getting what you want; can be caused

by internal or external conflictsf. Tactics – how a character overcomes the obstacles; this changes the verb

(goal) and must be actable. Interesting tactics create levels and a more varied journey as a character fights for the goal.

g. Stakes – why this is important to the character; the higher the betterC) Scoring Your Text – Much like the tempo/volume marks in a piece of music

guide the musician, you must score your script so that it is performed with thought and charisma, and not on autopilot.

a. Punctuationi. Comma – breath, small change

ii. Period – pause, definite change of thoughtiii. Ellipsis – shows a character is unsureiv. Dash – what follows is important or uncertainv. Colon – a list; nothing is of same importance (show this vocally)

vi. Series of Commas – another list; nothing of same importance here either (show this vocally)

vii. Exclamation – anger, excitement, emotional outburstviii. Question Mark – unknown; take your tone up

b. Line Lengthi. Provides clues about the character’s personality, mindset, and where

that character is at emotionallyii. Long monologue without breaks indicates nervousness, a need to be

heard, or working through their train-of-thoughtiii. Short lines convey a buildup of tension or impending emotional

outbursts (One word answer probably indicates a climax); tempo during short lines should also speed up

c. Delivery Marksi. Pause - /

ii. Change of Thought - // iii. Change of Event - ///iv. Louder or Faster - <v. Softer or Slower - >

D) Operative Word – This is the word in a sentence that provides the impetus (“Trigger Word”) for the words that follow. The trigger word usually is what the following sentence is about. The Operative can be a Phrase, too. Knowing how to locate these can change a performance from adequate to excellent. It puts you in control of your script vs. you being controlled by the script.

a. Highlight of a Sentence vs. Shadow of a Sentencei. Just like old-age makeup: something to draw the audience’s attention

to, and something to provide much-needed supportb. Pause slightly before/after to give it emphasisc. Changing the tone provides emotional impact

i. Doesn’t always have to be louder/faster to be stronger

d. You choose the interpretation and meaning – make a choice!E) Literary Devices (of special importance in bringing words to life!)

a. Sound Devices:i. Alliteration – the repetition of a particular sound in the stressed

syllables of a series of words or phrasesii. Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal

rhyming within phrases or sentencesiii. Onomatopoeia – a word that imitates or suggests the source of the

sound that it describesb. Figurative Devices:

i. Metaphors – compares two unrelated objects to being similarii. Similes – a figure of speech that is a comparison usually using “like”

or “as”iii. Personification – placing human-like qualities to an inhuman object

PART 2 – THE CHARACTERA) Circle of Focus – Whom your character is talking to – you must know and

show this at all times. Possibilities:a. Another characterb. The audiencec. Self

B) Character Analysis – it’s important to do some sort of analysis activity so that you can make decisions about how your character would/does respond.

a. Answer the following questions:i. When does my character live: past, present, or future?

ii. Where does my character live?iii. What is the socioeconomic background of my character?iv. Who lives with my character and what are their relationships?v. Who else heavily influences my character?

vi. What is my character’s biggest goal within the play?vii. How does my character’s motivation change within the play?

viii. What are the different emotions that are affecting my character?ix. Does my character have any mental or emotional difficulties,

illnesses, or tics?x. What kind of self-esteem does my character have?

xi. What props or scenic elements does my character relate to within the play?

xii. What emotion should the audience feel toward my character?xiii. In the beginning of the play, what do we discover about my

character?xiv. In the middle of the play, how does my character grow and change?xv. At the end of the play, what will happen to my character?

xvi. What is the most important element to my character: family, love, or career?

xvii. Is my character manipulating anyone, or being manipulated by anyone?

xviii. Who is my character hiding from? What is my character hiding from?

xix. What is my character’s greatest fear? Greatest accomplishment?xx. Does my character achieve their wants/desires by the end of the

play? How does this affect them?

xxi. What person or fictional character does my character most remind me of?

xxii. If I met my character, how would I react to them? Honestly…C) The Guideposts – 10 of the 12 from “Audition” by Michael Shurtleff)

a. Relationships – with others, self, audience. You must figure out the facts and then determine the emotion

b. Conflict – what are you fighting for? Make active choices that engage the audience and push the story along with my intensity

c. The Moment Before – this provides the energy for the scene. You must decide what happened just before your scene begins. Play this scene in your head as you are waiting for your performance during the round

d. Humor – needed to keep the audience going. Even the most serious, dramatic performances must have moments of lightness that are real and believable

e. Opposites – work to play against the expected emotional reactions. This will keep the audience on their toes. “Consistency is the heart of dull acting.”

f. Discovery – even though you, the actor, know what happens next, the events must be new to the character. Don’t play the end of the story at the beginning

g. Communication and Competition – you must use varying tactics to get what you want. Decide who has the power. Show us vs. Tell us. Acting is reacting!

h. Importance – each event in the storyline of a script is important. There is a reason it is in the script. Don’t flat-line a performance – give us many peaks and valleys

i. Finding Events – as an actor, you must choose events and bring them to life for the audience. The more changes a character experiences, the more alive the performance is

j. Place – as an actor without set or props, you must create the space in which your character lives or finds themselves a part of. Visualize, visualize, visualize! You must see and use the objects you are given (or are not given) effectively so that the audience believes all acts of performing

D) Comedy vs. Dramaa. Both must be grounded in reality!b. Dramatic is not traumatic, and comedy is not ridiculous.

i. Dramatic pieces usually revolve around the Stages of Grief:1. Denial and Isolation – at first, we tend to deny the loss has

taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts

2. Anger – the grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if they are dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it

3. Bargaining – Now the grieving person may make bargains with their higher power, asking, “If I do this, will you take

away the loss?” This often is accompanied by many “what ifs…”

4. Depression – the person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath

5. Acceptance – this is when the anger, sadness, and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss

a. MOST PEOPLE DO NOT GO THROUGH THESE STAGES IN THE EXACT ORDER LISTED ABOVE. IT IS ALSO NOT UNCOMMON FOR PEOPLE TO FAIL TO REACH THE FINAL LEVEL OF ACCEPTANCE

ii. Comedic pieces usually involve varying levels of comedy. Sometimes they are written entirely in one style; however, it is more common that they will include aspects of all three of the following levels:

1. High – intellectual, subtle (Shakespeare, Seinfeld)2. Middle – character-or situation-driven (The Office, Glee)3. Low – base, raunchy (Borat, The Hangover)

PART 3 – THE SELF

*Every performance should be mentally and physically draining for you, but appear effortless to the audience.

A) Physical – complete control, maximum impacta. Controlling gesture – a common physical habit that all characters useb. Muscle Memory – actions must become engrained in the brainc. Body Parts – used to indicate character and show personality

i. i.e. Where do you lead from?d. Stage Business – look for clues from text to add actionse. Blocking Options – give us different looks in your staging

i. Flat front, Quarter in, Quarter out, Profile, Back, etc.B) Vocal

a. Pacing/Tempob. Tone/Emotionc. Volume/Projectiond. Articulation/Enunciatione. Pauses – never be afraid of silence; could be one of your most powerful tools

as a performerf. Operative Wordsg. Dialect