Acting Onstage and Off

by Barton, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780534637088
• ISBN10: 0534637086
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-28
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Preface: Acting to Understand. Using this Text. Using this Edition. 1. Acting Acknowledged. 2. Relaxed Readiness: Calm Enough, Yet Energized Enough to Do Your Best. 3. Individual Inventory: Knowing Enough About Yourself to Use Everything You Have. 4. Stanislavski's System: A Complete Process for Characterization. 5. Stanislavski Stretched: The System Twisted and Expanded. 6. Truth/Technique: Balancing Spontaneity with Consistency. 7. Scene Study: Finding Character through Script. 8. Performance Process: What to Expect from First Audition through Closing Night. 9. Acting Anticipated: Setting Goals for Growth and Satisfaction. Appendix A: My Acting History. Appendix B: Acting Observed. Appendix C: Physical Life Observation. Appendix D: Vocal Life Observation. Appendix E: Open Scene Scenarios. Appendix F: Open Scene Score. Appendix G: Stanislavski Observation. Appendix H: Script Analysis. Appendix I: Character Analysis. Appendix J: Audition Observation. Appendix K: Sample Scene: The Rehearsal.

Table of Contents

Preface	xix
Acting to Understand	xix
Using This Text	xx
Adaptations	xxi
This New Edition	xxii
Acknowledgments	xxiii
Acting Acknowledged	1	(38)
Already an experienced actor and almost always acting
All the World's a Stage	2	(12)
The Seven Ages	3	(5)
Seven Acts	8	(6)
Observing Yourself Act	14	(10)
Active Ingredients	15	(4)
Actor Guidelines	19	(1)
Alternatives	20	(4)
Why Study Acting?	24
A Richer Life	25	(1)
Actors versus Others	26	(2)
Offstage Action	28	(8)
OK, Wait a Minute...?	36	(1)
Already an Actor	37
Exercises
Imitating Ages	6	(1)
Ages Experienced, Ages Observed	7	(5)
Striking/Successful Acting	12	(1)
My Best Offstage Performance Ever	12	(1)
Dueling Performances	13	(1)
Scripting and Improvising	13	(1)
Shared Pasts	14	(3)
Playing Objectives	17	(1)
Real Life	17	(1)
Objectives on the Clock	18	(2)
Text versus Subtext	20	(2)
Get the Dollar	22	(1)
Changing Tactics	23	(1)
Observing Alternatives	23	(1)
Observing and Identifying	23	(1)
Observing Class	23	(1)
Observing Offstage Acting	23	(1)
Observing Onstage Acting	24	(13)
Offstage Action Acknowledged	37	(2)
Relaxed Readiness	39	(34)
Calm enough, yet energized enough to do your best
Warming Up	39	(1)
Balancing Opposing States	40	(1)
Mental Warm-Ups	40	(4)
Class Commitment	42	(1)
Stage Fright Substitutes	43	(1)
Accepting the Audience	43	(1)
Group Warm-Ups	44	(6)
Sharing Now	44	(3)
Too Much, Too Soon?	47	(1)
Names	48	(1)
Exercise Adaptations	48	(2)
Physical Warm-Ups	50	(14)
Narrowing Your Circle	51	(1)
Meditation	51	(1)
Tensing/Releasing	52	(1)
Alignment	53	(2)
Shaking	55	(1)
Stretching	55	(3)
Breathing	58	(1)
Aerobics	59	(4)
Changing Images	63	(1)
Vocal Warm-Ups	64	(6)
Releasing	64	(1)
Breathing	65	(1)
Rooting Sound	66	(1)
Shaping Sound	67	(1)
Precision	68	(1)
Vocal Progression	69	(1)
When and Where to Warm Up	70
Offstage Adaptations	71
Exercises
Dumping the Demons	41	(4)
Shared Opinions	45	(1)
Shared Performances	46	(2)
Shared Viewing	48	(1)
Name Trunk	48	(1)
Partner Greetings	49	(1)
Group Greetings	49	(1)
Circle Jumps	49	(1)
Group Breath and Sound	50	(1)
Everybody's Esprit	50	(1)
Here and Now, Part I	51	(1)
The Prune	52	(2)
The Accordion	54	(1)
The Puppet	54	(1)
Rag Doll	55	(1)
Head Rolls	56	(1)
The Sun	56	(3)
Lung Vacuum	59	(1)
The Blender	60	(2)
The Journey	62	(1)
Anything Aerobic	62	(1)
Here and Now, Part II	63	(1)
Letting Go	64	(1)
Respirating	65	(1)
Sounding	66	(1)
Isolations	67	(1)
Lip Reading	68	(1)
Twisters	69	(2)
Offstage Action: Readiness	71	(1)
Warm-Ups in Real Life	72	(1)
Nadi Shodhana	72	(1)
Individual Inventory	73	(37)
Knowing enough about yourself to use everything you have
Taking Stock	73	(1)
Knowing Your Instrument	74	(1)
Body Awareness	74	(17)
Habits	75	(1)
Adaptations	75	(1)
Cultural Binding	76	(4)
I Am What I Am	80	(2)
Imitation for Double Awareness	82	(1)
Physical Life Project	83	(7)
Imitation Payoffs	90	(1)
Applying Body Awareness	91	(1)
Vocal Awareness	91	(10)
Quality	92	(1)
Tempo/Rhythm	92	(1)
Articulation	92	(1)
Pronunciation	92	(1)
Pitch	93	(1)
Volume	93	(1)
Word Choice	93	(1)
Nonverbals	93	(1)
Influences	93	(7)
Vocal Life Project	100	(1)
Applying Vocal Awareness	101	(1)
Personal Awareness	101
Bringing Yourself Onstage	104	(1)
Acting Journal	105	(4)
Choosing for Yourself	109
Exercises
Habits	76	(3)
Adaptations	79	(1)
Cultural Binding	79	(3)
Using the Body List	82	(1)
Self-Imitation	83	(5)
Imitation Sequence	88	(1)
Alternative Imitations	89	(1)
Celebrity Imitation	89	(5)
Basic Parts of a Vocal Life	94	(2)
Using the Vocal Awareness Checklist	96	(1)
Resonators	97	(1)
Classic Voices	97	(1)
Around Town	98	(1)
Mosts and Leasts	98	(1)
Do the Teacher	98	(1)
Famous Voices	99	(1)
Voiceovers	99	(1)
Solo Vocal Imitation	100	(1)
Partner Vocal Imitation	100	(2)
Your Past	102	(1)
Your Present	103	(1)
Your Future	103	(2)
Keeping a Journal	105	(3)
Offstage Action: Inventory	108	(2)
Stanislavski's System	110	(36)
A complete process for characterization
Myth and Reality	111	(9)
The Method	111	(1)
Who Was Stanislavski?	112	(1)
Basic Ingredients	113	(1)
The Legacy	113	(2)
Most Misunderstood	115	(3)
Empathy	118	(2)
Ten System Steps	120	(14)
Step 1: Given Circumstances	121	(1)
Step 2: The Magic If	122	(1)
Step 3: Super Objective	123	(1)
Step 4: Through-Line of Actions	124	(2)
Step 5: Scoring the Role	126	(2)
Step 6: Endowment	128	(1)
Step 7: Recall	129	(2)
Step 8: Images	131	(1)
Step 9: External Adjustments	132	(1)
Step 10: The Creative Mood	133	(1)
Open Scenes	134
Closing Scenes	135	(1)
Open Interpretations	136	(7)
Open Scene Presentations	143
Exercises
Comprehending	118	(3)
Other's Givens	121	(1)
Planting	122	(1)
Class Ifs	122	(1)
Hierarchies	123	(1)
Class Objectives	124	(2)
Tiny Triumphs	126	(1)
Triumphant Entries	126	(2)
Adding Consequence	128	(1)
Bringing It Back	129	(1)
Release Album	130	(1)
Total Recall	130	(2)
Imaging	132	(1)
Time Games	133	(1)
Open Dialogue	134	(6)
Motivation Units	140	(1)
Open Scene Project	141	(2)
Upping Objectives	143	(3)
Stanislavski Stretched	146	(35)
The system twisted and expanded
Beyond Stanislavski	146	(1)
Stanislavski in Russia: Three Artistic ``Sons''	147	(8)
Evgeni (Eugene) Vakhtangov (1883--1922)	147	(2)
Vsevolod Meyerhold (1874--1940)	149	(3)
Michael Chekhov (1891--1955)	152	(3)
Stanislavski in the USA: Three American Adapters	155	(9)
Lee Strasberg (1901--1982)	155	(3)
Stella Adler (1901--1992)	158	(2)
Sanford Meisner (1905--1997)	160	(3)
Summary	163	(1)
Postmodern Stanislavski	164	(5)
Playing with Dials	164	(3)
Stanislavski Bozos	167	(2)
Stanislavski Extended	169
Private Audience	169	(1)
Grouping	170	(1)
Substitution	171	(1)
Conditioning Forces	172	(2)
Rehearsed Futures	174	(1)
Suppression	175	(1)
Working with a Partner	176
Exercises
Outer Before Inner	148	(2)
The Stick	150	(1)
Throwing the Ball	151	(2)
The PG	153	(1)
The Castle	154	(3)
Personal Object	157	(2)
Living with Pain	159	(1)
Your Own Words	160	(2)
Repetition	162	(1)
One-Two-Three	162	(8)
Naming Members	170	(1)
Group Bias	171	(2)
Adding Conditions	173	(1)
Crazy Car Conditions	174	(1)
Open Futures	175	(1)
Playing Against	176	(1)
Observing the System Plus	176	(2)
Partner Sharing	178	(1)
Offstage Action: Stretching	179	(1)
Pulling It All Together	180	(1)
Truth/Technique	181	(54)
Balancing spontaneity with consistency
Which Way?	181	(3)
As True as Possible	182	(1)
A Marriage of Necessity	183	(1)
Body Maneuvers	184	(11)
The Acting Space	184	(2)
Acting Areas	186	(2)
Stage Movement	188	(2)
Movement as Technique	190	(4)
Onstage/Offstage Comparisons	194	(1)
Voice Maneuvers	195	(5)
Vocal Directions	196	(1)
Vocal Technique	197	(3)
Onscreen Versus Onstage	200	(9)
Repetition	200	(2)
Size	202	(1)
Scrutiny	202	(2)
Feedback	204	(1)
Control	205	(1)
Cheating	205	(1)
Silver Screen versus Tube	206	(1)
Film Terms	207	(1)
To Study More	208	(1)
Scale	209	(11)
Style of Show	210	(1)
Size of Character	211	(1)
Type of Space	212	(1)
Size of Shot	212	(2)
What Happens?	214	(2)
Adjusting	216	(1)
Reactions	216	(1)
Offstage Scale	217	(3)
Improvisation and Freedom	220	(14)
Improv Ground Rules	220	(2)
Basic Awareness Improvs	222	(9)
Just for Fun	231	(3)
Blending and Balancing	234
Exercises
Using the Map	188	(1)
Maneuvering	189	(1)
Living Pictures	190	(2)
Offstage Pictures	192	(1)
Adding Motion	192	(2)
Exchanges	194	(1)
Contrast	194	(3)
Vocal Changes	197	(1)
Adding Repertoire	198	(1)
T-Shirt Philosophy	198	(1)
Old T-Shirts	199	(19)
Scale Observation	218	(1)
Over the Top and Bottoming Out	218	(1)
Who's the Biggest? Who's Smallest?	218	(1)
Changing Spaces	219	(1)
Camera, Action	219	(1)
If Our Scene Were on Film	219	(3)
Being and Doing	222	(1)
Changing	222	(1)
Spectator Sport	223	(1)
Sounds of Music	223	(1)
Senses Alive	224	(1)
Weather Watch	224	(1)
Five Alive	224	(1)
Where Are We?	224	(1)
Helping Out	225	(1)
Building	225	(1)
Changing	225	(1)
Who Am I?	226	(1)
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry	226	(1)
Preoccupation	226	(1)
I've Got a Secret	226	(1)
Drawing and Drawing	227	(1)
Slow Motion Tag	227	(1)
Passing Sounds and Moves	227	(1)
Coming and Going	228	(1)
Help Me	228	(1)
Translating	228	(1)
Selling	228	(1)
Interplay	229	(1)
Three P's	229	(1)
Audience Coaches	229	(1)
Audience Handicaps	229	(1)
Play Ball	230	(1)
Passing Objects	230	(1)
Passing Masks	230	(1)
Magic Clothes	230	(1)
On and Off	231	(1)
What Are You Doing?	231	(1)
Boss Is Gonna Freak!	232	(1)
Freeze Tag	232	(1)
New Choice	232	(1)
Changing	232	(1)
Party Quirks	233	(1)
Countdown	233	(1)
Rhymes	233	(1)
World's Worst	233	(1)
Only Questions	234	(1)
Scene Study	235	(36)
Finding character through script
Scene Selection	236	(9)
Scene Suggestions	237	(8)
Script Analysis	245	(3)
Cutting the Scene	248	(1)
Character Analysis	249	(7)
The Three ``I''s: Investigation, Inference, Invention	250	(2)
Abstracting	252	(4)
Staging	256	(1)
Script Awareness Improvs	257	(4)
Characters Offstage	257	(2)
Characters Onstage	259	(1)
Keys	260	(1)
Shaking Up The Scene	261
Character Explorations	262	(6)
Character Confidence	268
Exercises
Scene Project	236	(11)
Analyzing the Script	247	(1)
Fitting into the World	248	(1)
Edit Three Minutes	249	(2)
Character Past	251	(1)
Character Present	251	(1)
Character Future	252	(1)
Character Abstracts	253	(1)
Character's Autobiography	254	(1)
Analysis into System	255	(1)
Warming In	255	(2)
First Meeting of the Characters	257	(1)
Crucial Offstage Event	258	(1)
Character Wake-Up	258	(1)
Typical Time	258	(1)
Character Interview	258	(1)
Character Encounters	259	(1)
Scoreboard	259	(1)
Unrelated Activity	259	(1)
Stop Partner from Leaving	259	(1)
Talking Beats	260	(1)
Key Searching	261	(1)
Spoken Silent Script	262	(1)
Shadowing	262	(1)
Isolating	263	(1)
Role Reversal	263	(1)
Passing	264	(1)
Animal Abstractions	264	(1)
Contact	265	(1)
Gibbalogue	265	(1)
Handicaps	265	(1)
Counterpoint	266	(1)
Layering	266	(1)
Rally Squad	267	(1)
Speed-Through	267	(1)
Character Hot Seat	268	(1)
Comparisons	268	(1)
Character Encounter, Part II: The Sequel	269	(1)
Meet Another Character	269	(1)
Offstage Action: Analysis	270	(1)
Performance Process	271	(24)
What to expect from first audition through closing night
Acting Etiquette	272	(10)
Taking Time	272	(2)
Auditions	274	(3)
Rehearsal	277	(4)
After Opening	281	(1)
Adaptations	282	(9)
Adapting Show Process to Class Process	282	(1)
Schedules and Objectives	283	(1)
Memorizing	284	(1)
Working with a Teacher, Coach, or Director	285	(1)
Working Without a Director	286	(1)
Working with a Non-Director	287	(1)
Working with Untrained Observers	287	(3)
Criticism: Give and Take	290	(1)
Process Versus Product	291	(2)
Kiss the Line Good-Bye	292	(1)
Offstage Performance Process	293
Exercises
Stage Shorthand	280	(2)
War Stories	282	(1)
Setting a Schedule	283	(5)
What You See	288	(1)
A Little Help from My Friends	289	(3)
Offstage Action: Process	292	(3)
Acting Anticipated	295	(76)
Setting goals for growth and satisfaction
Looking to the Future	295	(3)
Is the Art for You? Are You for It?	296	(1)
Training Objectives	297	(1)
New Directions	298	(22)
Alba Emoting	299	(4)
Augusto Boal	303	(3)
Anne Bogart	306	(5)
Neuro-Linguistic Programming	311	(3)
Acting Somatics	314	(3)
Tadashi Suzuki	317	(2)
Summary	319	(1)
Production-Proof Actors	320	(1)
Post-Audition Mortem	320	(11)
Constant Reminders	323	(3)
General Casting	326	(5)
Post-Application Mortem	331	(4)
Interviews	332	(3)
Personal Objectives	335	(7)
Choosing Partners and Playmates	335	(1)
Using Theatre in Your Life	336	(1)
Casting Yourself	337	(5)
Living Fully: Onstage and Off	342
Exercises
Stepping Out	300	(1)
Archetypal Action I	300	(1)
Archetypal Action II	301	(4)
Real to Ideal	305	(1)
Forum Fundamentals	306	(2)
Exploring Space	308	(1)
Points of View	308	(1)
Closing and Opening the Open Scene	309	(1)
Viewpoint Event	310	(3)
What's My Mode?	313	(1)
Pure Modes	314	(1)
Switching Modes	314	(2)
Feel, Fuse, and Follow: Touch	316	(2)
A New Way of Walking	318	(10)
Audition Observation	328	(3)
Choices	331	(1)
Offstage Auditions	332	(9)
Offstage Action: Anticipation	341	(2)
APPENDIXES
Appendix A My Acting History	343	(2)
Appendix B Acting Observation	345	(2)
Appendix C Physical Life Observation	347	(2)
Appendix D Vocal Life Observation	349	(2)
Appendix E Open Scene Scenarios	351	(2)
Appendix F Open Scene Score	353	(3)
Appendix G Stanislavski Observation	356	(2)
Appendix H Script Analysis	358	(2)
Appendix I Character Analysis	360	(5)
Appendix J Audition Observation	365	(2)
Appendix K Sample Scene: The Rehearsal	367	(4)
Index	371