Acting

What is Acting?

Acting is the work of an actor or Actress , a person in theatre, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. From the Latin word agĕre meaning "to do", this is precisely what acting is. In acting, an actor suppresses or augments aspects of their personality in order to reveal the actions and motivations of the character for particular moments in time. The actor is said to be "assuming the role" of another, usually for the benefit of an audience, but also because it can bring one a sense of artistic satisfaction. Actors are generally expected to possess a number of skills, including good vocal projection, clarity of speech, physical expressiveness, a good sense of perspective, emotional availability, a well developed imagination, the ability to analyze and understand dramatic text, and the ability to emulate or generate emotional and physical conditions. Well-rounded actors are often also skilled in singing, dancing, emotional expressiveness, imitating dialects and accents, improvisation, observation and emulation, mime, stage combat, and performing classical texts such as Shakespeare. Many actors train at length in special programs or colleges to develop these skills, which have a wide range of different artistic philosophies and processes. Modern pioneers in the area of acting have included Mani Madhava Chakyar, Konstantin Stanislavski, Jerzy Grotowski, Lee Strasberg, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Michael Chekhov, Viola Spolin, Sanford Meisner, Bertolt Brecht, and Maria Ouspenskaya.

What is Method Acting ?

Method acting is thought of as an American form of acting, but it was a Russian theatre director named Konstantin Stanislavski who wrote books on the subject in the 1930s. Around the same time, one of Stanislavski’s students, Richard Boleslawsky, opened an acting school in New York. Boleslawsky began teaching Stanislavski’s basic principles of acting.

In the 1940s and 50s, method acting was popularized and taught at the legendary Actors' Studio in New York City by famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Another school in New York, called the Actors' Group, also taught the method under the coaching of Stella Adler. Acting students came from far and wide to learn this new technique.

Popularity of the Method grew with the work of actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean. Their style of acting, or non-acting, was considered a breakthrough in the acting world. Compared to old style actors such as Clark Gable, theirs was an acting of previously unseen raw emotion and sensitivity. Other famous actors who have studied the Method are Al Pacino, Paul Newman and Robert DeNiro.

Method acting is thought to one of the most difficult techniques to learn. There are no technical forms or lessons that can be practiced to learn it. There are numerous versions of the Method, taught by different teachers. Most of the techniques are based on the sense or emotional memory process. The actors have to fully immerse themselves in the character in order to sense all of the experiences the character would.

Stella Adler, who taught method acting to both Marlon Brando and Robert DeNiro, studied method acting with Stanislavski. Her teaching methods involved using memories or an incident from the actor’s own life to enhance his or her acting. By doing this, actors can use real emotions in portraying their characters.

Although method acting is thought to be the most realistic of techniques it can sometimes present a minor irritation to other actors. Dustin Hoffman once went without bathing and sleeping for two days in order to immerse himself in a role. On seeing Hoffman’s condition, Laurence Olivier his co-star in the film, famously asked him, "Why don’t you just act?"