Acting
This guide will cover the responsibilities of an actor, whether understanding a script or knowing a character type.
Introduction
What is acting? And what does a beginning actor need to know? This guide will cover the responsibilities of an actor, whether understanding a script or knowing a character type.
Terminology
- Analysis: The process of examining the pieces of the text in order to better understand it.
- Beat: A unit of action within a monologue, scene, or play.
- Blocking: The movement and gestures used in staging.
- Character Actor: A supporting actor who specializes in unusual or eccentric roles.
- Ensemble Character: A role with little to no lines who generally appears within a larger group of similar characters.
- Expectation: The character’s desired outcome that motivates the monologue.
- Featured Character: A small role within the script that has some lines, but could be cut from the show without altering the story.
- Given Circumstances: The information provided by the playwright about the character and situation.
- G.O.T.E.: An acronym for Goal-Obstacle-Tactic-Expectation, developed by Robert Cohen.
- Lead Character:A character that is in most or all of the scenes in a script, whose journey is central to the story; the protagonist.
- Moment Before: The event or idea that prompts the monologue.
- Monologue: A speech given by a character.
- Notation: The notes made on the text, including analysis, beats, and blocking.
- Objective: The desired goal of the character.
- Obstacle: The person or thing standing in the way of a character achieving their objective.
- “Other”: Related to obstacle, the person or thing a character struggles against.
- Scansion: The process of determining the rhythm of a line, usually a line in verse.
- Scene: A segment of action and dialogue between two or more characters within a play.
- Soliloquy: A speech given by a character that reveals inner thoughts only shared with the audience.
- Supporting Character: A character that is in many scenes, and helps or hinders the central protagonist on their journey.
- Tactic: The methods a character uses to achieve their objective, identified as actable verbs.
- “Type”: The criteria of an actor (gender, age, physical appearance, personality traits) that can determine how an actor is cast into a role.
Context & Analysis
Acting is the process of creating a character to tell a story for an audience. In theatre (as well as film and television), actors use many skills and techniques to effectively and believably perform. The challenge--and fun--of acting is creating a full person onstage. The essential principles of acting are the same, whether a performer is in a play or musical.
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