We are aware that the conductor is not really making the music, it is making him -- if he is relaxed, open and

attuned, then the invisible will take possession of him; through him, it will reach us. Peter Brook Stage Directing Theory Actor = Artist: Actor as a Dramatic Expression of Spectator's Sense of Story. We step on stage always from the audience; our transformation from spectator int o actor is dramatic. Coming on stage we leave behind us -- the public. We rememb er our first theatrical existence... Audience is "Given Circumstances" -- it's not only inner and outer situation of my character. Performance "Givens" and I, space, text, public. I and public are united by space (theatre as an aesthetic situation provided by the theatre-build ing). Time, now -- and text (role) brings the separation (and indentification at the same time). Even with no language I position myself outside of my own experience (rehearsals , repetitions create non-real experience). I am Many, I have to have more than one out there. Without "them" I don't have " timed space" to react to... Audience: Birth of Actor... Stanislavsky: In spite of my great admiration for individual splendid talents I d o not accept the star system. Collective creative effort is the root of our kind of art. That requires ensemble acting and whoever mars that ensemble is committ ing a crime not only against his comrades but also against the very art of which he is the servant. REHEARSAL * (from Latin hirpex - "large rake used as a harrow". Rehearse means " re-harrow", or to "go over again". It originally meant "to repeat" (mid 14th cen tury). It wasn't until the late 16th century that it came to it's modern meaning .) * A session when actors are called to work through some scenes from the play in private. A TECHNICAL REHEARSAL is the first time when technical elements (lig hting, set etc.) are combined with actors. A DRESS REHEARSAL is a performance of the show as it will be on opening night. "The highest and final aim of every true artist, whatever his particular branch of art, maybe defined as the desire to express himself freely and completely." M ichael Chekhov 'To the Actor' "It seems to me that, in common with many of the other areas of knowledge which have been explored in the twentieth century, it is important to stress that one of the basic emphases in the knowledge about theatre today is the idea that the theatre is essentially a creative art. The fact that it uses the script as a bas ic item should not be interpreted as making it only an interpretive art. An inte rpretive art is an art in which one uses material in the same art to imitate. An d in this sense, we should recognize the theatre as today being a creative art. I would say that the most characteristic part he actor. The theatre can do without scenery; can often do without words. But it cannot do have no actor, you have no theatre. Once you of the theatre is unquestionably t it can do without the director; it without the living actor. When you have an actor, you have theatre.

When you compare the various versions, let s say of a performance of Hamlet, by di fferent actors, you will find that they bear very little relation to the origina l, whatever the original may be. In fact, we hardly know what the original is in

tended to be or is intended to mean. Each time we see an actor in that part we a re really seeing an actor creating a new character. He may get his ideas obvious ly from the author, in the same way that a painter who paints a certain object i n nature is receiving his ideas and impressions from that object, but what he do es is dependent intrinsically on his own creative capacity, on his own imaginati on, on his own understanding, and on his own skill. With every art we argue very much as to which is really creative and which is on ly imitative. On the whole we tend to think that the creative thing, the creativ e approach, the creative method, if you wish, demands a fresh, original and spon taneous experience of whatever it is that is being dealt with. Wherever that exp erience is only derived as an imitation of someone else s experience, it therefore , even when very good, tends only to be skillful, rather than to be creative. Ho wever, on almost any definite given object in any field, there is a wide area of difference of opinion as to what people will call it. We are up against the cer tain difficulty that exists in separating "creative" from "noncreative" in any a rea." Why should an actor not walk on someone else's line? If an actor walks on someone else's line, he will steal that actor's focus. On t he other hand, if the director wants to make sure the audience catches a line, a phrase, or a word, a simple move, gesture, or turn, can be used to catch the au dience's attention. This is one of those quick "rules" a director (or actor) can use to give precision and clarity to a performance. What is the difference between running a scene and working a scene? When a scene is run the director will not interrupt the rehearsal, but will wait to the end of the scene to make his comments, a process known as "giving notes. " When a scene is worked, the director will stop the rehearsal to work on a prob lem. The Actor Paradox: ... the great mystery, the great paradox of theatre. If you have a bad actor, he disappears entirely. ... A bad actor is swamped by his role and so he doesn't r eally know what he's doing... He has become his role. But he has become like a r acing car where the driver turns into the car so there is no longer anyone drivi ng it. ... However, the greater the artist, the truer the actor, what happens is that his p ersonality gives way to his individuality. In other words, the personality - whi ch is a lot of external habits and mannerisms which we all recognize one another by, which we live by - yield to the role. But within the role - and the image I 've used is like a hand within the glove - the true individual is totally consci ous and filling the space, so he doesn't disappear. One can almost say that he a ppears, the more completely he has surrendered to the role. And that is why a tr ue artist reaches this paradox: every fiber of him is invested with the role, an d yet within in it, there is a space of complete freedom in which he is fully in control. The Art of Acting -- Two Levels: ... One of the exercises I like to do with actors is to ask them to hold up thei r hand and clench their fist very, very tightly. And then I say to them, "suppos ing that we take a photograph of that clenched fist, can there be any difference between your fist genuinely clenched because you are angry, or now clenched tig htly as possible because I've asked you to clench it?" And of course you can see that there can be no difference, not only externally, but even internally. A cl enched fist is a clenched fist. Exactly the same way, the actor should so totall y invest his role that whatever angle you put your microscope on, you shouldn't be able to detect two levels.

... Because in the case of the cultivated Western actor, you can actually see th at the man is performing. ... Which is why a lot of Western acting is busy and d emands a lot of superficial activity, which signals to the audience that the act or is working hard. And that is an essential mode of virtuosity among Western ac tors. ... Now you can choose between the two forms of theatre art, and I personally be lieve that the art which vanishes completely is superior to the art of virtuosit y, where you're conscious of the skill of the performer. Actors Your first contact with the public is ACTOR! Directing is the art of falling in love. It is difficult to love playwrights, th eir plays are the best of them, you fall in love with stories... Next, you fall in love with actors, the characters in your actors! You see what nobody else see s, something from the future... The biggest obstacles are the writers and actors themselves. You have to find the way to remove them from the view of the public . Thier egos, who needs it now, at the sacred hour when the gods speak! Best is to see Method and Biomechanics directories. Physical Theatre I will try to introduce both techniques -- Method and Biomechanics, using the SH OWS directory, but most of the showcases are for part four. Of course, I would f ocus on Dangerous Liaisons, because I direct it (Spring 2002) + Don Juan 2003. If you are writer, you don't have to explain anything -- you write and hope that somebody will read, understand and enjoy it. But director "writes" with bodies and souls of actors... of course, they better understand you! And you better und erstand them! I hope that you read what I have to say about being in love with writers for sta ge, I said nothing about love. Playwrights (good ones) are almost all dead, but actors are alive. And if you know how to love dead guys, you could make your act ors to fall in love with YOU! Yes, yes, you have be in love with you! You are ri ght there, not the writers. You are to judge them -- and how they need it, your love! If you don't know how to love actors (even bad ones), you are not a direct or (and you will never be a director). Anatoly, what are you saying? How can I l ove a bad actor? There are no bad actors, only bad directors. Actor is your child -- how could your child be a monster? You simply do not know how to open his mind, heart, soul? And this is why they better be in love with you. You must trust you, they should desire you... It's impossible not love them. Look, they take the texts of unknown to them peop le, they follow your directions, they face the strangers in the house... And you are hiding behind them! You are not on stage, the lights are not you -- and if you can't make them do what you and Shakespeare can't, you better love them! You and Chekhov are nothing without them! Subtext: bottom (new) Stages of Work with Actors: 1. Cold Reading (your or their scene) 2. Script Analysis (Situation, Composition, Characters)

3. Actors' choices and ideas. 4. Your concept and directions. 5. Homework for the next rehearsal and Notes. 6. Communications (save as much rehearsal time as possible, I use eGroups to kee p in touch with the cast and crew 24/7) 7. Each actor is a "text": you must know how to read it. Individual rehearsals. During the "table period" I have one-on-one time with each of them. 8. Don't lose the director's perspective: actors are tools, instruments, medium -- you must know how to get the sounds from them the way a musician get it from a piano, or a painter uses colors. 9. Reflections (list the problems you have with each of them and rearead until y ou solve the problems and got new ones) 10. See each actor in long terms perspective (his or her future); what they have to do next (year, two, ten years from now). Part III. Space-in-Time = Chronotope 2004 & After projects: Oedipus 2005 new: Taming of the Shrew 2004 missing: film acting directing wish list (short): Rashomon Pinter Faust Bergman 4books Links

Chekhov, Ibsen, Shakespeare Class One Act: Proposal Chekhov NB Working with actors I use both Method and Biomechanics, but this semester (Sprin g 2002) I teach Intermediate Acting and therefore plan to work on Biomechanics m ore. What is the difference between Method and Biomechanics (for directors)? What is "psychological realism"? Homework Scenes with the Intermediate Acting class: The Importance of Being Earnest. Sele ct the scenes and characters. Notes for Myself 2 classes each week; each section is 3 weeks. First part always takes longer: in troducing script analysis for directors, we etsblish most of the structural laws , which are used later for acting and staging.

Next: Part III: Space-Time (Stage) Justifying Movement HamletDreams Q (St.Petersburg Tims): There is a popular belief in the world of theater that a ctors do their best when they play themselves. Do you share this view? A (Mozgovoy): No, I disagree! But it is perhaps the very plight of Russian cinem a these days .... What I particularly like about my film roles is that I am unrecognizable. Of cou rse, what actor needs first is to fully understand himself, but the very next ne cessary step is to fully understand your character and to see how different you are from your character. One of the major exercises for actors is to watch other people and absorb their manners and movements and expressions. My professor, Bo ris Zon, used to say about that: start from yourself but go as far as you can! T his is what I am always trying to do. @2001-2005 film-north * Web vtheatre.net [ use Google to search my theatre (vtheatre.net) and film (filmplus.org) sites! subscribe to forums: dramlit, directing, acting and etc. ] 2004 filmplus.org * * home * about * guide * classes * advertise * faq * contact * news * forums * m ailing list * bookstore * ebooks * search * calendar * submit your link * web * Theatre Directing Pages: Click to View or Add Links. Get Site Info "Disney, of course, has the best casting. If he doesn't like an actor, he just tears him up ". - Alfred Hitchcock Q: What does it take to be an actor? A: ... If I had to give a complete definition of the actor's job, I'd probably s ay that it means to produce the right emotion at the right moment in the right p lace. ShowCases: shows.vtheatre.net Mozgovoy: The school is as important for the actor as it is for a musician. It c an't be underestimated. School gives liberty. ACT: 2006-2007 season references: http://home.earthlink.net/~tshack2/assignment1/Directors.htm http://www.b-independent.com/production/carnagecorner6.htm http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Performing_Arts/Theatre/Directing/Directors/ http://www.danillitphil.com/base.html Woody Allen ANNIE HALL (in class with actors) The Subtext of Him and Her is in boldface italic below each line of dialogue. . . (A party. Her and Him look out over the apartment balcony.

They're six feet apart trying desperately not to notice each other.) HER Hi! Oh, God, nobody cool says Hi. HIM Hello! I'd love to take her out. I hope my deodorant's working. HER Nice view. He's talking to me! And he'll hate my silly dress. HIM (Taking a furtive step toward her) Just look at the clouds over there. I've got to find out who she is. HER I'm Leslie . . . What a stupid name. He'll hate it and hate me. HIM Neat dress. I just love her name. Acting combines "creativity and craft." The area of acting, like all areas of th e theater, requires tremendous dedication, mental and physical discipline, and a commitment to and a passion for the art of theater. Also, like other theater ar tists, an actor's education and "training" is never finished. Every experience c an be useful. Actors must have a knowledge and understanding of the historical, socio-political, and cultural development of humankind in order to communicate t he condition of humankind. The skills and knowledge an actor must possess vary from the general to the spec ific. Generally, the actor must possess solid physical health, physical and voca l agility, and mental agility. analysis and synthesis, research, process and com munication skills are also critical to the actor's work. actors must learn to wo rk collaboratively in the ensemble setting as well as achieve a discipline to wo rk individually. And above all, an actor must have a passion and enthusiasm for life and learning. Actors must possess a basic core of skills and both general and specific knowled ge on a wide variety of subjects. It should be remembered that individual actors will develop and be encouraged to develop their own special skills: Exposure to and training in a range of approaches to acting (Stanislavski, Groto wski, View Points, etc.) Facility with language (including verse) A personalized warm-up Theater history (American and world) Dramatic Literature (American and world) Understanding the contemporary world and American theater scene Costume design Make-up skills Art history (styles and periods) Research skills in the library and beyond Experience in other art forms (dance, music, opera, etc.) Communication and interpersonal skills

Mastery of a foreign language Functional knowledge of humankind through the study of history, politics, sociol ogy, psychology, etc. Ability to read music, sing, and play musical instruments Understanding of dramatic form and structure Vocal skills: solid vocal production and articulate speech; work with dialects Physical skills: period movement, tumbling, juggling, fencing, and a variety of dance skills Understanding of a variety of thought processes A solid knowledge of and sensitivity to all other areas of the theater. An actor is best served by an undergraduate program which combines the study of craft within a liberal arts setting. In addition to faculty actors in the depart ment and guest artists who act as role models and practical experiences, it is a lso the humanities and sciences which enrich and enliven the student actor's sen sitivity to the world.