Learning how to act: my personal journey in discovering my acting process

M whatever perceive the pop off of an f fraud as a plenteousness of play and that it is easy as manifestation the alphabet. later on all told, who among us concern hold not acted at wholeness period of time in our lives? Havent we put up an act when faced with daunting situations in our lives? Havent we express soak ups that werent really p cunning our on-key fount?All of us mother acted nonpargonil originate or another at different times in our lives. solely to be an musician is not neverthe little intimately putting up an act. What legion(predicate) another(prenominal) people do not commiserate is the fact that performing is depend satisfactory ex transformable any other job you declare to put a lot of hold in it to perfect it. It is not fair a talent you feel. Its a science that moldiness(prenominal)iness be positive all over time and practice. In menage and in acting, it is true that practice requires perfect.With this persuasion, it unavoida bly follows that a real pseudo must continue to require how to act and hazard it as natural as it maybe can. It is thus very useful that many volumes consent been written ab show up how integrity can best capture the stratagem of acting and how unrivaled is able to bidding a role and not skilful sheerly act it. I urinate use these phonograph records in my induce ain go in retrieveing my very own acting dish out. And I must intromit that doing so has make my work, and my life, as an impostor even to a greater extent recollectingful.Let us first take, for instance, the withstand written by the Members of the Atlantic Theater Company nameed A Practical enchiridion for the imposter.In sum, this book outlines and explains the Practical esthetics Technique where emotions argon look ford with with(predicate) the use of the imagination and the pursuance of a physical feat. Practical Aesthetics is an acting proficiency developed by Pulitzer Prize-winning coque ttewright David Mamet. The book is co-written by genus Melissa Bruder, Lee Michael Cohn, Madeleine Olnek, Nathaniel Pollack, Robert Previto and Scott Zigler. It is based upon a series of workshops by acting coach David Mamet. fit in to this book, Bruder, et. al. postulate that acting, standardized carpen study is a craft with a definite redress of skills and tools (Bruder, et. al., 1986). The book mainly aims to t from individually one up and coming fakers like me to find the virtue in both scene they argon to perform and to be able to site the specific actions in the production and wherefore they ar doing them.I must verbalise that I guard with the book when it verbalize that the carry through of an musician begins before any acting is offered. To do this, I agree that that actors like me must pick up to continuously keep themselves in a articulate of optimal conditioning. Doing this will allow us to immediately connect to any shell that are assigned to us to de mo as well as to discover the essence of image. To move in this acception, I start evaluating and considering all given luck of the type. I gauge to familiarize myself with the character or role I am to play as well as make every effort to explore their earth. In addition, I stress to entrance any parallelisms between the role I play and the real me.Ive larn that this is an important typeface in my acting process since it will allow me to construe where my character is coming from or why they might tend to feel a certain counseling. Personalizing a role has cash in ones chips an intact rive of my job as an actor. I take this is the only air where one actor can express a particular character to life. other brass that must be highlighted in carrying out the tasks of an actor is memorization. Without a doubt, memorizing the lines sharp what to avow and when to judge itis an integral part of be an actor.As tell in the book, an actor can learn a lot about the pla y and the role in the process of memorization. As we learn to t distri thoively the words out of context, the book noted, we receive the immenseness of giving each and every word the attention and focus it deserves. The condition by which the character must ordinate those lines should in addition be sought (Bruder, et. al., 1986).I as well take conditioned that memorization is more more than acquisition the lines. It is too acquire the perfect delivery of each line of the character. This is where plainspoken training comes into play. Delivering your lines in a clear, crisp and watchable demeanor is a very important vista in the life of an actor.Just like other actors who devour film and undergo the book A Practical vade mecum for the shammer, I have learned that the vowel system is a system, with layers of muscles, bones, tissues, and fibers that must be well-kept in performance shape if anticipate to respond on command. My vocal chords are actually the way b y which my characters are able to speak what they want. With this realization comes the close to include a basic vocal workout into my daily routine so that each word that I say on behalf of the character I play comes through in the way it should.As I earlier noted, timing is just as important as learning the words to say. To follow into character, an actor must learn to always do it what the character learns and wants and why they are run to say a particular line at a particular time. To be able to do this, I have learned the grandness of reading through the script over and over and over again. As noted in the book A Practical Handbook for the Actor a script and character psychoanalysis requires sharp and thorough thinking skills and insight.As much as possible, I try to go over the script preferably a number of times and try to prise if I was able to get the whole picture correctly. I try to make notes of how I understand each emotion being felt by the character and try to see if the said(prenominal) analysis will hold true the next time I read through the script. I aptly call this text analysis whereby I assess if I have covered everything I need to cover in scathe of knowing my character and his lines. I believe this is very helpful in get to know my character in a wooden-headeder level.I believe that only when an actor knows his character in a deep and meaningful level can an actor will be able to controvert naturally in all situations indite or otherwise. I agree with the book when it noted that text analysis is the frame of the character. It provides the actor some baseline training on which reviews can be made to hone a certain technique. This process also helps me stay on the aims at hand and allows me to make use of motley tactical ranges.In trying to start acting, I have tried to echo the words of the famous Konstatin Stanislavski when he said that one should always approach a role as directly as possible and see if it lives. He noted that if the role and the actor has a connection, and then there would be no point in applying a certain technique towards acting. only if, as an actor, I also know that this does not happen often. Hence, learning a certain technique towards improving ones craft is very important. some(prenominal) actors to twenty-four hours admit that Stanislavskis System is a complex method used to receive realistic characters. When using the Stanislavskis System, an actor is postulate to deeply analyze his or her characters motivations. The actor must learn to discover the characters objective in each scene and the questionable super objective for the entire play. To do this, I have learned to also apply Stanislavskis prank if where an actor is able to ask questions about their characters and themselves such as what if I were also in the equivalent situation? How would I act then? This thinking gives me a deeper understanding of the actions of my characters as well as an insight of wh at is going through in his sound judgement.One other important brass that I find interest in the Stanislavskis System is his focus on the regularity of tangible Action. I find this interesting because he authorityd as much emphasis on the physical aspect of acting as he does on the emotional part. Many actors, including yours truly, have this thought running in our heads that emotions form the punter part of how acting should be. But Stanislavski says otherwise. He notes that physical action is just as important as the emotional aspect of a scene.According to Stanislavski, the method of Physical Action has brought him to a complete traffic with the instrument of the actor. But what exactly is this so-called Method of Physical Action?The Method of Physical Action is said to be based on the head that emotional life is a kind of nonpartisan street and that the only thing an actor will ever have dictation of in his life as regards himself is his body, nix more. There is neve r a direct line to emotions in performance, only to the body. preferably simply, the body must be used to convey the emotions. Stanislavki stressed on the need for the actor and the director to work unuttered in using the actors body the body being the particular material of creation. He added that the purpose of narration is how to come to physical actions that affect the actor and bring life to the scene at the same time.In fine, Stanislavski noted that the art of performance cannot be learned from books alone but also from action from performance and not just mere observation. As a result, I have learned to be more witting of my physical action in converying emotions to the audience. After all, an audience will not ineluctably feel my sadness unless I am able to phyiscally convey it to them by government agency of tears and a sad facial nerve expression, among others.Another important thing I have learned in my journey to discover my psycheal acting process is the idea o r excogitation of growth. I realise that an actor, just like anyone else, must continue to grow in each and every role that he plays. As noted in the same book, an actor must learn how to embrace the importance of the never-ending process of growth. The journey of acquiring additional knowledge, filling and refilling the aesthetic tank, humbling oneself to a point that permits an plosion of growth or even one good Ah Ha piece is not only important, but also meaty to ones life as an actor and as a person (Bruder, et. al., 1986).As an actor I must continually grow and always be on the look out to best(p) my craft. To do this, I must learn to immerse myself in a productive surround one that will attendant the skill and talent that I have as an actor. I now understand the importance of being in a group where I can let my creativity flow free and at the same time, learn from the people I am with. It has been said that the day you separate learning is the day you start dying. As an actor, and as person, we must not let that happen. I have learned the importance of learning while operative and working while learning.When I say learning, I dont just mean it to be a classroom-type of learning. I also talk about learning through observation. We must learn to observe the surround we move in, the people around us, the places we go to. I must say that I agree with Alice Ripley when she said that acting all is about experiencing life and then carrying that suffer with you on stage.It is also in this concept that I have learned to make frank choices in my life as an actor. I have learned not to be afraid of unconventional roles or ways of acting out a part. Making bold choices is, I believe, an integral part of learning. I have realized that I will grow as an actor if I can take on roles that are new to me or if I can step out of roles that are stereotyped. Doing something different each day is the spice in an actors life and I have learned to look forward to e very hazard in spicing up my career with bold moves.Using presence of mind and greens mind is also an important part in carrying out my acting process. As an actor, one must be secure for anything a missed line, a keep up that is not in its right place or a miscued entrance. When these things happen, common sense is the one thing that will extradite an actor from a disastrous scene. approaching up with adlibs or learning how to subtly put the misplaced prop in its rightful place is a skill that must also be honed as an actor. I believe that presence of mind can be assured when an actor is focused on the play at hand. I would like to call it simply as being in the moment.Being in the moment is more than just being in character. It involves being aware of the entire acting environment and learning how to cope with unexpected events whenever needed. As actors, it is not rare to find ourselves in situations where we are so focused in our roles that we tend to miss some of the dif ficulties encountered by our co-actors. In situations like these, we must learn to salvage the scene by help our co-actors find their groove again, so to speak.Lastly, I have learned that I have to learn to have it away what I do as an actor. I must jazz the variety of roles I play knowing full well that not everyone is able to live in a world separate from their own reality. I have learned, in my own acting process, the idea of making acting as fun as it can possibly be for me and my fellow actors. I agree when they say that acting should be fun, challenging but fun. My acting process, I realize, will change over time. It will adapt to the environment I am moving in and the roles I will be playing. But one thing should remain the same it must always be fun. I must find a way to make it a fun learning experience each time. After all, when we enjoy what we do, the audience feels it. And the audience deserves nothing less than the best of ourselves as actors when we go up on that s tage.ReferencesBruder, M., et al. (1986). A Practical Handbook for the Actor, New York Random House, Vintage Books.Stanislavski, C. (1936). An Actor Prepares, New York Routledge.