10. Animation

Hagen describes animation as responding freely and intuitively to the imagined circumstances and surroundings and to the characters with whom you are interacting in the play. Essentially this harkens back to behaving TRUTHFULLY under imaginary circumstances. Animation = truth. Or reality, as it might be referred to. She separates the chapter into four sections: the body, the mind, listening, and talking.

BODY

The body is the visible tool with which I communicate a living character. Voice and speech, the soul and the mind, are not separate from the body but originate from it.

Animation in the body depends first on relaxation and concentration. Training teaches our body to work with our natural fear response when we step onstage in front of a large number of people. When we are relaxed, we are free to concentrate on the circumstances given to us by the playwright that dictate the behavior of our CHARACTER, rather than our ACTOR BEHAVIOR.

As McEleney says: do what people do, not what actors do. Actor behavior arises from self-consciousness. Self-consciousness in the body can be combated by knowing truthful, motivated physical destinations for your character. When your body is ceasing to serve you, always ask where you are heading. Hagen quotes Arthur Hopkins: "The reason for walking is destination."

You must know:

1. Where you have just been.

2. Where you are now.

3. Where you are heading.

The human body is always in motion. In true moments of arrest, the character is determining their next move.

HOWEVER, destinations are almost always secondary to your psychological objective (i.e. I want you to agree to fund my play but I am in the midst of serving you a cup of coffee).

Destination + objective = behavior.

So we can conclude that acting is a combination of both inner and outer action. Our inner action dictates how we perform our outer action.

You must also have a point of view about your surroundings. Is the place new or familiar? Comfortable or uncomfortable? Temperature? Time of day? Delicate or solid? etc.

Remember, human beings are always seeking comfort in the their surroundings. Even in crisis, we're always searching for a place to alight. We stand, almost always, to reach our next destination.