5. The Actor's Techniques

When speaking about acting, I often struggle to articulate the difference, oft argued, between the technical and the..."other thing." The thing that elevates (or deepens) an actor's performance so it becomes recognizably human and moving. In actor training the vocal and physical technique we are drilled on is often separated from this more human quality. Our "technique" is in one place, our "humanity" in another. I've always felt that there was something wrong with this.

Hagen solves it. We are not separating the technical from the human. They are all, in fact, techniques. She separates the kind of techniques they are: the "outer techniques" (body, voice, speech) and the "human techniques" (imagination). I can't decide if I prefer "inner techniques" instead of her phrasing. The voice, body and speech are part of our humanity, too.

She describes the inner techniques (there, I've decided) as follows:

• The conscious use of subconscious promptings (personalized inner and outer objects)
• Selection of truthful actions (behaviors that develop out of the given circumstances)
• Execution of actions will involve a moment to moment subjective experience
• Spontaneity
• Reality is theatrical (references Christopher Fry article "How Lost, How Amazed, How Miraculous We Are")
• The intersection of psychology and behavior

She makes two other important distinctions. One, between naturalism and realism. Realism, she says entails a search for selected behavior pertinent to the character's needs within the prescribed circumstances of the dramatist. Naturalism is random modern behavior applied willy-nilly, regardless of character, language, or circumstance. Interesting. Conscious selection creates art. Picasso chose the colors, Mozart chose the notes, Graham chose the steps--all to communicate what they wanted about an idea. Actors choose the behavior to communicate the character who was chosen by the playwright to communicate an idea.

Secondly, between realistic and formalistic acting. Formalism is the style exhibited by performers by Olivier, objectively realized. Realism is exemplified by Duse, subjectively developed.

I am most interested in this chapter for the way it solves my problem of articulating precisely the way an actor works. I don't want "technique" to be a bad word in my classroom because I think that gives student a dangerous prejudice toward the outer techniques, which are essential and which we will also be exploring. I believe it sets up a wall when students start working on Shakespeare and other classical writers which are more technically demanding.

I am reminded reading this that make-believe is at the heart of an actor's work. After all is done, we are pretending, and it should be fun and freeing. The joy of acting is in letting the imagination run free, combined with the point of view which gives purpose and technique to communicate. I have a tendency to become serious, somber. I want my classroom to be a playground. I want my exercises to be fun, engaging, actively imaginative. I want my students to be actively discovering themselves and each other.

The students should begin by encountering their own behavior in imaginative circumstances. Perhaps on the first day we will do a guided improvisation through various environments and circumstances. On the second, Stella Adler's exercise of recreating the entrance into the room. These can be combined with a vocal and physical warm-up and getting-to-know-you exercises, and journal writing.

Finally, a note from my former teacher from Interlochen, Larry Reiman. "Have fun teaching," he said, "Keep them active (acting is doing) and don't call them out in front of their classmates and you should be fine." Not sure what the latter half means yet but of course agree with the former.