Questions 1

Actors train themselves to observe, watch, see, listen, and feel. This information is then transmitted through acting technique into the body and the inner being of the actor to assist in creating the character needed for the script. Thus, in actor training, one of the first things actors learn to do is to observe the people around them and note behavior. Thus, your assignment this week is to observe two people in your daily life. These could be people you see through your occupation (co-workers, clients, customers, etc.), family members, people on the train, bus, or whatever transportation you use, etc.

Assignment:

1. Observe two people

2. Note their behavior. Try to be as specific as possible. For example, how do they walk? how do they sit? what’s their posture? their facial expressions? their laugh? are they old/young? how can you tell that? what are they wearing? if you hear them, what does their voice sound like? if you smell them, what do they smell like? Use lots of adjectives to help create the experience of your observation.

Questions 2

You have read two plays so far, Antigone and Othello. After reading these plays and the chapter on Stage Acting, create a thread and answer the following questions:

1. What kinds of background information, such as observations of human behavior, would the actors in these plays need to know?

2. What are the physical attributes actors would need to create for some of the key characters?

3. Choose one scene and one character and discuss what is motivating the character.

4. How might you employ some of Stanislavski’s concepts in order to bring the characters to life?