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  • Essay / The need for an actor to create an association with a role to provoke an authentic performance as illustrated by Constantin Stanislavski, in his book, an Actor Prepares

    In chapters 12 and 15 of An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski, Stanislavski indicates the It is important to refine one's inner connection with a play in order to give a realistic and sympathetic representation of a character. Chapter 12 speaks of the “three motors of our psychic life, the three masters who play the instrument of our soul” (Stanislavski 266). These three “inner driving forces” are feelings, mind and will. Together, these strengths allow us to think and act creatively. Feelings allow actors to connect to the storyline and the character they are portraying, and powerful feelings allow the audience to connect to the actor, providing the basis for a great play. The mind chooses what an actor focuses on and imagines, and also decides how to portray the feelings essential to the performance. Willingness depends entirely on the actor and how they are able to approach their material in a way that keeps them interested. Without the desire to perform a scene, actors are unable to perform realistically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Chapter 15 deals with the “super-objective,” which is the broad subject that the playwright examines through the events of the play. The theme that accompanies this “super-goal” helps actors ground themselves in the ideas they want to convey in their performance and can help improve character interactions. The theme also gives actors a sort of lifeline that they can return to if they feel they are confused in their acting choices. The director explains the importance of this line of life in these terms: “This inner line of effort which guides the actors from the beginning to the end of the play, we call continuity or continuous action. This cross line galvanizes all the small units and objectives in the room and directs them towards the super-objective. From there, they all serve the common goal” (Stanislavski 296). In the scenes assigned to us in class, the best actors are able to use their minds to focus on specific aspects of their characters' lives and feel what their characters are experiencing. . For me, willpower is the most difficult of the three inner motivations to master, because we have read this short scene many times already and it is difficult to think about it in a new way. The exercises we did in class where we had to imagine a circumstance foreign to ourselves helped us see the scenario in a new light. I will remember this tip for future rehearsals.