Technique Notes

Technique Notes

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Drawing understanding from the lines

Articulation Exercises

Articulation exercises help to ensure that an actors diction is correct which is especially important when working on Shakespeare as the diction defines the meaning of certain words and incorrect diction could result in the interpretation of the words/lines being incorrect. Due to being an old language, the audience understanding Shakespearean language is already hard to understand, so diction and articulation is vital in ensuring that the audience can hear exactly what the actor said. 

Changing direction when the thought changes

This helps the actor to fully understand and comprehend the thoughts and views of the character. I personally feel that this exercise is effective in helping the actor understand the overall thoughts and opinions of the character but is not really effective in exploring the deeper meaning and elements of the character's thoughts. This exercise also helps the character to feel the shifts in atmosphere through the text/scene.

Working out your Objectives

Working out the objectives has a similar purpose and effect to changing direction, the difference is that working out objectives helps the actor to understand your character's journey through the piece as whole rather than just understanding when the journey may change or divert. Working out your objectives also ensures that the actor is able to further understand his character's journey of a relationship with other characters.

What is Modern Shakespearean Acting?

I personally feel that Modern Shakespearean Acting is now women onstage which adds a whole new element to Shakespeare's pieces making them not only more diverse, but adding more unique qualities to the pieces' characters. Women acting in modern Shakespeare has changed the perspective of women as they were given more a variety of characters with a variety of different inherent qualities and elements within the characters that they play. Shakespeare's most favorably portrayed women possess characters that are tempered by negative qualities. They suggest that this indicates that Shakespeare was not free of misogynistic tendencies that were deep-seated and implemented in the culture of his country and era. Furthermore, within the texts of the plays, charges of promiscuity are often leveled against young women, for example, and women occupying positions of power are frequently portrayed as capricious and highly corruptible.   

How can Classical actors allow the performance to be instinctual?

Playing active objectives as a classical actor is what I feel is one of the keys to delivering a truthful and believable performance to an audience due to the fact that a classical piece in itself is inherently difficult to understand or even confusing to an actor that has not already studied the genre extensively. Following the active objectives through the piece not only allows the actor to overcome what s/he ultimately does not understand, but to form his or her own unique response to the piece which further brings to the life the character and the story overall onstage.   

How can Classical actors be individual after so many other interpretations?

Telling the story will by itself help enable the actor to make his or her personal connection tot he piece and develop their own responses and opinions to the events and sequences through the text. Telling the story for oneself helps the story to resonate in the actor which results in the actor allowing his own responses and feeling towards the text flow into his or her character, creating a unique and individual response and portrayal of the actors' classical character.

How do you find justification for your actions on stage?

Finding justification for actions onstage comes through the same way with any other genre of theatre, by fully understanding the lines and meaning of what your character is saying in that moment. Understanding the meaning of the lines and understanding what the lines mean are what I fell are two different types of understanding within Shakespeare. Being created and comprised form an old language, understanding the meaning of the lines is possible but would ultimately take research and understanding of the meaning of the words themselves and how they were used. However understanding the meaning of the lines allows the actor to naturally/organically develop responses to the text despite not fully understanding the language of the text. This is how justification is found in other genres and I feel that classical theatre should be no different.

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