Things The Actor Should Know

"If you are to do justice to [the great roles], you must fly up to them -- rather than dragging them down to you -- by expanding your range of knowledge and strengthening your imagination. Your imagination must become as real to you as your memories and feelings. What you take into yourself about psychology, politics, sociology, history and so on, will allow you to reach places in yourself you didn't know existed. No line, no image, no thought can be left general. Each must be specific and personal. Your work is not complete until this is so." - Harold Guskin

As an actor There are a few terms and names you need to know. It is always good to understand the history whatever it is you are in to. If acting is your passion and especially if you plan to pursue it beyond the local market you should know where and how it began. To truly research the history of the art is left up to you. However, here are a few things you should know to get started. . .

Constantine Stanislavski- Russian co-founder and director of the Moscow Art Theatre from 1898 until his death in 1938. The creator of the world's first and best known systemized study of the acting art. Most acting technique training is a derivative of Stanislavski's system.

Moscow Art Theatre- Founded by Constantine Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in 1898, the MAT is the best known Russian theatre and arguably the most influential company in the history of theatre.

Richard Boleslavski- An original member of the Moscow Art Theatre's first Studio, he left in 1920, settled in the U.S. in 1922, and founded the American Laboratory Theatre in 1923. His book, Acting: The First Six Lessons (1933) introduced American actors to Stanislavski's theories.

Group Theatre- Founded in 1931 by Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, and Cheryl Crawford, the Group was a pioneering attempt to create a theatre collective influenced by the teachings of Stanislavski and modeled on the Moscow Art Theatre. they produced the most important group of theatre practitioners and teachers in the U.S. history.

Historical Imagination- A subjective approach to convince yourself that "you" exist in the world of the play. Historical facts are not the issue, but rather the external behavior of a unique individual in a particular social order with its own culture, values, fashion, and mores.

Indicating- A derogatory term in psychology motivated acting in which actions are presented without objectives.

Mystery of Inspiration- The goal of Stanislavski's system. When actors find a consistent and repeatable conscious means to subconscious creativity, they are said to be inspired.

Internal Technique- An actors keen understanding of human psychology, historical imagination, and learning how to control and to make effectiveness of Stanislavski's theories onstage.

Magic "if"- Key to unlocking the imagination, it describes the process by which actors place themselves in the given circumstances of the scene. The actor asks "What would I do if I were this character in this circumstance?"

William Shakespeare- Author of plays such as Romeo and Juliet (1595) and Hamlet (1600), Shakespeare is the greatest playwright in the history of the western civilization.

Theatre Terms:

Apron- The part of the stage in front of the curtain

Aside- A short remark made to the audience by on of the characters in the play

Backstage- An area not seen by the audience, including dressing rooms

Blackout- Quickly cutting the lights to make the stage area completely dark

Blocking- Providing the actors with their locations on stage and their actions

Cold Reading- Reading a part from a script tat one has not rehearsed yet

House- The place where the audience is seated

Ingenue- A young girls role

Monologue- A long speech given by one character

Proscenium- Large arch that separates the stage from the audience

Thrust Stage- A stage where the audience sits on three sides

Wings- Space at the sides of the stage, just behind the curtains. Actors enter and exit from the wings

These are just a few of the terms you may hear in the theatre. Like I said the rest is up to you. there are a lot more technical terms for everything in the theatre. These are the terms you should at least now for now.