
This chapter consists of discussion of the scenework the actors did in Othello. It is mainly composed of two parts, based on their mistakes:
- How to enter the subconscious through conscious, logical choices of action
- Types of acting that they played
On the subconscious set, Torstov tells them that Kostya, the narrator, played well in certain moments when his intuition carried him there, but that one cannot rely on intuition alone to carry him or her through the scene. As the director says,
"[...]the very best that can happen is to have the actor completely carried away by the play. then regardless of his own will he lives the part, not noticing how he feels, not thinking about what he does, and it all moves of its own accord, subconsciously and intuitively. Salvini said: 'The great actor should be full of feeling, and especially he should feel the thing he is portraying. He must feel an emotion not only once or twice while he is studying his part, but to a greater or lesser degree every time he plays it, no matter whether it is the first or the thousandth time'".
This type of acting, he states, comes through clear, logical choices of action. The subconscious can be found by making conscious choices. Only then will we find the natural effect of intuition and the subconscious be allowed to play. This natural sense is a mixture of the physical, mental, and spiritual, and is right up my alley. Only the physical exercises, actions, come first. Combined, we can truly live the part.
In the second part, he discusses different types of acting that I did some of growing up. Here is a list:
- Forced acting-high and low moments alternating in order to thrill your audience.
- Representational acting-only living the part in the external form. There is a danger to practicing in front of a mirror-we only see our physical actions.
- Imitation-to take the mannerisms of another.
- Mechanical acting-going through the motions or "having elaborately worked out methods of presenting the role with conventional illustrations." This is what Torstov calls a rubber stamp.
- amateurish overacting: acting found solely for the purpose of exploiting art for your own personal means.
Best Quote? "Unfortunately, our art is frequently exploited for personal ends. You do it to show your beauty. Others do it to gain popularity or external success or to make a career. In our profession these are common phenomena and I hasten to restrain you from them."
Remind you of any actors you have seen (Hollywood, anybody?)?