Wiktionary
Acting is the work of an
actor or
actress, which is a person in
theatre,
television,
film, or any other
storytelling medium who tells the
story by portraying a
character and, usually,
speaking or
singing the written text or
play.
Definition and history
The first
actor is believed to be
Thespis of Icaria, a man of ancient Greece. "Plays" of this time, called choric dithyrambs, involved a chorus of 50 who sang the story to the audience. The possibly
apocryphal story says that Thespis stepped out of the chorus and spoke to them as a separate character in the story. Before Thespis, the chorus in all plays would sing in a narrative way, "Dionysus did this, Dionysus said that." When Thespis stepped out from the chorus, he said "I am Dionysus. I did this." From Thespis' name derives the word
thespian, meaning any sort of performer but chiefly an actor. The
International Thespian is said to possess a number of skills, including good
vocal projection, clarity of
speech, physical expressiveness, a good sense of
perspective, emotional availability, a well developed
imagination, the ability to analyze and understand dramatic text, and the ability to emulate or generate
emotional and physical conditions. Well-rounded actors are often also skilled in
visual arts, emotional expressiveness, imitating
dialects and
accents, body language,
improvisation, observation and emulation,
mime,
stage combat, and performing classical texts such as
Shakespeare. Many actors train at length in special programs or colleges to develop these skills, which have a wide range of different artistic
philosophies and processes.
See also
actor,
thespian, or
Thespis.
Theories
See also the Acting theorists category
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col-break
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col-end
Professional actors
Not all people working as actors in
film,
television or
theatre are
professionally trained. Chances of succeeding as an
actor are greatly enhanced by studying drama at a university or college, or attending an acting conservatory. Conservatories typically offer two to four year training on all aspects of acting. Universities will offer three to four year programs, where a student can choose to focus on acting, while still learning about other aspects of theatre. Schools will vary in their approach, but in North America the most popular method taught is the 'inside out' technique, developed by Stanislavski in his early years and popularized in America by
Lee Strasberg and
Stella Adler. Others may include a more physical approach, following the teachings of Jerzy Grotowski and others. Regardless of a school's approach, students should expect intensive training in textual interpretation, voice and movement. Applications to drama programs and conservatories are through
auditions in the United States. Anybody over the age of 18 can usually apply to
drama school.
A list of drama schools in Britain, North America and Australia can be found on the drama school article.
Bibliography
