MAKING IT PERSONAL

Practical Aesthetics: Four steps to help your students connect to a character’s actions

Peter King (pking@parkschool.net) – EdTA Conference September 27 – 28, 2013

Warm-upIntroductions

GoalsBackground

Practical AestheticsThe Four Steps

ShareRecap and Questions

MAKING IT PERSONAL

GOALS

Learn the background of the technique known as Practical Aesthetics

Form a working knowledge of Practical Aesthetics (The Four Steps)

Know the importance of personalizing work

Feel empowered to dig deeper with your students

BACKGROUND

Practical Aesthetics: a rehearsal technique David Mamet, William H. Macy, Gregory Mosher Based on Stanislavsky’s and Sanford Meisner’s

work A Practical Handbook for the Actor, Lee Michael

Cohn The Atlantic Acting School My own idiosyncratic evolution Article: Making It Personal in the journal,

Teaching Theater

1. What is the character literally doing?2. What does the character want in the scene?3. What is my essential action?4. What is the action like to me? It’s as if…

THE FOUR STEPS

1. What is the character literally doing? Lords2. What does the character want in the scene? Wear3. What is my essential action? Ancient4. What is the action like to me? It’s as if… Apparel

THE FOUR STEPS

STEP ONE: The character’s literal activity

The Popcorn Test

A QUICK EXAMPLE

(Ben and Georgi are brother and sister.)

BEN: I won’t ask you again.GEORGI: I don’t believe you.BEN: I wouldn’t ask you unless I really needed it.GEORGI: What you really need is help, Ben.BEN: Please. 300 bucks, that’s it.GEORGI: I won’t. I can’t.

A QUICK EXAMPLE: STEP ONE

1. The scene’s literal activity: Ben is literally asking his sister for money.

STEP ONE: The character’s literal activity

A non-interpretive, non-judgmental statement about what’s going on in the scene. Includes everything that happens in the scene or unit of action in a single descriptive clause.

Includes what the character says (the script).

Includes stage business. What we say versus what we mean.

STEP TWO: The character’s want

Within the literal confines of the scene, what specifically does your character want?

The test will be in the other character. Will have a clear cap (a visual or verbal

sign the character has gotten what she wants).

Should be as concrete and as physical as possible.

A QUICK EXAMPLE

(Ben and Georgi are brother and sister.)

BEN: I won’t ask you again.GEORGI: I don’t believe you.BEN: I wouldn’t ask you unless I really needed it.GEORGI: What you really need is help, Ben.BEN: Please. 300 bucks, that’s it.GEORGI: I won’t. I can’t.

A QUICK EXAMPLE: STEP TWO

1. The scene’s literal activity: Ben is literally asking his sister for money.

2. The want: Ben wants his sister to give him three hundred bucks.

STEP TWO: The character’s want

Within the literal confines of the scene, what specifically does your character want?

The test will be in the other character. Will have a clear cap (a visual or verbal

sign the character has gotten what she wants).

Should be as concrete and as physical as possible.

STEP THREE: My action

Essential Action: the physical pursuit of a specific goal with a partner on stage.

Text vs. Subtext Improvisations

A QUICK EXAMPLE

(Ben and Georgi are brother and sister.)

BEN: I won’t ask you again.GEORGI: I don’t believe you.BEN: I wouldn’t ask you unless I really needed it.GEORGI: What you really need is help, Ben.BEN: Please. 300 bucks, that’s it.GEORGI: I won’t. I can’t.

A QUICK EXAMPLE: STEP THREE

1. The scene’s literal activity: Ben is literally asking his sister for money.

2. The want: Ben wants his sister to give him three hundred bucks.

3. The essential action: get someone to help me out of a bind.

STEP THREE: My action

Essential Action: the physical pursuit of a specific goal with a partner on stage.

Is an intersection between the character’s wants and your own.

Has a test in the partner and a cap. Phrased in a way that you can attach

your as-if

SAMPLE ACTIONS get a friend to divulge a secret boost someone’s self-

confidence gain a friend's trust urge a friend to take a big

chance gain a sibling’s sympathy beg for a friend's help force a friend to face his

problems lead a friend astray console a lost sheep get someone to respect my

beliefs seek a potential ally's support get a someone to respect my

boundaries get jerk off my back make a special person accept a

change in our relationship

get a loved one to take care of

me get a sibling to empathize with

me get a friend to lighten up encourage a child to be self-

reliant seek a friend's advice buy someone's silence get a lover to share my dream get a bud to give me a break force someone to see the errors

of her ways get a friend to grow up get a loved one to let me go get someone to admit his or her

guilt force a stranger to apologize get a co-worker to do my

bidding steer a friend away from the

truth

Action + Obstacle = ConflictConflict = Drama

(desire plus danger equals drama)

THE DRAMATIC EQUATION

BREAK

Action + Obstacle = ConflictConflict = Drama

(desire plus danger equals drama)

THE DRAMATIC EQUATION

STEP FOUR: The as-if

What does the action mean to you personally? It’s as-if…

A QUICK EXAMPLE

(Ben and Georgi are brother and sister.)

BEN: I won’t ask you again.GEORGI: I don’t believe you.BEN: I wouldn’t ask you unless I really needed it.GEORGI: What you really need is help, Ben.BEN: Please. 300 bucks, that’s it.GEORGI: I won’t. I can’t.

A QUICK EXAMPLE: STEP FOUR

1. The scene’s literal activity: Ben is literally asking his sister for money.

2. The want: Ben wants his sister to give him three hundred bucks.

3. The essential action: get someone to help me out of a bind.

4. The as-if: It’s as if I’m trying to get my wife, who works, to stay home with our sick kid, so I can go to rehearsal.

STEP FOUR: The as-if

What does the action mean to you personally?

Something you would love to do or must do. Same action as the character’s, not the

same situation. Is a current and unresolved action in your

life. May have imaginary circumstances, but the

target must be a real person in your life.

Improvised As-If Scenes

SHARE

RECAP

Why making it personal is so important A working knowledge of The Four Steps

of Practical Aesthetics A newfound power to dig deeper with

your students, to help them connect their personal lives to their art.

David Mamet

“ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH. IT’S THE EASIEST THING TO REMEMBER”