We have also looked at emotional memory. This is where an actor recalls past experiences and brings about emotions in the performance. This helps the actor to prepare for a role as they can recall all their senses, imagination and subconscious thoughts. For an actor this can help stop mechanical acting. We can look at different exercises like being at a bus stop or a party. This technique also helps an actor stop acting stereotypically as Stanislavski wanted real actors.
Stanislavski put a huge amount of emphasis on imagination. ‘Every movement you make on stage, every word you speak, is the result of the right life of your imagination.’ He said to develop and use imagination you have to use magic if and emotional memory. It helps the actor prepare a role as it makes the acting believable and removes any mechanical acting as the actor buts him/herself in the setting at the time of the place. Imagination is enabled by the experiences an actor has been through before. It is important that imagination is not confused with fantasy. Fantasy only creates things that aren’t or never will be in existence. It is the ‘imaginative fiction of another person,’ it is not jut the person but the circumstances in which that person can and will function. Any acting exercise can use imagination for example looking for jewellery.
Relaxation helps prepare a role as you need to be relaxed as an actor onstage to get rid of nerves and any mechanical acting. By relaxing an actor isn’t restricted as a performer; it helps create the role as it gets rid of the pain and feelings of the actor to transform in to the roles pains and emotions. To practice this you have to concentrate by lying on the floor and tensing muscles, this isolates the muscles.
Circles of attention is one of the systems main techniques to develop a role. It does this by making an actor aware of the environment there in, so when they are on stage they are aware of the stage space and the props on the stage. The circle can increase and decrease in size so an actor can concentrate on themselves, solitude in public or on the stage itself. This links in with relaxation and being comfortable with the environment you are in. It also links to the technique of the black hole this is the area between the stage and the audience. It acts as a barrier between the real world and the world on stage, initially this is intimidating but by relaxing on stage the actor becomes at ease with there environment.
We have also looked at the broach exercise; it is made up of two halves. At first the student had to find the brooch so she could carry on being in the theatre school it resulted in her forgetting the brooch at the end. The second time she was told to find the brooch otherwise she could not return to the theatre school. This teaches the actor that they must not loose their objective when entering the stage in the excitement of the performance. The second time the acting became real as the pace, tempo and rhythm had changed and therefore their physical and emotional involvements were in sync.
So far I have found these aspects to be the most useful when preparing a role.