Understanding Theatre - Two Approaches to the Work of an Actor - Assignment Example

Understanding Theatre ----- Prajakta Kanegaonkar Two approaches to the work of an actor. An actor it is said is the person carrying multiple persona within him. He is the link between the character and the audience. Any actor would agree that at any point on the stage there are three people within him or her who are alive. One is the actor, second is the character, and the third the person himself who is the third party witness to the emotions that are behind projected on the stage as a performer. To portray a character the actor needs to build it from inside to make it a convincing performance. World over there is a dispute on this point whether it is a building of emotions from inside or the actor takes the external help, the movements that portray the emotions are stronger or the emotions that are sketched hold more importance than the technique. Let us take a look at what does it mean by internal help or external aid to the emotionality that is portrayed on stage. As we know the actor is the bridge which connects the audience to the character written by the writer. In such case effective interaction of the actor is going to help the audience to understand and connect with the character. It is not easy for an actor to display the emotionality on stage. It is even understood that the emotional quality of the performance may be understood if it is just one show to put up. In case of multiple shows it is going to be demanding for an actor to display emotions or have the same level of emotional quality in each show. In such case where does the actor take help from? Naturally he would turn to himself first. Drawing the emotions from within seems to be the reply. For the portrayal of the character actor need to either identify with the character or take help of self’s life instances. To understand the character the actor can get into the skin of the character by building the life of the character. He can improvise the character by tracing the life history of the same. He can build an imaginary life of the character for ex. In the play if the character behaves untrustworthy towards his own brother. The references for the same could have been made in the play. Taking help of those references the actor can build the mental sketch of creating certain instances as to understand the psychology of the character. This in other word can be called as improvising the character for portrayal. Living the character on the stage would be facing the situation and reacting on the spot to the circumstances around as the person to be sketched. This would require preparation on the actor’s part but it would also help the actor to constantly find newer ways of essaying a figure. Sometimes the actor feels a void from within. He understand the emotionality of the character, the pain, the sorrow, the happiness, the rage everything is understood in the exact depth, however the actor can go blank from within. In such situation the actor identifies a similar situation from his or her own life and tries to relate the emotionality. If it is not possible then the actor would substitute an instance from his or her real life and try to bring the emotions to the surface for ex. In a play if the actor is required to really burst into a sorrowful rage on stage he can check any situation in his or her own life that made him feel the same and think about that while emoting. This however is slightly complicated to follow as the personal emotional levels would be different from the one the actor needs to play. One however cannot deny that the void from within needs to be filled while putting across a performance of emotional quality in front of the audience. Whichever technique used the performance has to be not only convincing but also should be able to transport the audience to a different plane or world. It is also needed that the actor concentrates on the body language of himself and of the character he plays to make the performance effective. This would include the use of voice and the body on the stage. Actors who have commanded the attention of the audience are the ones who sincerely believe in excellent command over the voice. It is stated that even if one talks in the whispering tone from the stage it should be clearly audible with all the emotions by the person who sits in the last row. The tonal quality and volume of the voice should be such that the first rows should not think that the actor is screaming the dialogues, for the middle rows it should sound conversational and the lat rows should be able to listen to every word clearly, and that too without the help of the microphone. It is indeed a very strict code to follow and master, but if we have look at the performances of all the actors who have ruled the theatre for ages we observe that this norm is followed, imbibed and passed on as a parameter of effective acting. Appearance of the character plays a very important role in portrayal of the same. Slipping into the costume helps most actors to get into the skin of the character they are playing. Be it a costume drama like Elizabethan theatre or minimalist property and outfit plays, essaying a character becomes easier with donning the outfits. However it is not the final test of performance. Even if we see that an actor is presenting an imaginary piece in which he talks to all other characters around, he would be essaying each and every person present. In such case the actor cannot keep changing the outfits, but changes the movements and the body language. This is applicable to every piece of acting performed on the stage. Even with simple gestures like rising the hand, looking in one particular direction, standing position conveys a lot about the character. It is also observed that an actor requires a perfect command over his or her body and for this the actor needs to be supremely fit. For ex. In a three hour play the actor should be able to carry the play with equal energy levels in all the three hours. It can’t happen that the first hour being the initial hour of the play is done with supreme energy and then the energy level drops. That takes toll of the effectiveness of the performance for the audience. Energy level of an actor is the most talked about thing in theatrical performances. Even when the actor is playing an intensely emotional scene the energy can be sensed by the audience and it should rightfully be so. With mastering of all the techniques, it cannot be guaranteed that the performance is going to be supreme. This holds true for even the most experienced actors on the stage. It is also said that the actor should master a switch on –switch off technique. The actor steps on the stage he switches on the role and steps out of the stage he should be able to switch off the character within. This is required else the emotionality of the character in some way or other can affect the actor. The balance of a good performance rests on the three pillars of character, actor and the person within. The actor may take help of external or internal cues for better and better performance. It completely depends on the particular moment or circumstance where the actor derives his or her cue from. Sometimes both the factors play and equivalent role, sometimes one presides over the other, which only reinstates that both the factors play an equal important role. Whatsoever the technique applied by an actor to make his performance effective, the actor needs to understand that the technique and performance is an instrument in conveying the character to the audience. No technique hence can be termed as inferior or superior to each other, as finally what matters is transportation of the audience and the magic that is created. 2. Political censorship and Theatre Theatre is a live art and like any other art form it draws heavily from the society around. Any art is the manifestation of the circumstances that happen around the artist. Needless to say these reflect heavily into the artwork that is presented. Any sensitive person who takes his or her art seriously is bound to present the changes in the artwork that is created. There is however another trend that is observed in every society and every artist connected with the medium of expression. Whatever changes that take place in the surrounding are anticipated, supported or talked against of by every artist. In such situation sometimes the art takes a step forward and decides or suggests the further course of action to the society. Art and artists have always voiced their opinion regarding the changing situations. For ex: During the renaissance period various art forms took revolutionary turns in expressing the ideas and ideologies that became the guiding force of the society around. It is not possible that theatre being such a sensitive medium would not express itself against or for the society around. Then the most important question of requirement of controls on this medium arises. Once we establish and accept that theatre is an art and every art has its own birthright and freedom of expression, then why do we need to exercise any control or censorship on it. The question has got its own answer. Every society would have a set framework, be it moral, cultural, ethical or social for functioning. It takes considerable time for the society to establish and activate these norms and frameworks. Abiding by these rules and regulations comes easy for people and establishes a comfort level towards it so that no changes disturb the order and peace. There is always a possibility that the view that is put forth in the art form can be of a very personal opinion nature pertaining to that particular artist. In such case a single thought may not do much harm, but if the thought catches on then it gets transformed into masses coming together, forming of a movement, fighting for a cause and then eventually establishing the change which was so resisted earlier. This constitutes to be a long process. It becomes easy for the thought to be controlled at the point of origin and hence censorship came into existence. We have to understand the mutual relationship between censorship and the theatre. Earlier in England, Britons took a serious view of the theatre that was being presented. Lord Chamberlain was appointed as a one man authority, and had the responsibility of viewing the plays that were being presented and subsequently allow or disallow them from going to public viewing. The stand taken by the parliament was stated very clear. Any play or presentation done in the theatrical format should not cause any disturbance, moral or ethical to the society. So plays depicting, extreme violence, extra-marital relationship, incestuous behavior, morally degrading behavior against the set established principles of the society were banned. In later stages the one man commission moved to a committee of multiple members and has slowly progressed to the censor board today. The earlier century was a violent century with two world wars, multiple wars, “wars for peace”, cold war, genocides, unnecessary conflicts in the world. All this reflected very strongly in theatre. Theatre today is very expressive, but it developed from the conservative nature it had to the open theatre format it has acquired today. But one needs to understand the reason for the change and then decide upon the righteousness of the censorships that were being imposed. Is the change only being adopted for a shock value or the theatre feels that it should be genuinely the case? Is it the case of educating the audience? Is it that the theatre wants to grab the attention by adding some shock value to an all important issue which needs to be addressed? One needs to know the reason behind the theatre going out of the way or out of the framework that has been set for years. The term freedom of expression has got its look and definition over a period of time, when the audience was compelled to think and accept. For that the theatre had to don a new look of “make people think”. The form of art changed from mere entertainment to provocation to think. In words of Brecht, “The audience hangs up their brains with their hats when they enter the theatre.” In such case making the audience aware became necessary. Then censorship assumed a very strong role in case the audience not thinking seemed beneficial to the state. For ex: There were numerous plays in the British era in India which talked about fierce patriotism against British rule and were banned by the then government. Even then the writers and actors revolted against the system to exercise their freedom of expression. For this theatre had to change its way considerably. It had to adopt a leaner look, go to the audience than to wait for the audience to come to the theatre, change the language to make it widely acceptable etc. All these changes were sometimes gradual and some times rapid, but they served the purpose of creating the awakening in the audience. Role of theatre in the society has been widely and frequently discussed. Theatre world over has gone through bans, censorships, punishments etc. to be able to freely state whatever it wants to say. In such case if the censorship board and theatre are continuously at loggerheads with each other. Each criticizes the other for lack of understanding and the methodologies adopted. The question of is censorship really necessary remains unanswered although discussed very frequently and fervently. The answer probably lies in the creativity perspective of an artist. Being a visionary and gifted with powerful creative imaginations an artist is bound to think much ahead of the present times. If at all the theatre writer or actor is extremely aware of the society around then the visions go leaps and bound ahead of the present times. In such case while presenting the same to the audience the theatre needs to acknowledge the acceptance level of the audience. Does that mean negating the possibility of future is deliberately blindfolding the audience? The answer has to be NO, but irrespective of freedom of expression and being vocal the presenter has to acknowledge that educating the audience sometimes becomes an inevitable step before presenting the idea. For this the shock value can be looked at merely as a theatrical tool. Do we need the censorship boards at all? We have to agree that in democratic scenario the number of opinions would differ from person to person. In such situation it would be wiser to have board or a committee who would respect the views and opinions of the masses and exercise these through the channel of authority. But as one sees it, one can sense the vice of democracy here. It is often stated as an active criticism against democracy, where small groups rule the majority. Then do we do way with censorships at all? The answer is NO again because the moment there are restrictions, art strives to go ahead and establish new laws. To set new laws there has to be an existing set of laws and this applies to not only censorships but to the society as whole. This is a positive outlook towards censorships which needs to be established and made use of instead of criticizing the system. Theatre on the other hand should also consider the power that vest with it. Adding nudity, profanity, and violence would shock the audience and cause the sudden awareness but the extent, the actual usefulness and acceptability of the same needs to be considered again and again. As stated earlier mere freedom of expression does not entitle the power to disrupt the order for no reason. Arousing the audience for the right cause is the duty but supporting the right cause is the unsaid duty as well. An audience which is extremely aware and is capable of exercising the thinking capabilities is required for abolition of censorships at all, which is a utopian situation. Till then the censorship can act as a positive link between the theatre and the society. 3. Contemporary Playwrights and awareness of society What is more important and requires more attention in Idea and Execution? There are many arguments on this question, but in the context of the theatre the Idea would definitely be more divine and important as it is the power of imagination and creativity of the person who write the play. Playwright today would not be a part of the production process of the play. It would be simply expected that the playwright needs to move away when the play is being converted as a stage performance. The process would be needed for the creative freedom of the director and the actors performing the play. However for a playwright it seems most natural that he or she being present at the time of making of the play, to see the characters getting the life form. A good playwright would draw an inspiration from life and as Robert Cohen states the inspiration from his or her own life. This comes naturally because the self experience would naturally get translated into the theatrical presentation. If this holds true then the plays would definitely prove to be the mirror of the life that is happening around the author. Even when the theatre reflects itself as the mirror of the society, the credibility factor of the same cannot be questioned. A good playwright has to take into account that the audience has to identify itself with the characters presented on the stage. The character portrayed is a fictional character, but the fiction draws itself from the reality which makes the character real and believable. The plot has to have a chronology. The instances in the life of the character can be improvised back and forth but if a distinct link between the events is not identified then the character or the story seems unbelievable for the audience. The plot should also keep the audience interested. As long as “what next?” is the question that keeps popping in the minds of the audience, the audience will devote the time and attention towards understanding the play. The language should be eloquent, contemporary and easily understood by the audience. The author of the play expresses his ideas, his theories, philosophies and life through his characters. If the audience is not able to grasp the language then it is surely effort wasted in the direction. The flow of the play should not hinder the understanding of the story. The story of a play is always like baking a decorative cake. The cake needs to be baked well first, followed by the icing, then decorations and lastly cherry on the top. This holds so true that the most experimenting playwright would also not put the cherry and decorations and then slip the cake beneath. If the play has to be perceived the way it should then the flow of the play cannot be disturbed. These are some of the characteristics of a good play, undoubtedly expected from a good playwright. Let us however not overlook the most significant perspective of the same that the play needs to have something to tell, something to share. Art is finally the medium of expression of the artist and that holds true for playwrights as well. The depth of the play, the quality of the experience would depend on the way the experience is taken in, processed and the effect it would have on the writer. It is always stated that it is the gift of expression and words given to a few writers who are able to share the experience with the audience with the same intensity and perspective. Let us have a look at the work of modern times, Tony Kushner who has written with great sensitivity about the issues closer to his heart and what is the most significant facet of his writings. Tony Kushner was born on 16th July 1956 and went ahead to become the most playwright and screenwriter. His plays are considered to be a portrayal of fantasy which has a strong base of reality, but they are still considered to be away from realism. Let us consider his most famous play, ‘Angels in America’. The plot is about gay couples, a drug addict wife having visions and hallucinations and visions that tell her the truth and finally about relationships that go haywire and come together to find the meaning of their lives. The plot is surreal only to represent the reality. One has to consider that the plot takes place in 1984 which was the period for gay rights were supported by democratic national convention. The clause of "All groups must be protected from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, language, age, sex or sexual orientation” was inserted in the democratic party manifesto. This was bound to reflect in the plays and a brilliant work put by Tony Kushner. All the characteristics of a good play are to be seen in this play. The play has dramatic element very well fabricated into it. It is a fine mix of fantasy and reality, in which the angels come, the evil side of human nature, the denying of ones own responsibility towards the partner chosen, deceiving the partner on moral grounds, not coming to terms with one’s own life and understanding. Every aspect of human life and psychology is projected here. In the earlier times no one would have thought of a play to put forth the subject of gay rights or homosexuality so boldly to the audience. Neither would have the audience accepted it so. We have to take into consideration both the factors here. The play hit the audience when it was ready to receive on such a bold topic, and if we think it the other way round then the writer did not wait for the audience to get ready, to say what he felt was justified. The sexual orientation of a person doesn’t make the person any less human than any body else. There could be various shades to this such as, the person getting confused about his sexual orientation, the person not accepting the consequence of a serious disease contracted by him out of his own illogical ego, the wife who wants to discard her fantasies and drugs and get on with life while accepting her husband’s sexual orientation. The subject is handled with great sensitivity and relevance. It would definitely be frightening for the people around who wouldn’t know how to accept a homosexual person in an otherwise so called “straight” society. The play boldly stated that these people have the right to establish, to live a perfectly normal life and an acceptance which is their right. The success of the play is not overlooked. With receipt of numerous awards the play was converted into a television mini series, a motion picture etc. the fact that it is considered to be the most significant milestone piece of literature in itself states the human approach the writer. References: 1) Theatre – Robert Cohen 8th Ed. Tata McGraw Hill Publication 2) (http://community.ocr.org.uk/core/community/public/download_file?rid=348) 3) (Political Censorship – Robert Justin Goldstein, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, USA) 4) (The Frightful Stage: Political Censorship of the Theater in Nineteenth-Century Europe: Edited by Robert Justin Goldstein March 2009) 5) http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/History-Gay-Rights-Movement.htm 6) http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/angels/summary.html 7) http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html 8) http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/media/films/angels.html 9) http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc51.html Read More