How Do YOU Get Into Character? — Page 2

I also make up a backstory, but if it is a play, I look at every choice the character has made. They chose to have a fight. They chose to do what they did. Every choice they made affected something.If it is a scene, I look at the objective. Whyd oes this person need this thing? WHy does a person need something from someone else? I just look at it philisophically. I normally go through statistics of my character like, is she tall, short, fat, skinny, what shape are her eyes, what books doe sshe read, what tv shows does she watch, etc)I need to get a clear picture, and osmetimnes a voice into my head. If he or she is stuck up, I might use a differnet voice than a quiet person affected by grief. My volume might change. I just need to jump under the skin of the person, and figure out why this character needs to obtian the objective, and what tactics they use to get their way.
Sorry if I rambled, just after 7 years of training and 3 acting schools, I just gathered all I learned and stuck it out ehre.

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Doesn't it drive you nuts when you're working with an actor who doesn't prepare as much as you do?

Different actors do different amounts of preparation before they begin work on a show or a scene. I don't care how much they prepare as long as they are willing to bring as much to the table as I am.

nydirector2, different people have different methods. I've noticed that the people that put the most work into a role turn out to be the best. More beliveable. And the ones that don't aren't bad actors their's just nothing extra behind the performance. Also having a method helps you @ auditions when there are no costumes.

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I don't really know what I do. When I am in the scene I automatically get into character. Then when I am offstage I am normal. When I am in shows with people they always ask me how I do that. I really don't know...

Interesting to read some of these.

Although I believe that there is no "right" or "wrong" way when it comes to acting technique, I personally agree with much of what David Mamet says in his book "True and False." Basically, he says that THERE IS NO CHARACTER, only lines on a page, and that character is simply an illusion created by living in the moment and actively engaging with the circumstances of the scene. Just as in real life, who you are is what you DO. Of course, how your character feels about things, his personal history, his physical attributes, etc. are important as well, but not as important as what you (as the character) are DOING.

However, depending on the material, each approach is different. For example, the technique involved in playing George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is going to differ from how you would play, say, Fagin in "Oliver." The basics are the same, but you're working different muscles, so to speak.

I could go on and on but I won't. I'm not the "theater God" or anything, those are just my two cents. Anyone care to comment?

i find a spot somewhere quiet, lie down on the floor and usually either take time to completely relax my mind and body or listen to music that is from the era and mood of the show...its weird, i know...but its brought me this far.

A scotch on the rocks @7:00pm....a cigarrette at 7:30pm....gargle @ 7:45pm....ten deep breaths....and GO @ 8:00pm.

Of course,

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i take a breath

Oh goodness--"usual" is probably an exaggeration!

Dreamflyer, I don't think, aside from the obvious difference, that being in a musical should be treated differently from being in a play. In one you sing. In the other, you don't. The difference can be in the dramatic style of the work--is it a farce? Is it a contemporary drama? Is it tragedy? However, some beliefs are that these don't matter--the writing reveals how high the stakes are for the character--you won't be able to help being more presentational in a Moliere or more representational in an Ibsen because their stakes are different.

It's no more realistic to speak like Shakespeare, Williams, or Albee than to start singing if you think about it. It's all heightened language.

And, I'm not trying to poo poo on anyone who has found a technique that works for them. I just hope people know that there are multiple ways of going about it that are valid and many of them are not taught in most schools.

Baritone mentioned True or False by David Mamet--read it. It will probably shock you. It will probably seem blasphemous. But, it may also be revelatory for you. And I find Mamet's views on acting to be freeing--he challenges what has been thought of as the norm.

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When I'm on stage performing I am in character. I just let the material affect me. Whatever it may be.

Before the dress rehearsals, I like to walk around in costume and really "own" the outfit. I also observe all of my props, and give each item its own importance, no matter how small. Does that make sense?

Before a performance, I usually sit by myself, which (oddly enough) some read as being snobby. I just absorb the text, as well as the notes and the homework that I've done on the character. What is my purpose in this scene? What was I doing before I came into the room?