ABSTRACT
This chapter explores theories of acting in relation to theories of identity. Rather than providing a singular definition of identity, it looks at many different modes of identity. These modes tend to be chartable on a series of scales resulting from debates around the concept. The first such scale is the degree to which identity is related to the divine - any being, concept, or force beyond mankind. The second scale involves the interiority or exteriority of identity. The next scale involves the degree to which identity is individual or communal. The final scale deals with issues of consistency or change. Identities may be very stable. Debates over acting in the West are frequently also debates over the nature of identity. Each of the scales mentioned above functions differently in different regions around the world. To understand the nature of acting and the individual is to understand an entire set of philosophical, religious, or social ideas.
