ABSTRACT

What do we look for in a good actor? Engagement with the text, an understanding and passion about the ideas or point of view expressed; and an engagement with the “other” (whether actively onstage with him, or revealed in a monologue). We also demand that indefinable quality, a compelling “presence.” All of these elements draw us in and compel us to live through the actor. Theater is a vicarious art form-we are all voyeurs experiencing emotion or ideas through a character’s eyes-and we want to be drawn in, but it takes a forceful actor to bring us into his world. How do we create these “living” moments, and what can we do to elevate the actor’s performance to this level of charged reality?