ABSTRACT
All psychophysical actions have a nonverbal component. Many also have a verbal aspect. Verbal action implies that we speak, using words to accomplish our aims and objectives. In Chapter 8, on nonverbal action, we defined action as an active transitive verb and an act of purposeful behavior. This holds true whether actions are fulfilled nonverbally or with speech. This is also true whether actions are fulfilled primarily through physical, psychological, or verbal means. Even if an action’s primary vehicle is verbal, before, after, and during speech all of the nonverbal communication explored in the last chapter will still be active. All actions have a psychological component, and all have a physical expression, which may be obvious or subtle, but only some actions have a verbal component. Verbal action flows from the mind and body simultaneously. It is both psychological and physical. Words are also physical actions. Verbal actions also have a nonverbal component (as you will experience while performing the improvisations in this chapter). Verbal action, like nonverbal action, is motivated by intention. Pursuing that intention is an act of willpower and must be driven by making the desired outcome very important, i.e., by upping the stakes. The power of will plus intention cannot be overestimated. Both are very important attributes for you to develop. It takes strong will and a clear intention in order to fulfill verbal actions. Action is the stimulus for speech onstage. The playwright or screenwriter’s primary vehicle for communicating his themes is words. The actor, director, and designer’s art is in interpreting and communicating those themes through the playwright’s words, using a variety of nonverbal and visual means to communicate to an audience. In film, large parts of the story may be told in images selected by the director and created and conveyed by a variety of visual artists. In the theatre, important parts of the story will also be conveyed nonverbally, and some of the images will be brought to life through design, but many of the important images of the play will be conveyed through the images the actor evokes
with the words. In both mediums, the director’s and actors’ main task is to choose actions that will fulfill the characters’ purpose, accomplish the characters’ goals, and actively move the story ahead.
