ABSTRACT
Most actors yearn to be spontaneous in performance. By that I mean, they yearn to give the appearance that every word they utter, every movement, glance, pause, chuckle, tear has sprung immediately from that moment in response to that partner, whether it be on the stage or in front of the camera. It depends on the style of the piece, of course, but in terms of realistic drama or television, the illusion of spontaneity is probably most actors' dream. While in many ways this illusion may seem to be an impossible expectation, it needn't be so difficult or remote. As 1 discussed in Chapter 1, William James proposed that the most important part of our environment is our fellowman. And, in fact, we only have to turn to Stanislavsky to discover that the secret of spontaneous reaction on the stage is simply to pay 'limitless attention to your partner.'69 If you give absolute attention to every gesture and intonation made by the person you're on-stage with, you can't help but locate your action directly in what Stanislavsky called the 'transient now'.70 You're not thinking about your next line, you're not thinking about why the audience didn't laugh tonight, you're not thinking about why your agent took ten per cent of your holiday pay. You are here and now listening to the person you're performing with, and in this way, you can begin to hold a vital and truthful dialogue.
