ABSTRACT
In many art museums, curators encourage visitors to engage in “close looking” as they move through an exhibit. In this practice, the observer examines a work of art carefully, from many angles, and uses their life experience and critical thinking skills to uncover layers of meaning that personalize their connection to the piece. The process centers the observer as the creator of meaning, rather than focusing on the museum as the authority, or giver, of meaning. Whatever approach an actor employs as they analyze the world a playwright has created, they must get inside their words to experience a character with as much truth as possible. Whether expansively vocalizing the essence of an emotion, devising tableaux, investigating how sculpture, stillness, or physical action can inspire play, or considering how the mechanisms and sounds of speech and language can inspire new meaning, building embodiment brings the world of the play to life.
