ABSTRACT
Good improvisation is about being connected to the present moment and building your scene instant by instant. Masks exist in the present moment. Therefore, working with masks can allow actors to discover what the present moment feels like. Two types of mask work are dealt with in this chapter: full mask and half mask. This work is based on the teachings of Keith Johnstone. Each type of mask has its own techniques, energy, and universe. Full masks provide tools for learning how to stay “in the moment” and navigate a scene instant by instant. They also train simplicity and the notion of “Agon” in relationships. Half masks plunge the actors into a state of true spontaneity and confront them with a real experience of “letting go.” The half mask technique is known as “trance mask.” This chapter is one of the rare publications that explores this approach to mask. You do not need to own masks to use the exercises in this chapter.
