ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses dichotomies in action: the interplay between acting and not acting, conscious and subconscious, and knowledge and mystery. By looking at the disparate approaches of Stanislavski and the Nobbs Suzuki Praxis (who are culturally and artistically poles apart), similarities can be made by observing and comprehending the notions of knowledge and mystery, which are both happening at the same time all at once. In a sense, these elements can be described as follows: Knowledge is understanding who you are; mystery is not knowing who you are. This refers to the actor knowing that they are “acting,” not yielding completely to the character without “becoming” it, rather embodying it. A detailed description of an original exercise called “Teddy Bear Exercise” balances the pragmatic notion of action-based actor training and abstract approaches which allows the actor to experience both this knowledge and mystery.
