ABSTRACT
Acting is after all an artificial activity in which an actor strives to find a 'natural quality'. The gained 'natural quality' in artificiality is required both in a physical score of drinking a cup of tea in a naturalistic play and in codified hand gestures of kathakali performance. This chapter explores how the sensitivity of ki affects the actor's creative process. Along with the body and mind, ki is the chief creative asset that is directly applicable to a contemporary theory and practice of the work of an actor. The chapter examines the actor's internal/invisible experiences from the actor's intimate perspective, drawing on the paradigm of ki and bodymind monism. It focuses on the psychophysical nature of acting as examining the way of approach to the text and language. The chapter argues with the silent performance score of The Water Station, composed by Japanese playwright and director Shogo Ota.
