ABSTRACT
Chapter 2, ‘An independent character’, introduces the idea that for transformative acting to take place the fictional character has to be considered as an entity ‘other’ than the actor. The discussion is placed within the context of debates around the Stanislavskian legacy: contemporary approaches to acting emphasising ‘actioning’ (Declan Donnellan, Max Stafford-Clark) or intuitive reactions leading to ‘processional’ acting. In transformative acting, a different framework is proposed: that of a character ‘constructed’ through a physical process. Personality acting, or the ‘actor-in-action’, is contrasted with the ‘actor-in-character’. The two approaches reflect fundamental differences in attitude toward the role of the body in expression. One argues that the ultimate acting achievement is a state of total relaxation in which the actor’s body is no longer a hindrance and the actor’s reactions are transmitted to the audience without interference (Grotowski). The other adopts what Michael Chekhov called an “imaginary body”, with a beauty all its own. The actor-in-character creates at one and the same time an individual personality and a representative of a social and psychological category or ‘type’. Contrasting attitudes to character creation are illustrated through an analysis of the character of Antonio in The Merchant of Venice.
