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Basic Acting Terms!

Given Circumstances!
Who, What, Where, When, Why!
The story of the play!
The facts, events, time and place of action, the conditions of life.!
The actor and directors interpretation, the sets, lights, costumes, production design, etc.!

Magic If!
In order to be emotionally involved in the imaginary world which the actor builds upon the basis of the
play, and in order to be caught up in the action, the actor must believe in it.!
If this were real, how would I act or behave?!
If I were this character, what would I do, how would I react in his/her place?!
Does not use fear or force, it arouses an inner and real activity and adds a whole set of contingencies
based on the actors experiences.!

Super Objective/Overall Objective!

Longest range goal/want!
That which drives the character throughout the play.!
Stated with I must/want and followed by a strong action verb.!
What do I want? and What am I willing to do to get it?!
ie. I must always conquer those who challenge me. !
ie. I want to be the richest woman in the world.!

Objective/Intention!
Character goal or want in the immediate scene or beat!
Used to achieve the super objective.!
The reason for any physical action!
Objectives are achieved through actions or tactics.!
ie. I must convince my dad to give me the car.!
ie. I want to bring home a lot of money.!

Obstacles!
The circumstances, people or things that stand in the way of a character achieving their intention.!
Something preventing a character from getting what they want.!
Internal obstacles are those that come from inside the character.!
External obstacles are those that come from a characters physical surroundings.!

Tactics!
Specific steps, or specific actions used to overcome obstacles and achieve goals!
Choices or conscious decisions to perform actions in order to achieve objectives!
Different means of obtaining overall objective and intentions!
ie. I must compliment my fathers generosity toward his children.!
ie. I must impress the customers.!

Emotional/Memory Recall!
A tool to help the actor understand and play situations that he/she has never experienced in life.!
The actor finds instances in his/her life to parallel the characters experience and substitutes personal
actions in rehearsal and performance.!
Stanislavski emphasized it was more important to remember what you did rather than how or what you
felt.!
Aids the actor in understanding, empathizing, and hence believing which will lead to feeling.