REHEARSING
Intensifying and Polishing
the Action
Objectives
 Lead
actors to enliven their performances
by exploring “choices”
 Identify and remedy indicating
 Explain the benefits of side coaching
 Polish the action
 Describe some specific rehearsal goals for
final runthroughs
What happens after blocking?
 As
rehearsals progress the director is
spending more time intensifying the play’s
action
 From the actor’s viewpoint, this is moving
from the general to the specific
 The final phase of polishing follows the
intensifying rehearsals
Intensifying the action
 Lead
the actors to the fullest
wants/needs/desires…
What does the character
want?
This is the question that you ask at the early
rehearsals…and the answers often come
throughout the rehearsal period.
Use the body to intensify…
During these rehearsals, the
director has to multitask
The actor and objectives
Objectives need to be stated as active
verbs.
The actor must always play
something
Objectives must be playable
It contains three parts:
A want/need
The object of that need
The response
For example:
“I want to make Jane marry me.”
Make sure your actors know what they are
playing for.
COACHING ACTORS
 Work
with your actors to bring out their
best performances
 You have these TWO responsibilities during
the rehearsal period
1.
2.
Understand the script as a journey between
human characters
Work with the actors to intensify and make
more vivid the actions of their characters
Avoid weak verbs
 Inform
Jane of Bill’s lies is weak
 Poison Jane against Bill is strong
 Make
Bill bow is weak
 Force Bill to kiss my boots is strong
 Remember…you
are staging action...that
means strong verbs!!
Lead the actor to be more
specific
 Avoid
“being” verbs
 An actor may say “I am sad” which may
be true but implies no action
Adjectives are descriptors
They are what the
audience observes in a
character’s
behavior…an actor is
perceived as charming,
when making
“charming” choices in
his or her actions. You
must guide the actor to
find a verb, an actable
verb that helps him or
her appear charming.
CHOICES
They must be specific, clear and serve the
play…
GIVING NOTES
 NOTES
after rehearsal should encourage
actors to intensify the action
 AND…your notes must be specific
 SOME NOTES are easily correctible (notes
about props, sightlines, etc.)
 Use the note period efficiently...for
example, give tech notes separately from
acting notes
INDICATING
Guide actors away from demonstrating
and telegraphing…it is untruthful.
Some corrections to suggest
 What
is happening?
 What are you playing?
 What are your objectives?
 What tactics are you using?
 What stands in your way?
 Why are you here?
WORK TOWARDS “Less is more!”
Polishing the Action
 RUNTHROUGH
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GOALS FOR ACTORS
Continuity
Connections
Clarity
Entrances/exits
Confidence
Polishing the Action
 GOALS
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FOR THE DIRECTOR
Storytelling
Characters/relationships
Climaxes
Shape
Transitions
Business
Make use of written
and specific notes
TECHNICAL AND DRESS
REHEARSALS
 Be
prepared
 This is the time for the
production crew
 Preparation with
actors should be
completed
CURTAIN CALLS
 The
last memory of the audience
 An acknowledgment
of audience applause
 Prepare the bow
 Make sure there is a clear
break between bow and
end of show