Berg Studios

Foundation Packet

Gregory Berger-Sobeck

323-666-3382
[email protected]
www.bergstudios.com

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“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into

action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If

you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. The

world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is; nor how

valuable it is; nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to

keep it yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have

to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to

the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is

no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction,

a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

-Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOUNDATION
THOUGHTS ON ACTOR TRAINING 04
THE OUTER LINE/INNER LINE 06
5 QUESTIONS LIST_____________ 07
5 QUESTIONS EXERCISE LIST REFERENCE GUIDE 08
5 QUESTIONS EXERCISE LIST DESCRIPTIONS 11

TECHNIQUE
VOICE ROUTINE 25
SCREAMING WITHOUT SUFFERING 29
TO STUDY AN ACCENT 30
CONSTRUCTIVE REST 31
SAC OF SAND 35
NOTE ON HOW TO CRITIQUE SCENES 37
179 WAYS TO REHEARSE A SCENE 38

SENSE STRESS
GENERAL RULES FOR SENSE STRESS 45
AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT 48
ARTY 49
CASTING SESSION VIDEO SCRIPT 52
ROMEO AND JULIET 53
NIGHTMARE 54

AUDITIONS
QUESTIONS FOR WORK GUIDELINES 55
AUDITION MONOLOGUE GUIDELINES 60
AUDITION MONOLOGUE CHECKLIST 90
QUICK CHECKLIST FOR AUDITIONS 97
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 98
ON CAMERA NOTES 100

COMMERCIALS
DO’S AND DON’T’S FROM SESSION DIRECTORS… 103
WHAT A C.D. LOOKS FOR IN A COMMERCIAL HEADSHOT? 104
10 TIPS FOR HANDLING SPOKESPERSON COPY 105

REFERENCE RESOURCES
SUGGESTED PLAYS TO READ 106
SUGGESTED READING MATERIAL 117
SUGGESTED BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES 121

INSPIRATION
QUOTES FOR SCENES AND AUDITIONS 122

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!
!

Thoughts on Actor Training

The art of acting involves both the ability to bring the self of the actor to the work and the ability to
transform the self of the actor into the other, that is, the character. The goal in either case is to be able to
illuminate the human condition. The actor lets us see who someone is in particular, helps us to recognize
the cultural influences that formed the character, and suggests to us the powerful needs that drive people to
pursue their objectives in life. To do this well, actors need to reach deeply and honestly into themselves,
free of fear, vanity and judgment. In addition, they must be keen and empathetic observers of the world,
deeply curious about all aspects of human nature, able to take on the behavior, rhythms, cultural points of
view and styles of language, which are quite unlike their contemporary selves. The acting conservatory is
the laboratory that provides the teachers, the structure and the production/performance opportunities to
achieve the above goals.

To help actors in training to have access to themselves in the work as well as to freely and playfully
transform into character, the atmosphere of learning must be free of fear. Fear is the enemy of creativity. It
stifles originality, tenses the body and the voice, dulls the imagination and leads to safe and clichéd
choices in the work. Courage and daring need to be promoted in actor training – courage to reveal, courage
to risk bold choices, courage to take on big tasks which the great plays require of actors. The training
atmosphere needs to allow the actors to reach beyond expectations, even to fail if necessary. Failure itself
should be regarded as a valuable learning experience, something to take information from rather than to
suffer humiliation.

Acting is primarily a physical art. It is about the body. A body that can’t transform or personally reveal is
bound, resistant, overly controlled, tense and unable to play. It can’t reveal what the brain knows, which
results in a serious disconnection between what the actor understands and what the body is able to express.
Many actors can explain it, but they can’t do it. A primary purpose of training is to make actors as
expressive as possible, to teach them to put what they understand intellectually into behavior, sound and
language.

Technique is a vitally important tool in promoting expressivity. Understanding the architecture of a

sustained speech helps the actor to build it in performance. Playing objectives with a visceral need
underneath creates a forceful behavior and imbues language with specificity and an unselfconscious
coloration. Objectives help actors understand that language is action, that words are used by characters to
move their lives forward. A body which is trained for flexibility and responsiveness to stimulate, and
which understands the concept of relaxation as a form of alert and open readiness – not a state of remote
detachment – is ready for and capable of transformation. To a certain degree, technique means that actors
learn to follow the rules of each discipline. But the rules of technique are not ends unto themselves.
Principles of speech, for example, are needed to help the character be a credible person, not to give a
demonstration of speech technique. Actors in training need to learn to adhere to the rules while
simultaneously discovering that they also must seek a certain degree of freedom within structure. Freedom
in acting may be regarded as a form of serious play. Serious in the context does not mean grim and
academic, but play in its most deeply invested and imaginatively open state.

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The actors’ minds as well as their bodies need to be trained. They should be able to get inside the mind of
the playwright, to penetrate the center of the event, which the writer has structured, in order to bring it to
specific life on the stage. Actors should develop the ability to translate a director’s notes into the language
of the technique they are learning, without always insisting that the director speak only the vocabulary of
the actor. The art of the theatre is the art of collaboration, and actors need to be trained not only to accept
that fact, but also to find creative excitement in the interaction of collaborators. I would hope that
playwrights, directors and designers believe that actors do think, not just respond to orders, and that part of
collaboration is valuing what the mind of the actor can contribute.

Whatever the system of acting or sequence of curriculum endorsed by the actor training institution, its
leaders and faculty collectively must truly and deeply believe in what they are doing. It is a big
responsibility to set the aesthetic standard for the life of a young artist. Faculty needs to be self-examining,
flexible and responsive to changes in curriculum if necessary. They need to communicate with each other
as well as with students. They need to collaborate and not compete, in the same way they are training
students to collaborate. Students are extraordinarily sensitive to the atmosphere among faculty, they sense
immediately the degree to which each teacher is truly dedicated to his or her particular discipline. If they
find the atmosphere to be tense and divided or less than rigorous in its demands, their progress will suffer
accordingly.

On a personal note, I find myself at present somewhat disappointed in the results of actor training at many
of our conservatories. At the same time, I am freshly energized by the thought of being instrumental in
renewing the possibility of stronger results. My disappointment arises out of my observation that the
leading actor training programs have been successful in the last decade mostly at providing the profession
with a “useful” category of actor rather than dynamic and original leaders in the field, which they could
and should be both identifying and nurturing. The reasons for this situation are complex, and to a certain
degree, unique unto each institution involved in actor training, but the mission to re-dedicate our talents
and energies to reversing this trend is important and imperative.

Ron Van Lieu

Lloyd Richards Professor of Acting

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 YOUR WORDS WILL NOT BE EMPTY NOR YOUR SILENCES DUMB
- Konstantin Stanislavski!

THE OUTER LINE/THE INNER LINE!

!
The Outer Line: The outer line is the logical sense of the sentence/speech. It is the data being expressed, the
information or the idea, transmitted in the most lucid, accessible, and logical format that the actor can achieve, no
matter how complex the structure of the thought. Lying behind it is a desire to be comprehensively heard and
understood. Ultimately, since sound and sense are conjunctive in Shakespeare’s verse, the rhythm and rate of the
language will co-operate with the logic of the ideas.!
!
The Inner Line: The specific images, e.g. graphic representations, which inhabit, enliven, and particularize the
words of the outer line. Images can be thought of as tangible, physical objects (pictures; graphic representations)
which the actor creates (conjures) internally, then “wraps” in a word (sound) and implants into the other actor,
attempting to forge a shared graphic meaning for what that word connotes. The action of “sending” the image to the
partner is a physical action: direct and kinetic. The actor is not passive, assuming (hoping) that his/her particular
images will be received, but actively and dynamically imbedding the specific image(s) in the partner’s being. When
totaled, the independent images create a kind of “image film,” a series of highly charged and focused graphics which
lie underneath the colorized and rhythmical sound of the words that constitute the outer line.!
!
Context: Given Circumstances: Both the inner and the outer line will be greatly effected by the context in which the
speech is placed. Contextual elements include: 1) the “original” meaning of the word, e.g. what we believe to be
Shakespeare’s usage at the moment (of “humor” as a physical condition rather than comedy,) 2) the context of the
production (“bright metal” may mean “armor” or “glowing Plutonium” depending on what production is afoot,) 3)
the context of the character as the actor currently comprehends him/her (“bright metal” may imagistically shift from
brass armor to a silver mirror as the actor begins to investigate the vanity, rather than the valor, of the character, and
4) numerous other “given circumstances:” the physical environment of the scene (public or private, inclement or
pacific, et.), the progression of the play, who is, or isn’t, onstage, etc. In the quote below, these contextual elements
are what Stanislavski refers to when he uses the word “justify.”!
!
The Point: Investigating the outer and inner lines is a way of empirically, experientially, investigating the sentence,
the speech, the scene, the role. It is a way of walking around inside the character, dynamically examining and
testing their means of action, their pre-occupations, their “inner” worlds, It is necessarily a subjective experience;
you are being asked to logically and imaginatively create a vital, physical word/action-life in response to a neutral
set of glyphs on a blank page. Certainly “labor-intensive” at the outset (it gets easier with experience,) this process
is meant as much to stimulate the unconscious, properly seed-bedding imagination and impulse, as to create
conscious form. Out of this work will emerge character: a series of achieved (or unachieved, but striven for)
gestures: actions in the physical and metaphysical sense of the word.!
!
From Vasily Toporkov’s Stanislavski in Rehearsal:!
!
Every physical action must be active, must lead to the attainment of some kind of objective. For the sharpening of
verbal action, Stanislavski had many teaching methods. But they could be divided into two categories: one, the
outer line, studying the logical construction of the sentence; the other, the inner line, developing in the actor images
which he can justify, of graphic representations which underlie the text to the role. The actor’s task in verbal action
consists in imparting his own images to his partner. In order to do this, he must see very clearly what he is talking
about. If he does this, his partner, too, will see through the “inner window” the picture drawn for him clearly and in
detail.!
! !

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 5!Questions!List!
!
5!Questions!(Preamble)!!
Where!am!I?!!
Who!am!I?!Who!am!I!with?!!
What!do!I!want?!!
What!am!I!doing!to!get!what!I!want?!!
What!are!the!consequences!if!I!get!what!I!want!or!do!not!get!what!I!want?!!
________________________________________________________________!!
!!
What!is!my!argument/world!view?!(Super!Objective)!!
What!did!I!come!into!this!room!to!do?!(Scene!Objective)!!!
What!is!the!event!of!the!scene?!
What!are!the!Outer!Obstacles?!Imaginary!Outer!Obstacles?!!
What!is!the!Inner!Obstacle/!the!event!that!changed!the!course!of!my!life?!!
What!do!I!want!to!make!my!partner!feel?!(Actions)!!
Are!they!logical!or!illogical?!!
What!are!the!hows!of!my!actions?!!
What!is!the!doubt!in!my!argument?!
!!
What!are!the!social!morale’s!of!the!time?!!
How!do!I!see!myself!in!the!other!characters?!!
What!is!my!stereotype?!!
From!the!writer’s!point!of!view:!what!is!the!function!of!my!character?!!
What!is!the!function!of!my!character!in!the!given!changing!societies!I!am!in?!!
(i.e.!me!at!work…!me!at!class…!etc.)!!
!!
How!do!I!act!out!that!function!for!others?!!
When!am!I!lying?!!
What!is!my!secret?!!
What!are!the!negative!and!positive!sources/hotspots!within!the!environment?!!
!!
What!are!the!given!circumstances?!!!
What!are!the!facts?!!
What!are!my!likes!and!dislikes?!!
What!is!the!sense!stress!telling!me!about!myself,!and!the!situation?!!
What!is!this!scene!about?!!
What!question!is!the!writer!asking!by!writing!this?!!
What!does!this!question!mean!to!me!in!my!life?!!
How!can!this!question!change!my!world!and!my!identity!within!this!world?!!
!

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The$5$Questions$Exercise$List!Reference$Guide
!!
!
I) Where$am$I!!(Environment)!
!!
01.!!Affective!Memory!
02.!!Sensorial!Exercise!
03.!!Repeating!Sources!
04.!!Past!Environment!
05.!!First/Last!Time!Event!
06.!!Identify!Safe!&!Unsafe!Areas!in!the!Environment!
07.!!Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!
08.!!Source!to!Source!
09.!!Destination!Exercise!
10.!!Utilizing!Objects!in!an!Unusual!Manner!
!!
II) Who$Am$I/Who$am$I$with?$(Character/Relationship)!
$!
01.!!Personalization!
02.!!Music!with!Personalization!
03.!!Level!Work!
04.!!Who!Am!I?!
05.!!Repeating!Sources!
06.!!Speak!out!in!another!language!
07.!!Animal!Exercise!
08.!!Slap!Game!
09.!!3!Stereotypes!
10.!!Imitating!the!other!person!
11.!!Breathing!in!the!other!persons!words!
12.!!Changing!relationships!
13.!!Exchanging!roles!
14.!!Private!Moment!
15.!!Improv!of!Past!Relationship!
16.!!Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!
17.!!History!as!an!observation!
18.!!Other!Person’s!Private!Story!
19.!!Speak!for!Someone!Else!
20.!!3rd!person!in!the!scene!
21.!!Picture!Exercise!
22.!!Character!Picture!Exercise!
23.!!Whispering!for!Privacy!
24.!!Active!Listening!
!!
!
!
!
!
$
$

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III)$$$What$Do$I$Want?!(Objective)!
!!
01.!!Triangle!Exercise!
02.!!Chess!Board!Exercise!
03.!!3!Genres!
04.!!Speaking!Out!Subtext!
05.!!Dropping!Words!In!
06.!!Saying!Scene!in!your!own!words!
07.!!Speak!Out!in!Another!Language!
08.!!Monologue!Exercise!
09.!!Psychological!Gesture!
10.!!I!am,!I!want,!I!need,!I!Feel!
11.!!I!see!this,!it!makes!me!fee!this…!
12.!!Personal!object!going!into!Monologue!
13.!!Improv!of!Past!Relationship!
14.!!Utilizing!Objects!in!an!Unusual!manner!
15.!!Descriptive!Adjectives!
16.!!Watching!a!personal!movie!on!a!target!
17.!!What’s!going!on!with!me!today?!
18.!!Have!a!secret!
19.!!3rd!person!in!the!Scene!
20.!!Fencing!Exercise!
21.!!Active!Listening!
22.!!Link!“What!it!is!About”!to!the!Sense!Stress!
!!
IV)$$$What$Am$I$Doing$to$Get$What$I$Want?$(Actions)!
01.!!Level!Work!
02.!!Chess!Board!Exercise!
03.!!3!Genres!
04.!!2!Actions!into!Scene!
05.!!Repetition!Question!
06.!!Alternating!Rhythms!
07.!!Ding!Exercise!
08.!!Physicalizing!the!Words!
09.!!Source!to!Source!
10.!!Doing!the!Scene!in!Movement!
11.!!Animal!Exercise!
12.!!Topping!Exercise!
13.!!Slap!Game!
14.!!3!Stereotypes!
15.!!Physicalizing!the!actions!
16.!!Singing!the!Scene!
17.!!Imitating!the!Other!person!
18.!!Exchanging!Roles!
19.!!Psychological!Gesture!
20.!!Throwing!(On!the!action)!
21.!!Exaggerate!the!Scene!to!the!Fullest!
22.!!All!Positive!Actions!
23.!!I!see!this,!it!makes!me!feel!this…!

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24.!!Descriptive!Adjectives!
25.!!Say!the!Line!Multiple!Times!
26.!!Whispering!for!Privacy!
27.!!Fencing!Exercise!
28.!!Music!Into!Movement!Into!Sound!into!Words!
29.!!Fact!Exercise!
30.!!Shouting!into!Whispering!
31.!!Gesture/Movement!into!Language!
!!
V)$$$$What$Are$the$Consequences$if$I$get$what$I$want?$$What$are$the$consequences$if$I$do$not$
get$what$I$want?$(Expecations/Stakes)!
01.!!Affective!memory!
02. First/Last!Time!Event!
03. Exaggerate!the!Scene!to!he!Fullest!
04. Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!
05. Have!a!secret!
06. Pillars!of!fear!
07. Pillars!of!Hope!

!
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The!5!Questions!Exercise!List!(Descriptions)
!
1.)!WHERE!AM!I?!(ENVIRONMENT)!
1.!!Affective!Memory!
• Sit!in!a!chair!facing!forward.!Eyes!closed.!Take!a!single!moment!in!your!life!and!
describe!the!senses!at!that!moment.!Once!it!“drops!in”,!stay!there!and!speak!out.!Then!go!
back!to!the!senses!again.!After!having!done!a!series!of!personal!affective!memories,!you!
can!make!up!an!imaginative!single!moment,!and!let!the!affective!memory!go!personal!and!
imaginary.!Purpose:!To!connect!emotionally!and!then!attach!it!to!a!scene.!Also!to!connect!
to!a!situation!in!a!scene!that!you!may!know!nothing!about!(i.e.!death!of!a!child).!Can!also!
be!used!to!create!the!3rd!person!in!the!scene.!
!
2.!!Sensorial!Exercise!
• Lead!yourself!through!each!of!the!five!senses!as!you!do!the!scene!and!
have!language!come!from!that.!All!attention!is!on!one!sense!at!a!time.!First!do!the!reality!
of!the!environment,!and!then!try!doing!it!with!the!circumstances!of!the!
scene.!Purpose:!To!get!the!actor!off!the!linear!line,!to!pay!attention,!and!create!
environment.!!
!
3.!!Repeating!Sources!
• Do!a!small!portion!of!the!scene!using!a!few!specific!sources.!Repeat!that!portion!
again!landing!on!the!same!sources!and!trusting!that!the!source!will!
inform!you.!Purpose:!To!lock!in!the!sources!and!discipline!yourself!to!land!on!one!thing;!
single!minded!focus.!
!
4.!!Past!Environment!
• Choose!a!personal!environment!from!the!past.!Do!the!scene!and!deal!with!each!
object!in!your!environment!“as!if”!it!were!from!your!past.!(i.e.!if!your!past!has!a!
fireplace!but!your!set!has!a!couch,!deal!with!the!couch!as!if!it!were!the!
fireplace.)!Purpose:!It!builds!specificity!to!environment,!privacy,!and!imagination!and!leads!
to!nonZlinear!choices.!
!
5.!!First/Last!Time!Event!
• Do!the!scene!as!if!you!are!rediscovering!everything!sensorially!for!the!very!
first/last!time.!Experience!everything!for!the!first/last!time.!Everything!is!a!
discovery.!Purpose:!To!get!the!actor!into!complete!exploration!and!discovery.!
!
6.!!Identify!Safe!&!Unsafe!Areas!in!the!Environment!
• Identify!places!in!the!environment!that!help!you!get!what!you!want!(safe)!or!that!
restricts!you!from!getting!what!you!want!(unsafe).!Purpose:!To!find!habitual!behavior!that!
you!have!within!a!specific!environment!which!will!help!lead!you!to!acquiring!an!objective.!
!
7.!!Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!
• Look!forward!and!see!a!movie.!Let!the!movie!change!your!body.!Treat!it!like!it!is!a!
dream!and!accept!whatever!comes!up.!Look!at!your!partner!and!recognize!the!movie!in!
them,!in!their!eyes.!Do!not!begin!to!speak!until!you!see!it.!Then!begin!the!dialog,!seeing!
the!movie!in!your!partner!and!allow!the!movie!to!transform!and!change,!thus!

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 changing!your!body.!Purpose:!Paying!attention!to!the!target,!allowing!the!imagination!to!
soar,!and!for!the!subconscious!to!tell!you!what!the!scene!is!really!about.!This!also!makes!
the!work!very!film!worthy.!
!
8.!!Source!to!Source!(Threading)!
• Work!the!scene!slowly!going!from!one!source!to!the!next,!based!on!the!
source!necessitating!everything.!Purpose:!Used!for!threading.!How!one!thing!necessitates!
the!next.!Creates!destination,!and!is!also!useful!if!someone!is!selfZgenerating.!
Creates!character!thoughts.!
!
9.!!Destination!Exercise!(Grid)!
• Set!up!a!ritual!in!your!home!that!you!would!normally!do!and!repeat!that!ritual!until!
it!becomes!second!nature!(i.e.!how!you!get!ready!for!bed).!Each!actor!performs!their!
respective!ritual!alone,!and!then!both!actors!perform!their!ritual!at!the!same!
time.!Purpose:!To!illuminate!that!acting!is!about!behavior!and!not!dialogue.!When!your!
partner!enters!the!scene!they!are!an!interruption!to!the!ritual.!You!are!always!trying!to!go!
back!to!the!ritual!that!was!interrupted.!!
!
10.!!Utilizing!Objects!in!an!Unusual!Manner!
• Simply!use!the!objects!in!an!unusual!manner.!Purpose:!To!broaden!the!spectrum!of!
how!you!can!use!the!sources!physically.!
!
!
!!
2.)!WHO!AM!I/WHO!AM!I!WITH?!(CHARACTER/!RELATIONSHIP)!
1.!!Personalization!
• Scene!partners!sit!facing!each!other!in!chairs.!Each!partner!individually!begins!to!
express!what!he/she!‘feels’!and!what!he/she!‘needs.’!Once!he/she!has!“dropped!in,”!
he/she!will!make!a!physical!gesture!that!emphasizes!that!need.!Purpose:!To!identify!
whom!that!other!person!in!the!scene!is!to!you!personally,!based!on!your!need!for!
him/her.!Not!the!situation!!Your!physical!behavior!is!how!you!deal!with!that!person.!
2.!!Music!with!Personalization!
• Music!is!not!used!for!tone,!or!soundtrack.!The!music!speaks!through!you.!You!do!
not!select!music!to!make!yourself!sad.!You!select!music!that!should!personify!your!
personalization.!Purpose:!To!personify!your!personalization!through!music.!It!
is!NOT!to!translate!the!emotion!of!the!music!into!the!emotion!of!the!scene.!
!
3.!!Level!Work!
• Level!3:!Identify!a!stereotype!or!archetype!based!on!the!text.!These!are!the!
physical!manifestations!of!the!character.!I.e.!all!jocks!are!dumb.!!
• Level!2:!is!character,!“me”!in!the!given!circumstances.!!
• Level!1:!is!a!personal!private!statement!(rarely!expressed).!!
• Run!the!scene!three!times!utilizing!only!one!level!at!a!time.!Then!run!the!scene!
switching!back!and!forth!between!the!levels.!Switching!is!immediate,!with!no!gradual!
transitions.!Purpose:!To!identify!the!different!aspects!of!the!character!and!to!use!the!
levels!to!acquire!the!objective.!We!go!through!different!personas!(levels)!to!acquire!the!
objective.!

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!
4.!!Who!Am!I?!
• Choose!one!word!of!who!your!character!is!(i.e.!dependent).!Do!the!scene!exploring!
that!one!word,!physically!and!to!the!maximum.!Purpose:!To!transform;!character!comes!
out!behaviorally.!
!
5.!!Repeating!Sources!
• Do!a!small!portion!of!the!scene!using!a!few!specific!sources.!Repeat!that!portion!
again!landing!on!the!same!sources!and!trusting!that!the!source!will!
inform!you.!Purpose:!To!lock!in!the!sources!and!discipline!yourself!to!land!on!one!thing;!
single!minded!focus.!
!
6.!!Speak!Out!in!Another!Language.!
• If!you!have!a!first!language!that!is!not!English,!do!the!scene!in!your!native!
language.!Purpose:!To!release!you!emotionally!and!help!you!to!utilize!the!rhythm!of!your!
own!language!in!the!text.!!
!!
7.!!Animal!Exercise!
• Explore!the!scene!like!the!essence!of!an!animal.!Not!actually!the!
animal.!Purpose:!To!illuminate!the!language!and!bring!out!the!relationship,!off!the!linear!
line!and!into!the!imagination.!
!
8.!!Slap!Game!
• Actors!stand!facing!each!other,!looking!into!each!other’s!eyes.!First!actor!holds!
hands!palms!up.!Second!actor!hovers!his!hands!a!couple!inches!over,!palms!down.!First!
actor!flips!his!hands!over!trying!to!slap!the!other!student’s!hands.!If!he/she!is!successful,!
he/she!continues!to!be!the!slapper,!if!he/she!misses,!the!actors!switch.!Now!add!the!lines,!
and!put!this!into!the!language.!Can!also!add!celebrating!every!time!one!wins.!Purpose:!To!
affect!change!in!the!other!person!and!to!accept!any!variance!in!action!that!comes!up.!
!
9.!!3!Stereotypes!
• Pick!3!stereotype!relationships!that!your!imagination!responds!to!and!that!are!the!
essence!of!the!relationship!in!the!scene.!Explore!each!stereotype!singularly!and!fully,!
working!the!scene!doing!only!one!at!a!time.!Now!do!the!scene!again,!incorporating!all!
three!and!change!on!a!dime!from!one!to!the!next.!Now!do!the!scene!again!throwing!out!
the!homework.!Purpose:!Brings!out!the!relationship.!
!
10.!!Imitating!the!Other!Person!
• Perform!the!scene!mirroring!each!other.!Purpose:!To!build!a!physical!chemistry!
between!the!characters.!Works!great!for!flirtation!and!competitive!scenes.!
!
11.!!Breathing!in!the!Other!Persons!Words!
• Do!the!scene!paying!attention!only!to!your!scene!partner’s!sense!stress!words.!
Imaging!the!other!person’s!images!and!allowing!your!body!to!respond!physically!to!
them.!Purpose:!Paying!attention.!
!
12.!!Changing!Relationships!

13
 • Pick!three!relationships!that!are!the!essence!of!the!relationship!in!the!scene!(i.e.!
Mother/Child,!Boss/Secretary).!Do!the!scene!three!times!exploring!each!relationship!
individually.!Now!do!the!scene!again!incorporating!all!three,!changing!on!a!dime,!one!at!a!
time!off!your!scene!partner!every!time!there!is!new!information.!Purpose:!To!bring!out!
the!relationship!and!understand!how!they!change!every!time!there!is!new!information.!
!
13.!!Exchanging!Roles!
• Scene!partners!should!do!the!scene!switching!roles!and!dialogue.!Purpose:!To!hear!
what!you!are!actually!saying!to!the!other!person.!
!
14.!!Private!Moment!
• This!is!best!defined!as!“something!you!would!stop!doing!if!someone!else!entered!
the!room”.!Set!up!an!activity!that!is!private.!Set!up!the!environment!and!do!the!private!
activity!publicly!in!front!of!the!class.!Purpose:!To!practice!being!private!in!public!and!
to!find!indigenous!behavior!that!you!will!later!use!for!any!given!character.!
!
15.!!Improv!of!Past!Relationship!
• Recreate!a!specific!time/event!in!their!past!relationship!(i.e.!a!special!
Christmas).!Improv!the!event!with!your!partner.!Next,!do!the!scene!informed!by!that!
event!trying!to!get!back!to!that.!Purpose:!To!have!your!past!relationship!inform!your!
present!behavior.!
!
16.!!Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!
• Look!forward!and!see!a!movie.!Let!the!movie!change!your!body.!Treat!it!like!it!is!a!
dream!and!accept!whatever!comes!up.!Look!at!your!partner!and!recognize!the!movie!in!
them,!in!their!eyes.!Do!not!begin!to!speak!until!you!see!it.!Then!begin!the!dialog,!seeing!
the!movie!in!your!partner!and!allow!the!movie!to!transform!and!change,!thus!
changing!your!body.!Purpose:!Paying!attention!to!the!target,!allowing!the!imagination!to!
soar,!and!for!the!subconscious!to!tell!you!what!the!scene!is!really!about.!This!also!makes!
the!work!very!film!worthy.!
!
17.!!History!as!an!Observation!
• Pay!hyperZattention!to!your!scene!partner’s!body.!Assume!that!what!your!scene!
partner!does!means!something!to!you!historically.!Purpose:!To!get!tuned!in!to!someone!
else’s!body!and!develop!history!in!the!relationship.!It!will!help!you!decide!whether!your!
partner’s!physical!behavior!will!help!you!get!your!objective.!
!
18.!!Personalized!Monologue!
• Speak!out!what!is!happening!in!your!life!right!now!and!attach!it!to!the!
monologue.!Purpose:!To!make!a!visceral!attachment!from!what’s!going!on!in!your!life!to!
the!character’s!monologue.!
!
19.!!Other!Person’s!Private!Story!
• Partners!tell!each!other!a!story!about!their!own!lives.!Then!each!partner!tells!the!
other’s!story.!Then!you!can!attach!a!monologue!or!dialogue!from!a!script!using!the!story!
you’ve!just!spoken.!Purpose:!To!see!how!easily!we!empathize!with!others!and!to!respect!
the!story!the!writer!is!telling!and!not!to!interpret!it!through!our!own!lives.!!

14
 !
20.!!Speak!for!Someone!Else!
• Simply!inhabit!another’s!fight/plight!and!speak!out!on!their!behalf.!Purpose:!To!
give!you!the!courage!to!release!in!the!role!by!empathizing!for!someone!else’s!situation!in!
the!event!that!your!own!personal!situation!is!too!close!and!does!not!allow!you!to!release.!
!
21.!!3rd!Person!in!the!Scene!
• Imagining!a!third!person!in!the!scene!that!is!currently!not!present!that!is!either!
another!character!in!the!play!or!one!that!is!made!up!(i.e.!An!unborn!child).!Purpose:!To!
acquire!the!objective!from!the!person!in!front!of!you.!To!have!that!third!person!manifest!
in!your!own!physical!behavior.!
!
22.!!Picture!Exercise!
• Bring!in!three!pictures:!1.!The!essence!of!what!the!scene!is,!2.!What!the!essence!of!
the!relationship!to!the!other!character!is,!and!3.!A!picture!of!your!character!and!what!it!
represents.!Purpose:!To!have!the!pictures!inhabit!the!scene.!To!think!of!the!scene!in!terms!
of!imagery!rather!than!in!language.!
!
23.!!Character!Picture!Exercise!
• Bring!in!a!picture!of!a!painting!or!photograph!of!a!person.!Perform!your!scene!or!
monologue!as!if!you!were!that!character,!including!the!given!circumstances!of!that!
picture.!At!some!point!you!will!inhabit!the!pose!of!the!character!in!that!
photo.!Purpose:!To!create!an!imaginary!backstory!of!the!character!through!behavior.!
!
24.!!Whispering!for!Privacy!
• Use!the!dialogue!as!if!it!were!a!secret!instead!of!exclamatory!information.!Whisper!
the!lines.!Purpose:!To!heighten!the!intention!of!the!action!by!including!or!reaching!the!
person!to!whom!you!are!speaking.!
!
25.!!Active!Listening!
• Take!the!other!person’s!sense!stress!words!and!interpret!them!as!a!fantasy!
inspired!by!your!objective.!I.e.!The!word!“cake”!can!lead!you!into!the!fantasy!of!getting!
married.!It!is!not!to!take!a!literal!interpretation!of!those!words!from!the!partner!but!to!
image!where!those!words!lead!you.!Purpose:!To!put!your!focus!outside!of!yourself!and!to!
use!your!partner’s!language!to!catapult!you!into!fantasy!which!allows!you!to!pursue!your!
objective.!!
!
!
3.)!WHAT!DO!I!WANT?!(OBJECTIVE)!
1.!!Triangle!Exercise!
• Stand!in!3!different!spots!on!the!stage!that!will!form!a!triangle.!Stage!R,!
represents!“Actor”,!Stage!L!represents!“Character”,!Down!Center!apex!represents!“me”.!
Starting!at!“Actor”!the!student!will!ask!questions!of!either!the!“Character”!or!“me”.!When!
he!answers!the!“Actor”,!he!will!go!to!the!“Character”!spot!on!the!stage!and!answer!to!the!
“Actor”.!Keep!going!with!questions!and!answers!between!all!three.!Purpose:!To!transform!
your!thoughts,!bring!up!subtext!of!the!character,!deepen!your!motives,!or!simply!just!to!
get!more!information,!or!when!you!feel!stuck.!

15
 !
2.!!Chess!Board!Exercise!
• Scene!partners!stand!on!the!stage!as!if!they!are!chess!pieces!on!a!chessboard.!They!
move!as!they!say!each!line,!landing!on!their!spot!on!their!last!word.!Now!do!the!scene!and!
distill!it.!This!is!about!expectation!and!strategy.!We!are!always!thinking!one!step!
ahead.!Purpose:!Physicalize!strategy.!
!
3.!!3!Genres!
• Pick!three!genres!(soap!opera,!horror,!musical!theatre,!sciZfi.!Etc.).!These!should!be!
physically!in!your!body.!Do!the!scene!going!back!and!forth!between!all!three.!Do!it!fully!
and!physically!in!the!most!fun,!fantastic,!and!imaginative!way!possible.!Purpose:!To!use!
this!when!the!scene!is!stiff.!Also!used!to!have!fun!and!to!throw!out!the!“idea”!of!the!
scene.!
!
4.!!Speaking!Out!Subtext!
• When!emotions!start!bubbling!up!in!a!scene,!say!what!you!really!want!to!say!or!say!
what!you!don’t!want!to!say.!Then!go!back!to!the!language!of!the!text.!Purpose:!To!identify!
real!character!thoughts!(subtext).!Also!increases!the!need!and!clarifies!what!the!scene!is!
about!personally.!The!subtext!is!not!paraphrasing!what!the!line!is!saying.!
!
5.!!Dropping!Words!In!
• Lay!on!the!ground,!relaxed,!with!eyes!closed.!Remind!yourself!of!what!you!need.!
Now!begin!to!say!the!sense!stress!words!one!at!a!time,!allowing!images!to!float!in.!Also!
allow!them!to!affect!your!body.!You!can!also!ask!yourself!questions!or!have!somebody!
else!do!it!too.!Now!say!your!line,!but!take!a!pause!before!the!image.!Then!throw!out!the!
homework.!Purpose:!To!connect!to!the!language!personally!and!imaginatively.!This!is!
especially!good!for!elevated!material.!
!
6.!!Saying!the!scene!in!your!own!words!
• This!is!not!paraphrasing.!You!get!to!say!what!you!really!want!to!say,!or!what!you!
really!don’t!want!to!say.!Purpose:!To!familiarize!yourself!with!the!language.!I.e.!A!
Shakespearean!line.!
!
7.!!Speak!Out!in!Another!Language.!
• If!you!have!a!first!language!that!is!not!English,!do!the!scene!in!your!native!
language.!Purpose:!It!releases!you!emotionally!and!helps!you!to!utilize!the!rhythm!of!your!
own!language!in!the!text.!!
!
8.!!Monologue!Exercise!
• Speak!your!monologue!to!your!personalization,!then!cross!to!the!personalization,!
and!respond!as!your!personalization!to!answer!yourself.!Purpose:!To!create!a!dialog!from!
a!monologue.!
!
9.!!Psychological!Gesture!
• Finding!one!definitive!gesture!that!epitomizes!the!character’s!need.!It!is!about!
solving!the!problem!through!the!need!and!repeating!that!over!and!over!until!it!creates!a!

16
 mantra!in!your!body.!Purpose:!To!discover!your!physical!manifestation!of!the!need!that!
you!can!continually!go!back!to!in!the!scene.!
!
10.!!I!Am,!I!Want,!I!Need,!I!Feel!
• This!exercise!is!done!during!a!scene,!before!each!line!is!said.!Each!actor!says,!“I!
feel…”!“I!am…”!I!want…!”!“I!need…”!filling!in!the!blank!with!the!first!image!that!comes!to!
their!body.!Then!they!say!their!line!and!trust!their!body!to!respond!
accordingly.!Purpose:!That!you!work!from!an!objective!and!that!it!gives!you!a!nonZlinear!
sub!textual!vocabulary!for!that!objective.!It!gives!a!different!interpretation!of!how!the!line!
is!said.!The!line!is!informed!by!“I!am”,!“I!want”,!“I!need”,!and!“I!feel”.!
!
11.!!I!see!this,!it!makes!me!feel!this…!
• “I!see!this”!identifies!a!very!singular!source.!“I!feel!this”!identifies!how!I!feel!about!
this!source.!You!let!what!you!see!change!you.!Then!you!say!the!line!with!an!action!that!
resolves!the!problem!(feeling).!The!line!is!the!resolution.!Purpose:!Paying!attention!and!
trusting!the!target!to!speak!to!you.!Will!lead!to!interesting!nonZlinear!actions!and!
character!thoughts.!
!
12.!!Personal!Object!going!into!Monologue!
• Find!an!object!that!is!meaningful!and!have!a!monologue!memorized.!Sit!in!a!
neutral!position!with!feet!on!the!floor.!Look!to!the!object!describing!it!in!detail:!Who!gave!
it!to!you!or!how!you!acquired!it!and!what!your!relationship!is!to!that!person.!Purpose:!To!
make!a!personal!connection!to!the!monologue!using!an!object!that!is!representative!of!
someone!in!your!life.!Also!the!idea!of!connecting!a!subZtextual!line!to!the!monologue!so!
you’re!not!thinking!about!what!you’re!saying!in!the!monologue!but!rather!the!relationship!
(who!you!are!speaking!to).!
!!
13.!!Improv!of!Past!Relationship!
• Recreate!a!specific!time/event!in!yourr!past!relationship!(i.e.!a!special!Christmas).!
Improv!the!event!with!your!partner.!Next!do!the!scene,!informed!by!that!event,!trying!to!
get!back!to!that.!Purpose:!To!have!your!past!relationship!inform!your!present!behavior.!
!
14.!!Utilizing!Objects!in!an!Unusual!Manner!
• Utilize!every!object!that!you!“land”!on!in!an!unusual!manner.!The!object!will!either!
become!something!different!because!of!how!you!are!using!it,!or!it!will!become!something!
different!causing!you!to!utilize!it!unusually.!Both!are!great.!Try!to!affect!the!other!person!
through!the!use!of!the!object.!Purpose:!Exercises!imagination,!leads!to!nonZlinear!choices!
in!sending!action,!eliminates!selfZgenerating,!and!its!just!lots!of!fun.!
!
15.!!Descriptive!Adjectives!
• “When!I’m!‘alone’!I!feel...”!insert!adjective.!This!is!a!quick!way!of!personalizing!a!
scene.!First,!ask!!‘what!is!the!scene!about!to!me.’!If!it!is!about!being!alone!say,!“When!I!am!
alone!I!feel…”!Insert!as!many!different!adjectives!into!the!blank!as!possible.!Purpose:!To!
discover!the!potential!“hows"!of!the!action!and!to!broaden!what!your!emotional!
responses!to!the!scene!are.!Eg.!When!I!am!rejected!I!feel!(alone)!(rejected)!(hungry)!
!
16.!!Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!

17
 • Look!forward!and!see!a!movie.!Let!the!movie!change!your!body.!Treat!it!like!it!is!a!
dream!and!accept!whatever!comes!up.!Look!at!your!partner!and!recognize!the!movie!in!
them,!in!their!eyes.!Do!not!begin!to!speak!until!you!see!it.!Then!begin!the!dialog,!seeing!
the!movie!in!your!partner!and!allow!the!movie!to!transform!and!change,!thus!
changing!your!body.!Purpose:!Paying!attention!to!the!target,!allowing!the!imagination!to!
soar,!and!for!the!subconscious!to!tell!you!what!the!scene!is!really!about.!This!also!makes!
the!work!very!film!worthy.!
!
17.!!What’s!Going!on!with!Me!Today?!
• Ask!yourself!“What’s!going!on!with!me!today?”!Then!do!the!scene!trying!to!work!
out!the!issue.!Actually!solve!the!problem!in!the!scene!!Purpose:!To!make!the!scene!
completely!personal.!
!
18.!!Have!A!Secret!
• Simply,!find!a!secret.!Secrets!can!be!intimated!by!the!script!or!completely!made!up!
to!catapult!you!towards!the!objective.!Purpose:!Helps!you!acquire!the!objective!in!a!nonZ
linear!way.!
!
19.!!3rd!Person!in!the!Scene!
• Imagining!a!third!person!in!the!scene!that!is!currently!not!present!that!is!either!
another!character!in!the!play!or!one!that!is!made!up!(i.e.!An!unborn!
child).!Purpose:!To!acquire!the!objective!from!the!person!in!front!of!you.!To!have!that!
third!person!manifest!in!your!own!physical!behavior.!
!
20.!!Fencing!Exercise!
• Take!a!traditional!fencing!“en!garde”!stance!and!advance!with!every!line.!The!
ending!line!is!the!attack!and!final!point!in!the!argument.!I.e.!“advance”,!“advanceZ
advanceZSTRIKE!”!Purpose:!Fight!to!win.!Creating!the!intrinsic!build!in!the!piece.!
!
21.!!Active!Listening!
• Take!the!other!person’s!sense!stress!words!and!interpret!them!as!a!fantasy!
inspired!by!your!objective.!I.e.!The!word!“cake”!can!lead!you!into!the!fantasy!of!getting!
married.!It!is!not!to!take!a!literal!interpretation!of!those!words!from!the!partner!but!to!
image!where!those!words!lead!you.!Purpose:!To!put!your!focus!outside!of!yourself!and!to!
use!your!partner’s!language!to!catapult!you!into!fantasy!which!allows!you!to!pursue!your!
objective.!!
!
22.!!Link!"What!it!is!About”!to!the!Sense!Stress!
• Identify!in!one!word!what!the!scene!is!about!and!then!link!all!the!sense!stress!
words!to!that!one!word!by!association.!Purpose:!To!see!that!all!the!sense!stress!words!
lead!to!what!the!scene!is!about.!I.e.!Reconciliation.
!
!
!
!
!
!

18
4.)!WHAT!AM!I!DOING!TO!GET!WHAT!I!WANT?!(ACTIONS)!
1.!!Level!Work!
• Level!3:!Student!identifies!a!stereotype!character!based!on!the!text.!These!are!
always!physical.!Stereotype!is!utilized!a!lot!in!sitZcom.!
• Level!2:!is!simply!“me!in!the!given!circumstances.”!!
• Level!1:!is!a!personal!private!statement!(used!as!a!spice).!!
• Student!and!scene!partner!will!run!the!scene!three!times!utilizing!only!one!level!at!
a!time.!Then!run!the!scene!switching!back!and!forth!between!the!levels.!Switching!is!
immediate,!with!no!gradual!transitions.!Purpose:!To!identify!the!different!aspects!of!the!
character!and!to!enhance!the!relationship!to!the!other!characters.!!
!
2.!!Chess!Board!Exercise!
• Scene!partners!stand!on!the!stage!as!if!they!are!chess!pieces!on!a!chessboard.!They!
move!as!they!say!each!line,!landing!on!their!spot!on!their!last!word.!Now!do!the!scene!and!
distill!it.!This!is!about!expectation!and!strategy.!We!are!always!thinking!one!step!
ahead.!Purpose:!Physicalize!strategy.!
!
3.!!3!Genres!
• Pick!three!genres!(soap!opera,!horror,!musical!theatre,!sciZfi.!Etc.).!These!should!be!
physically!in!your!body.!Do!the!scene!going!back!and!forth!between!all!three.!Do!it!fully!
and!physically!in!the!most!fun,!fantastic,!and!imaginative!way!possible.!Purpose:!To!use!
this!when!the!scene!is!stiff.!Also!used!to!have!fun!and!to!throw!out!the!“idea”!of!the!
scene.!
!
4.!!2!Actions!into!Scene!
• Pick!two!specific!actions!(one!logical,!one!illogical)!of!how!you!want!to!make!the!
other!person!feel.!Do!the!scene!sending!the!alternating!actions!on!each!line.!Purpose:!To!
learn!how!to!send!action!on!every!line!with!no!transitions.!Also!to!throw!out!the!idea!or!
appropriate!action,!and!to!expand!the!imagination!toward!more!provocative!choices.!
!
5.!!Repetition!Question!
• Scene!partners!sit!across!from!each!other.!First!partner!says!his/her!line.!Second!
partner!repeats!that!line!in!the!form!of!a!question.!Continue!going!back!and!forth.!There!
are!no!pauses!between!lines.!It!is!conscious!and!out!loud.!Now!do!it!again,!but!this!time!
only!think!the!question!in!your!head.!Finally,!do!it!again!and!let!the!exercise!
go.!Purpose:!To!get!the!actor!to!pay!attention,!provides!a!level!of!subtext!and!gets!the!
scene!active.!Also!good!for!memory!problems.!
!!
6.!!Alternating!Rhythms!(high/low,!fast/slow)!
• Do!the!scene,!speaking!the!lines!very!fast!or!very!slow.!Then!do!the!scene!
again!speaking!the!lines!with!a!high!or!low!voice.!Do!it!a!final!time!going!back!and!forth!
between!all!four!options.!Purpose:!It!provides!an!organic!rhythm!and!variety!to!the!scene!
from!an!inorganic!method.!Also!provides!a!tactic!for!getting!what!you!want.!
7.!!Ding!Exercise!(Winning!On!Every!Line)!

19
 • Win!on!every!line!of!your!dialog.!Make!an!exclamation!pointer!finger!gesture!in!the!
air!as!you!say,!“Ding”.!Then!do!the!scene!again!and!add!celebrate!the!victory.!Now!try!the!
scene!without!the!“ding”.!Purpose:!Fight!to!win!in!the!scene.!
!
8.!!Physicalizing!the!Words!
• Say!a!sense!stress!word.!As!your!body!starts!to!move,!encourage!yourself!to!do!the!
movement!fully,!physically,!and!with!sound.!Then!the!line!comes!from!that.!You!can!also!
add!distillation!to!this!exercise.!Purpose:!To!follow!impulses!of!the!body!first!and!have!
that!define!the!language!rather!than!the!reverse.!Also,!if!distilling,!the!movement!will!
remain!in!the!body!even!if!you!are!still.!This!is!great!for!closeZup!camera!work!and!
Shakespeare.!
!
9.!!Source!to!Source!(Threading)!
• Work!the!scene!slowly!going!from!one!source!to!the!next,!based!on!the!
source!necessitating!everything.!Purpose:!Used!for!threading.!One!thing!necessitates!the!
next.!Creates!destination,!and!is!also!useful!if!someone!is!selfZgenerating.!Creates!
character!thoughts.!
!
10.!!Doing!the!Scene!in!Movement!
• Dance!the!scene!with!movement!that!is!the!essence!of!the!relationship.!(i.e.!
competitiveness/playfulness).!Movement!only.!No!dialogue.!Essence!only;!not!the!story.!
Then!add!the!language.!Purpose:!To!illuminate!the!language!and!bring!out!the!
relationship.!It!also!gets!you!off!the!linear!line!and!into!your!imagination.!!
!
11.!!Animal!Exercise!
• Explore!doing!the!scene!like!the!essence!of!an!animal.!Not!actually!the!
animal.!Purpose:!To!illuminate!the!language!and!brings!out!the!relationship,!off!the!linear!
line,!and!into!the!imagination.!!
!!
12.!!Topping!Exercise!
• Actors!stand!facing!each!other.!Starting!at!floor!level,!using!one!hand!each,!palms!
down;!they!begin!to!say!their!dialog.!Each!time!they!say!a!line!they!move!their!hand!just!
above!the!other!partner’s!hand.!No!pauses!and!always!topping!the!other.!Purpose:!To!give!
the!actor!a!physical!picture!and!experience!of!activating!the!other!person,!and!fighting!to!
win.!Works!great!if!someone!is!constantly!downshifting!or!taking!long!pauses.!
!
13.!!Slap!Game!
• Actors!stand!facing!each!other,!looking!into!each!other’s!eyes.!First!actor!holds!
hands!palms!up.!Second!actor!hovers!his!hands!a!couple!inches!over,!palms!down.!First!
actor!flips!his!hands!over!trying!to!slap!the!other!student’s!hands.!If!he/she!is!successful,!
he/she!continues!to!be!the!slapper,!if!he/she!misses,!the!actors!switch.!Now!add!the!lines,!
and!put!this!into!the!language.!Can!also!add!celebrating!every!time!one!wins.!Purpose:!To!
affect!change!in!the!other!person!and!to!accept!any!variance!in!action!that!comes!up.!
!
14.!!3!Stereotypes!
• Pick!3!stereotype!relationships!that!your!imagination!responds!to!and!that!are!the!
essence!of!your!relationship!in!the!scene.!Explore!each!stereotype!singularly!and!fully,!

20
 working!the!scene!doing!only!one!at!a!time.!Now!do!the!scene!again,!incorporating!all!
three,!and!change!on!a!dime!from!one!to!the!next.!Now!do!the!scene!again,!throwing!out!
the!homework.!Purpose:!Brings!out!the!relationship.!
!
15.!!Physicalizing!the!Actions!
• Finding!a!physical!vocabulary!that!can!be!nonZlinear!to!the!actions!
sent.!Purpose:!To!have!the!body!help!release!the!action.!You!move!and!then!you!feel.!
!
16.!!Singing!the!Scene!
• Sing!the!dialogue!of!the!scene.!Purpose:!To!work!through!the!emotion!rather!than!
to!stop!and!experience!the!emotion!and!to!find!different!tones!and!rhythms!within!the!
language.!!
!
17.!!Imitating!the!Other!Person!
• Perform!the!scene!mirroring!each!other.!Purpose:!To!build!a!physical!chemistry!
between!the!characters.!Works!great!for!flirtation!and!competitive!scenes.!
!
18.!!Exchanging!Roles!
• Switch!roles!and!dialogue.!Purpose:!To!hear!what!you!are!actually!saying!to!the!
other!person.!
!!
19.!!Psychological!Gesture!
• Scene!partners!should!sit!facing!each!other.!Tell!the!other!partner!what!this!scene!
is!about!to!you.!Pay!attention!to!a!specific!gesture!that!your!body!is!doing.!Keep!doing!that!
gesture!and!tell!the!other!partner!how!you!feel.!Next,!ask!yourself!“What!do!you!need!
from!your!partner?”!and!tell!them!what!you!need.!Pinpoint!that!phrase!that!connects!you!
personally!to!your!need.!Now!do!the!gesture!and!the!phrase!together.!Now!do!the!scene!
and!go!back!to!the!gesture!and!the!phrase!periodically!within!the!scene!to!reconnect!to!
the!need.!Purpose:!To!use!the!gesture!and/or!mantra!fully!or!in!distilled!form!(either!
during!a!scene!or!as!preparation!before!a!scene)!to!reconnect!to!the!personal!need.!
!
20.!!Throwing!(On!the!Action)!
• Actors!should!stand!about!10!feet!apart.!Throw!a!ball!to!each!other!and!say!your!
line.!Make!sure!that!you!are!throwing!the!ball!and!saying!the!line!at!the!same!
time.!Purpose:!To!practice!sending!action.!The!ball!is!the!action.!It!teaches!the!actor!to!
receive!and!release,!making!the!actions!physical!and!not!intellectual.!
!
21.!!Exaggerate!the!Scene!to!the!Fullest!
• Perform!the!scene!taking!the!actions!and!the!“how’s”!of!the!action!to!an!illogical!
extreme.!Purpose:!To!eliminate!the!fear!of!overZacting.!Any!exaggeration!can!be!distilled!
to!any!that!is!more!plausible.!It!opens!up!the!spectrum!for!how!you!would!choose!to!do!
something.!
!
22.!!All!Positive!Actions!
• Choose!actions!that!are!positive!and!designed!to!win!your!argument!in!the!
scene.!Purpose:!To!accept!victory!instead!of!accepting!defeat.!Solving!the!problem!the!

21
 writer!has!written!through!your!actions.!Remember,!“positive”!means!“fighting!for!
something”,!not!being!optimistic.!
!
23.!!I!see!this,!it!makes!me!feel!this…!
• “I!see!this”!identifies!a!very!singular!source.!“I!feel!this”!identifies!how!I!feel!about!
this!source.!You!let!what!you!see!change!you.!Then!you!say!the!line!with!an!action!that!
resolves!the!problem!(feeling).!The!line!is!the!resolution.!Purpose:!Paying!attention!and!
trusting!the!target!to!speak!to!you.!Will!lead!to!interesting!nonZlinear!actions!and!
character!thoughts.!
!!
24.!!Descriptive!Adjectives!
• “When!I’m!‘alone’!I!feel...”!insert!adjective.!This!is!a!quick!way!of!personalizing!a!
scene.!First,!ask!yourself,!“what!is!the!scene!about!to!me?”.!Next,!sit!in!a!chair.!If!it!is!
about!being!alone!say,!“When!I!am!alone!I!feel…”!Insert!as!many!different!adjectives!into!
the!blank!as!possible.!Purpose:!To!discover!the!potential!“hows“!of!the!action!and!to!
broaden!what!your!emotional!responses!to!the!scene!are.!E.g.!When!I!am!rejected!I!feel!
(alone)!(rejected)!(hungry)!
!
25.!!Say!the!Line!Multiple!Times!
• If!you!have!not!released!on!a!line!you!repeat!the!line!until!it!is!
released!i.e.!the!action!is!sent!fully.!Purpose:!To!fully!send!the!action!and!have!a!full!
emotional!release.!(Great!for!auditions)!
!
26.!!Whispering!for!Privacy!
• Use!the!dialogue!as!if!it!were!a!secret!instead!of!exclamatory!information.!Whisper!
the!lines.!Purpose:!To!heighten!the!intention!of!the!action!by!including!or!reaching!the!
person!to!whom!you!are!speaking.!
!
27.!!Fencing!Exercise!
• Take!a!traditional!fencing!“en!garde”!stance!and!advance!with!every!line.!The!
ending!line!is!the!attack!and!final!point!in!the!argument.!I.e.!“advance”!“advance!“!
“advance”!“STRIKE!”!Purpose:!Fight!to!win.!Creating!the!intrinsic!build!in!the!piece.!
!
28.!!Music!into!Movement!into!Sound!into!Words!
• Listen!to!a!piece!of!music!reminiscent!of!the!objective,!allowing!that!to!create!a!
movement!in!the!body!which!creates!sound!which!morphs!into!a!word.!Purpose:!To!find!a!
different!tempo,!rhythm!and!tone!to!the!sense!stress!word.!!
!
29.!!Fact!Exercise!
• Before!every!line,!the!actor!states!“Fact…”!and!then!delivers!the!line.!Purpose:!To!
keep!you!out!of!qualitative!acting!and!on!to!the!argumentative!(factual)!side!of!the!
rhetoric.!
!
30.!!Shouting!into!Whispering!
• Shout!the!line!at!the!person!and!then!whisper!the!line!into!the!person.!Purpose:!It!
directs!the!action!to!penetrate!the!partner.!
!

22
 31.!!Gesture/Movement!into!Language!!
• Discover!a!nonZlinear!gesture/movement!based!on!the!objective!and!then!allow!
that!gesture/movement!to!influence!the!language.!Purpose:!To!find!a!physical!vocabulary!
for!the!language!which!is!nonZlinear.!
!
!
5.)!WHAT!ARE!THE!CONSEQUENCES!IF!I!GET!WHAT!I!WANT?!WHAT!ARE!THE!CONSEQUENCES!IF!I!DO!
NOT!GET!WHAT!I!WANT?!(EXPECTATIONS!/!STAKES)!
1.!!Affective!Memory!
• Sit!in!a!chair!facing!forward.!Eyes!closed.!Takes!a!single!moment!in!your!life,!and!
describe!your!senses!at!that!moment.!Once!it!“drops!in”,!stay!there!and!speak!out.!Then!
go!back!to!the!senses!again.!After!having!done!a!series!of!personal!affective!memories,!
you!can!make!up!an!imaginative!single!moment,!and!let!the!affective!memory!go!personal!
and!imaginary.!Purpose:!To!connect!emotionally!and!then!attach!it!to!a!scene.!Also!to!
connect!to!a!situation!in!a!scene!that!you!may!know!nothing!about!(i.e.!Death!of!a!child).!
Can!also!be!used!to!create!the!3rd!person!in!the!scene.!
!
2.!!First/Last!Time!Event!
• Do!the!scene!as!if!you!are!rediscovering!everything!sensorially!for!the!very!first/last!
time.!Experience!everything!for!the!first/last!time.!Everything!is!a!discovery.!Purpose:!To!
get!the!actor!into!complete!exploration!and!discovery.!
!
3.!!Exaggerate!the!Scene!to!the!Fullest!
• Perform!the!scene!taking!the!actions!and!the!“how’s”!of!the!action!to!an!illogical!
extreme.!Purpose:!To!eliminate!the!fear!of!overZacting.!Any!exaggeration!can!be!distilled!
to!any!that!is!more!plausible.!It!opens!up!the!spectrum!for!how!you!would!choose!to!do!
something.!
!
4.!!Watching!a!Personal!Movie!on!a!Target!
• Start!with!your!objective.!!With!imagery,!extend!outside!of!yourself!and!recognize!
it!in!the!other!person.!Purpose:!To!recognize!imagery!outside!of!yourself!rather!than!self!
generate!the!imagery.!!
!
5.!!Have!A!Secret!
• Simply,!find!a!secret.!Secrets!can!be!intimated!by!the!script!or!completely!made!up!
to!catapult!you!towards!the!objective.!Purpose:!Helps!you!acquire!the!objective!in!a!nonZ
linear!way.!
!
6.!!Pillars!of!Fear!
• Assign!three!areas!on!the!stage!that!represent!three!different!events!that!
epitomize!your!negative!consequences!for!not!acquiring!your!objective.!Those!areas!are!
moving!images!that!affect!you!during!the!scene.!Purpose:!To!catapult!you!towards!your!
objective.!(You!can!also!have!mixed!areas!of!fear!and!hope)!
!
!
!

23
7.!!Pillars!of!Hope!
• Assign!three!areas!on!the!stage!that!represent!three!different!events!that!
epitomize!your!positive!consequences!for!acquiring!your!objective.!Those!areas!are!
moving!images!that!affect!you!during!the!scene.!Purpose:!To!catapult!you!towards!your!
objective.!(You!can!also!have!mixed!areas!of!fear!and!hope)!

24
 VOICE ROUTINE ¼
!
Based on Kristin Linklater’s “Freeing the Natural Voice”
!
Practice 3-4 times/week!
!
Always keep jaw open !
Knees are unlocked!
Make sure breath drops back in properly!
!
Physical Awareness!
Floor Work!
Imagine skeleton and muscles dripping into the floor!
Vertical Stretch!
Pelvic Clock!
Stretch & Yawn!
Bring in knees and rotate knee – 1st one, then the other, then both!
Pats – pat yourself and massage face!
Lazily get up, dangle, and stand up one vertebra at a time w/head relaxed!
Stand up with tall head – pull hair up to ensure head is aligned!
Look from side to side, lift and extend yourself!
Roll head left and right!
Reach for $1000 bill!
Shoulder rolls!
!
Breath Awareness!
Bounces with sloppy “F”!
Scarecrow (Wriggle up - Reep, Reep, Reep, arms up, release)!
Picking Grapes (Hands out, Pull back with hands with sloppy “F”, reach up alternating arms, fall over)!
Salt & Pepper (Shake one foot at a time sloppy “F”)!
!
Voice Awareness!
Conduct the following first with Ha, Ha then with Ha, Hmmm, ah.!
Ha, Ha. Ha, Ha. Ha, Ha, Ha.!
Ha, Ha. Ha, Hmmm, ah.!
!
River of Vibrations and collapse over with head!
Shoulder Wriggle!
Scale of Ha, Ha. (1st standing, 2nd dropped over, 3rd rolling neck)!
!
Lip Awareness!
Lip stretching!
Big Face, Little Face!
Fish, Vogue!
Kiss and Smile, Spit and Smile!
Obisize!
!
Brrr (without sound & with sound)!
Brrr Airplane (then arms up and down)!
Brrr Mmmm (tingly cheekbones and lips)!
!
Brrr Mmmm Ahhh!
Drop over!
Shake out shoulders!
Bounce Squat!
Dog!
Floor on Back (shake it out)!

25
 VOICE ROUTINE 2/4
!
Test Voice! !
Test Voice 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Head rolls!
Mmmm and Head rolling!
Series of 1, then 2, then 3, going up scale – roll head in one direction, then another !
Second time then release the ahhhs!
!
Jaw Work!
Relax the lower jaw!
Check bone circles!
Neanderthal fishing hooks!
Ghost jaw – Whispered “Ah”!
Jaw walk!
Shake jaw-using breath, then with pitch!
Then back to touch of sound!
**Never move lower jaw side to side**!
!
Tongue Stretching!
Yawns!
Stretching!
Middle of tongue stretch!
First, back and forth slowly, then with sound, big one with foot out front and arms outstretched!
Tongue Loosening!
!
Tongue Loosening!
Ha-yaya-yayah!
He-yaya-yayah!
!
Ha-lala-lalah!
Ha-laya lalah!
!
Ha-maya-mayah!
He-maya-mayah!
!
Tone your Soft Palate!
“Kah”!
“Ngag” (with bow and arrow)!
Call Name – Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!! (calling from mountain top)!
Then without “Kah”!
“ah with Ngah with bow and arrow (long version)!
Triads on Ngah!
!
Chest, Mouth and Teeth!
Chest Resonator!
Hah while beat and chest!
Then “Ho”!
With head back!
Then Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!
Come up back of your neck!
Then He-He-He-He (Teeth)!
Then Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha (Mouth)!
Then Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha (Chest)!
Hee Ha-Ha--- then Ha-Ha-Ha!
Hey, Hey----blending all 3!
Triads with Hey, Hay, Hey (bouncing)!

26
 VOICE ROUTINE 3/4!
!
Capacity Work ! !
Vacuuming Your Lungs (Berg will show)!
!
Rib Stretch – lay on side and push air out!
Sight of Relieve ! X 4 big!
X 6 medium!
X many panting!
Panting on Pitch!
Check back in your voice!
Ha-Ha-Ha-He-Ha-Ha!
Shakedown!
!
Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!
Ha-Ah-Ah-Ah (Triad)!
Shake out again!
!
Sinus!
Bunny Stretchs!
Hehhh!
Hee Hee – in sinus!
Mee Mee!
Touch Sinuses!
Wo-Wo-Wo-Way – touch checks!
Will You Wait!
Will You Wait for Wee Willy Williams!
!
Nasal Resonator!
Sniffs!
Panting through your nose!
!
Me-Me-Me!
May-May-May!
My-My-My-My-My!
Why Fly So High?!
!
Skull Resonator!
Key Key (Going down)!
Range!
Hay Hay (like “Here’s Johnny”)!
!
Arpeggios!

27
 VOICE ROUTINE 4/4!
!
Articulation ! !
Be Bee Bee!
Bay Bay Bay!
Bah Bah Bah!
!
Dee Dee Dee!
Day Day Day!
Dah Dah Dah!
!
Gee Gee Gee!
Gay Gay Gay!
Gah Gah Gah!
!
Lee Lee Lee!
Lay Lay Lay!
Lah Lah Lah!
!
Mee Mee Mee!
May May May!
Mah Mah Mah!
!
Nee Nee Nee !
Nay Nay Nay!
Nah Nah Nah!
!
BaDaGa – GaDaBa!
!
MaNaMaN – NaMaNaMa!
Billy Button Bought a Bunch of Beautiful Bananas!
Disparate Donald Died A Death of a Drunkenly Dastard Dog!
Etc.!

28
 SCREAMING WITHOUT SUFFERING!
!
If screaming is done correctly, it is effective without seriously damaging the actor’s vocal mechanism. If, However,
screaming is done carelessly, it may work (if you’ve got a very hardy vocal mechanism or don’t work in very long
rehearsals) but can cause discomfort and even some vocal strain or damage to the larynx. So learn to scream correctly
and to preserve the best voice you have for as long as you can.!
!
1) Be!absolutely!sure!to!warm!up!your!voice!immediately!before!screaming.!!Include!some!grounding!
exercises!and!explore!the!top!of!your!range!at!medium!loudness!without!losing!the!feeling!of!good!
alignment,!an!open!throat!and!focused!tone.!
2) The!best!scream!is!based!on!a!perfect!combination!of!tone!and!noise.!!The!tone!protects!the!throat,!
aids!in!projection!and!gives!the!scream!reliable!control;!the!noise!makes!it!convincing.!!The!tone!is!
dependent!on!a!focused,!vocalized!yawn,!usually!functioning!in!the!highZmiddle!(male!scream)!to!
soprano!(female!scream)!part!of!your!total!range:!!this!means!solid!hard!palate!focus,!good!breath!
support,!relaxed!jaw!and!tongue,!a!controlled!and!relatively!minor!degree!of!throat!constriction!
produced!somewhere!above!the!larynx!and!superimposed!on!a!basically!free!and!yawned!sound.!
3) The!following!other!guidelines!are!of!value:!
Head and neck posture should be as free as you can get it, given your blocking and your body
position onstage. It’s an excellent idea, when you’re first learning to scream, to practice
either lying on your back or kneeling on all fours with your head hanging down loosely.
Once you can scream easily and freely in these positions, move to full bend over. (These
positions are the best to use when doing an offstage scream.) Then move to a baseball
fielder’s position and then a golfer’s putting position before finally screaming when fully
upright.
Throat and mouth must be well-lubricated: use tepid water which is sipped rather than
gulped, chew gum, suck on a mint, bite the tongue tip or chew to stimulate salivation.
An open, deep breath must be used in producing a scream or a shriek-drop air in (quickly, if
necessary, but SILENTLY) and get initiating power from low down in the body, NOT from
the throat. Keep the upper part of the body free and movable.
Initiate the scream with an /h/ sound rather than with a hard glottal initiation so that you are
not forcing the vocal folds to burst into vibration suddenly. You want to avoid simultaneous
initiation of sound, maximum loudness and the addition of tension.
Scream acquisition progression: yawn and stretch; capture and sustain the crest of the voiced
sensation; acquire a clean, “musical comedy scream”; add edge to it by constricting the
channel above the larynx; break up the breathing pattern to avoid predictability; do same
sequence in high-middle range for the male version; add text to the male version; warm down.
Until you are familiar with the techniques involved and can scream freely and safely at will,
practice in very short bursts and self-monitor and massage and lubricate to keep things in
balance.
As soon after you scream as possible, warm down in order to restore balance in the vocal
mechanism:
Z!!!!!!Sip!some!tepid!water!to!relubricate!the!vocal!mechanism.!
Z! Inhale!deeply!through!the!nose!on!a!count!of!four!and!sigh!out!silently!to!a!count!of!eight,!enjoying!the!
increased!oxygen!in!the!bloodstream!and!feeling!of!warmth!and!relaxation!with!each!breath!as!you!repeat!
4Z6!times.!
Z! Yawn!a!number!of!times;!stretch!physically;!shake!out!the!shoulders!and!the!jaw.!!Hang!over!from!the!
waist!for!a!few!minutes,!continuing!to!breathe!deeply!and!shake!out!the!shoulders!and!neck.!
Z! Do!some!slow!and!then!some!faster!head!and!shoulder!rolls!in!both!directions.!

29
 TO STUDY AN ACCENT!
!
!
1) Source!Material:! Native!speakers!–!both!male!and!female!
! Note!age!/!education!/!class!
! Films!/!TV!/!Radio!
! Commercial!Tapes!
! Embassies!of!relevant!Country!
! Local!Public!Libraries!/!Tourist!Centers!
!
2) Own!Accent:! Study!and!familiarize!yourself!with!your!own!accent!sounds!
!
3) Analyze!the!Accent:! Separate!the!vowel!and!consonant!sounds!
! Note!point!of!tension!
! Placement!in!the!mouth!!
! Overall!tune!of!the!accent!–!major!or!minor!
! Rate!and!rhythm!of!speech!
! Jaw!/!Lip!/!Tongue!positions!
! Breath!and!Glottal!
! Use!of!Volume!and!Pitch!
!
4) Practice:! Special!pronunciations!and!dialect!words!
! Tape!yourself!–!assess!–!reZtape!
! Speak!along!with!native!recordings!
! Work!with!a!partner!to!provide!correction!
! Work!with!a!mirror!to!observe!face!
! Listen!to!music!of!the!region!
! Create!simple!reminder!sentences!
! Practice!while!shopping,!traveling!etc.!
! Read!relevant!texts,!poetry!and!prose!

30
 CONSTRUCTIVE!REST!1/4!
!
The!Yale!School!of!Drama!
!
B.!Somerville!
!
ORIGIN:!!Alexander!Technique,!with!elements!of!biofeedback,!autoZsuggestion,!and!directed!positive!
imager.!!Kinesthetic!memory!(postZexercise)!is!linked!to!self!commands!and!positive!imager.!
!
EQUIPMENT: !
-! A firm surface to lie on, next to a wall. No mattresses or thick mats.!
-! A warm room and/or warm clothes.!
-! A towel or cloth to cushion toes.!
-! A long, stretchy cloth to tie knees.!
-! A cloth to tie arms (optional.)!
-! A softbound book 1-1 ½ “ thick or a towel folded to the same thickness to support the
head in line with the spine.!
-! An alarm clock or timer (or coach) in case you fall asleep.!
!
AIMS: ! Natural re-alignment of the spine!
Deep relaxation of the joints and muscles !
Stress reduction!
Re-learning natural breathing!
(Many secondary effects)!
!
DURATION:! 15-25 minutes.!!Occasional brief recall during the day.!
!
SUGGESTED FREQUENCY:!
Initially, once or twice a day!
Eventually (with substantial change evident,) every other day or 3-4 times a week for
maintenance.!
!
GETTING IN THE CONSTRUCTIVE REST POSITION:!
!
1) Lie!on!the!floor!perpendicular!to!a!wall.!!Do!not!lie!on!a!mattress!or!thick!mat.!!A!light!rug!is!alright.!
2) Place!cloth!to!pad!toes!where!the!tips!of!the!toes!touch!the!base!of!the!wall.!
3) Your!knees!are!bent!toward!the!ceiling!so!that!the!lower!back!and!soles!of!the!feet!are!comfortably!flat!
on!the!floor.!!Tie!the!knees!together!hipbone!distance!apart.!!Feet!are!parallel!and!hipbone!distance!
apart.!
4) Book!or!folded!towel!(1Z1!½“!thick)!goes!under!the!head!to!bring!the!neck!in!line!with!the!spine.!
5) Your!arms!can!lie!at!your!sides,!palms!up,!or!fold!them!across!the!body.!!If!they!slide!apart!and!to!the!
floor!(will!not!rest!in!this!position!by!gravity!alone,)!tie!a!scarf!around!the!upper!arms!to!hold!arms!in!
position.!
6) Check!alignment.!!Imaginary!lines!from!hipbone!t!hipbone!and!shoulder!bone!to!shoulder!bone!are!
perpendicular!to!the!spine,!flat!on!the!floor,!and!hipbone!distance!apart.!!Knees!are!in!line!with!
hipbones!and!feet:!!hipbone!distance!apart.!!The!surface!of!the!entire!back!is!as!flat!to!the!floor!as!
possible!without!pushing:!!bend!the!knees!a!little!more!or!less!to!find!the!best!angle.!!The!spine!and!
head!are!in!a!long,!straight!line!perpendicular!to!the!wall.!!The!chin!does!not!jut!into!the!air!or!push!into!
the!neck,!but!rests!comfortably!between.!!Your!mouth!should!hang!lightly!open.!!The!back!and!front!of!
the!neck!feel!long!and!free.!

31
!
CONSTRUCTIVE!REST!2/4!
!
Once!in!position,!you!may!shift!slightly!during!the!exercise!if!you!feel!very!uncomfortable,!but!always!
return!to!an!aligned!position.!!Some!feelings!of!discomfort!are!likely!to!occur:!!try!to!breathe!and!work!
through!the!discomfort!in!the!aligned!position.!!Shifting!is!a!last!resort:!!after!shifting,!be!sure!to!return!to!
an!aligned!position.!
!
STEP!ONE:!!ESTABLISH!A!POSITIVE!IMAGE!OF!A!PLACE!TO!RELAX!IN!
!
You!will!establish!a!mental!image!of!a!safe,!warm,!quiet,!restful,!and!beautiful!place!where!you!can!lie!
while!practicing!relaxation.!!Imagine!a!very!warm!place,!where!you!are!lying!on!a!level,!warm!surface.!!
Many!people!use!a!warm,!sandy!beach!or!a!woodland!meadow.!
!
It!is!essential!that!this!place!be!utterly!safe,!restful,!and!happy!to!you.!!You!have!nowhere!to!go,!nothing!
to!do,!lots!of!money!and!no!worries.!!You!are!loved.!!If!you!feel!lonely,!put!some!friends!in!the!picture,!
but!at!a!distance.!!They!are!with!call,!but!not!a!bother!or!distraction.!!Maybe!they!are!out!on!your!yacht,!
which!is!moored!in!the!cove,!etc.!
!
BUILD!THIS!IMAGE!WITH!ALL!THE!SENSES!BEFORE!BEGINNING!THE!PROGRESSIVE!RELAXATION!WORK.!
!
Look!around!your!special!place.!!What!do!you!see?!!(Trees,!water…)!
Let!the!vision!help!you!let!go.!
What!do!you!hear?!!(Birds,!waves,!leaves!rustling…)!
Let!the!sounds!help!you!let!go.!
What!do!you!smell?!!(Flowers,!pine,!salt!air…)!
Let!the!smells!help!you!let!go.!
What!do!you!feel?!!(Warmth,!sun,!sand!or!grass…)!
Let!these!feelings!help!you!let!go.!
!
It!is!alright!to!sigh!out!on!breath!at!any!time!to!help!yourself!let!go.!!Eventually!you!will!sigh!less!as!you!
relax!more!and!your!breathing!becomes!natural!and!profound.!
!
STEP!TWO:!!PROGRESSIVE!RELAXATION!USING!IMAGERY!AND!AUTOZSUGGESTION!
!
Try!out!some!phrases!or!thoughts!that!help!you!let!go.!!Eventually,!you!will!find!the!selfZsuggestions,!or!
selfZcommands,!which!affect!you!most.!!You!can!use!these!thoughts,!phrases,!or!suggestions!
throughout!the!exercise.!!Here!are!a!few!ideas:!
!
“Let!go…it’s!okay!to!let!go”!
“You!have!nowhere!to!go!and!nothing!to!do”!
“I!am!safe!and!loved”!
“With!every!breath,!I!can!let!go!a!little!more”!
“It’s!okay!to!take!time!to!take!care!of!myself”!
“With!every!breath,!I!sink!a!little!deeper!into!the!warm!sand”

32
 CONSTRUCTIVE!REST!3/4!
!
! Once!you!have!established!your!special!place!and!started!using!some!autoZsuggestion!to!relax!the!
whole!body,!STEP!TWO!consists!of!focusing!attention!on!parts!of!the!body,!using!imagery!and!autoZ
suggestion!to!work!on!one!area!at!a!time.!!Work!from!the!forehead!to!the!toes,!moving!slowly!down!the!
body.!
! Some!imager!helpful!t!deep!relaxation!of!the!body:!
-! Imagine warmth gathering in that area from the sun and the ground.!
Z! Imagine!that!the!flesh!and!bones!can!soften,!liquefy,!and!melt.!
Z! Feel!the!liquid!draining!away!in!the!direction!of!gravity.!
ZLulu Swigard!Lulu!Swigard!suggest!using!the!image!of!a!“sack!of!sand:”!your!body!is!filled!with!warm!sand!
and!you!can!feel!it!slowly!drain!away.!
Z! Imagine!sending!in!the!breath!t!that!area;!it!fills,!circulates,!spreads,!and!drains!away.!
Z! Imagine!falling!with!gravity!and!giving!up!to!the!warm!surface!you!are!lying!on:!!the!surface!can!mold!to!
your!body.!
Z! Imagine!that!as!the!flesh!softens!and!drains!away,!it!spreads!across!the!ground.!
Eventually, you will discover which images are most relaxing to you, and you will be able to use any
combination you desire.!
Now you’re ready to work through the body part by part, using imagery and auto-suggestion to relax. An
example follows.!
! Example of imager and auto-suggestion used on one area of the face:!
Forehead: Imagine that you feel the warmth of the sun on your forehead. Let the warmth increase.
(“let go”>) Fell the flesh softening, melting, draining away with gravity. (“And with every breath,
your entire body falls a little deeper into the warm, warm sand.”)!
!
Here is a list of suggested areas and order of progression. In time, you may find an order that suits you
better, but remember that it is most effective to begin with the face, and spend time on the face, since this
tends to affect the whole body.!
!
Head and face: ! Scalp, forehead, temples, eyebrows, eye sockets and lids, cheekbones, cheeks, jaw hinge,
lips, chin, tongue. Let your mouth hang open lightly.!
!
Neck and shoulders: Front of neck, deep inside throat, back of neck, pit of skull; tops of shoulders
(trapezius,) front of shoulders and chest, back of shoulders, shoulder blades and upper
back. Shoulder joint.!
!
Arms and hands:! Upper arm, back and front, elbow joint, forearm, wrists, hands, fingers.!
!
Chest and abdomen: Breasts and chest, solar plexus, upper belly, lower belly. Upper back, middle back and
ribs, lower back, buttocks, anus, genitals.!
!
Hips, legs and feet: Hip socket, tops of thighs, backs of thighs, knees, shins, calves, ankles, feet, toes.!
!
!
!

33
 CONSTRUCTIVE REST 4/4!
!
When you are finished, scan the entire body. If you find any place that could let go a little more, send in the
breath, and use imagery, warmth, and auto-suggestion to help that place let go.!
!
IMPLANTING KINESTHETIC MEMORY LINKED TO IMAGE AND AUTO-SUGGESTION:!
STEP THREE!
!
1. Notice!the!feeling!of!deep!relaxation!throughout!your!body.!!
Tell!yourself:!!I!WILL!REMEMBER!THIS!FEELING.!
2. Notice!the!feeling!of!relationship!of!the!parts!of!the!body!and!notice!the!feeling!of!alignment.!
Tell!yourself:!!I!WILL!REMEMBER!THIS!FEELING.!
3. Notice!the!way!you!are!breathing,!without!attempting!to!control!it.!!If!you!are!deeply!relaxed!and!
correctly!aligned,!you!are!breathing!naturally.!
Tell!yourself:!!I!WILL!REMBER!THIS!FEELING.!
4. Take!time!to!look!around!and!refresh!your!image!of!your!special!place!where!there!is!nothing!to!do!and!
nowhere!to!go,!and!you!are!safe,!warm,!and!loved.!!Tell!yourself:!
I!CAN!COME!BACK!HERE!ANY!TIME!I!WISH.!!I!WILL!REMEMBER!THIS!FEELING.!
!

34
 THE!SACK!OF!SAND!1/2!
The!Juilliard!School!
Lulu!E.!Swelgard!
!
The!SACK!OF!SAND!is!used!for!location!and!direction!of!imagined!movement!in!your!body.!!It!is!made!up!of!
a!main!part!(your!trunk,)!with!appendages!in!the!form!of!arms,!legs,!and!head!with!neck.!!For!the!disposal!
of!sand!there!are!openings!in!the!sack!at!various!places,!as!follows:!!lengthwise!slits!on!either!side!of!the!
lower!part!of!the!main!sack!(at!sides!of!pelvis!where!it!contacts!your!support);!at!the!finger!tips;!and!at!the!
center!of!each!heel.!!In!your!mind’s!eye!you!are!the!sack!of!sand.!
!
Assume!the!constructive!rest!position!(CRP)!on!a!level!surface!such!as!the!floor!(not!a!bed!or!lounge.)!!Note!
the!pressure!of!your!body!on!the!supporting!surface!–!in!all!parts!of!your!back!and!shoulder!area,!wherever!
they!touch!the!supporting!surface;!where!the!pressure!is!greatest;!whether!it!is!even!on!both!sides:!where!
and!how!much!of!the!back!of!the!pelvis!touches!or!rests!on!the!supporting!surface;!the!direction!your!chin!
is!pointing;!and!finally,!whether!you!have!to!hold!the!arms!across!the!chest.!!If!the!arms!do!not!rest!easily!it!
is!better!temporarily!to!let!the!elbows!rest!on!the!supporting!surface!with!only!the!lower!arm!resting!on!
the!chest.!
!
In!assuming!CRP,!do!not!try!to!fix!or!arrange!your!body!in!a!way!you!may!think!good.!!For!example,!never!
press!the!lower!back!against!the!supporting!surface.!!Do!not!hold!the!knees!(which!are!tied!together)!in!the!
upright!position.!!If!they!tend!to!fall!sideways,!reZadjust!the!position!of!your!feet!and!legs!so!that!they!
balance!upright.!!Shift!your!body!any!time!for!comfort!only;!in!fact,!this!often!becomes!necessary!as!the!
imagined!movement!of!sand!reduces!muscle!tightness!
!
In!CRP!imagine!movement!of!flow!of!sand!as!follows:!
!
5. The!legs!
!
Imagine!the!legs,!as!appendages!t!the!main!sack,!are!suspended!from!the!ceiling!at!the!knees.!!Watch!
the!flow!of!sand!from!the!knee!downward!into!the!main!sack!to!empty!the!thigh!area!so!that!it!slumps!
together!and!sags!from!the!supporting!string!at!the!knee.!!This!results!in!pressure!of!extra!sand!in!the!
lower!part!of!the!main!sack,!causing!it!to!flow!out!through!the!side!slits.!!Watch!this!movement!closely.!
!
Next,!imagine!the!sand!flowing!downward!from!the!knee!into!the!heel!and!out!through!the!hole!in!the!
center!of!the!heel.!!The!lower!part!of!the!leg!collapses!together!and!sags!from!the!imagined!knee!
support.!
!
Since!the!ball!of!the!foot!is!supported!higher!than!the!heel,!watch!sand!flow!backward!to!empty!
through!the!hole!in!the!heel.!!Thus!the!entire!leg!and!foot,!emptied!of!sand,!collapses!together,!
supported!from!the!ceiling!at!the!knee.!!REPEAT!with!the!other!leg.!
!
6. The!arms!
!
Watch!the!sand!flow!from!the!elbow!through!the!shoulder!joint!into!the!main!sack,!thus!collapsing!the!
upper!arm.!!Next,!watch!sand!flow!from!the!fingers.!!REPEAT!with!the!other!arm.!

35
 THE!SACK!OF!SAND!2/2!
!
7. The!trunk!
!
Now!you!are!ready!to!watch!the!flow!of!sand!in!the!main!part!of!the!sack!(your!trunk.)!!You!may!need!
the!help!of!imaginary!gnomes!working!with!rakes!to!move!the!sand!in!the!right!direction,!after!you!have!
first!watched!it!settle!down!through!the!pull!of!gravity.!
!
The!shoulder!blades!are!completely!outside!the!sack!of!sand.!!Any!ease!to!be!gained!in!them!depends!
entirely!on!the!direction!of!movement!of!sand!inside!the!sack!to!collapse!it!away!from!the!shoulder!
blades.!
!
In!the!upper!part!of!the!main!sack,!concentrate!strongly!on!watching!the!send!settle!downward!to!rest!
on!the!supporting!surface.!!This!area!influences!the!position!of!the!head!in!the!upright!position.!
!
Now!set!our!gnomes!to!work!loosening!and!raking!the!sand!inward!from!the!sides!of!the!sack!and!
downward!to!its!lowest!part!(the!pelvis.)!!When,!in!you!imagination,!you!have!reached!the!lower!part!of!
the!sack,!watch!sand!flow!sideways!and!outward!through!the!side!silts.!!Then!return!to!the!upper!part!
and!repeat!all!for!better!results.!
!
Finally,!to!completely!empty!and!collapse!the!lower!part!of!the!sack,!set!your!gnomes!to!work!raking!
remaining!sand!from!center!outward!to!flow!through!the!side!slits.!!If!your!imagination!has!been!good!
enough!your!trunk!is!now!an!empty!sack!slumped!inward!and!downward!to!the!supporting!surface!and!
the!shoulder!blades!are!far!outside!the!upper!part!of!the!sack.!
!
8. The!head!
!
With!the!help!of!the!gnomes,!the!sand!in!the!head!can!be!raked!out!through!the!opening!in!the!base!of!
the!skull!(the!foramen!magnum.)!!In!your!imagination,!visualize!the!ball!of!space!inside!your!head.!!This!
is!perhaps!the!only!time!an!empty!head!(imagined)!is!an!asset.!!(This!section!of!imagined!action!may!
precede!your!work!on!the!main!sack!if!you!so!desire.)!
!
Results!in!the!use!of!the!sack!of!sand!should!be!increased!comfort!and!changes!in!the!pressure!of!your!body!
on!the!supporting!surface.!!Your!degree!of!success!depends!on!various!factors,!among!them:!!(a)!your!
ability!to!imagine!or!visualize!movement!within!your!body!as!directed;!(b)!daily!practice;!and!(c)!the!extent!
to!which!you!can!refrain!from!giving!help!to!the!imagined!movement.!!With!guidance!in!the!posture!
laboratory!you!can!soon!learn!to!sense!this.!!Imagined!movement!will!not!produce!desired!results!if!you!aid!
it!in!any!way.!
!
Practice!this!imagined!movement!in!the!sack!of!sand,!f!at!all!possible,!for!20!minutes,!more!or!less,!before!
you!retire!at!night.!!Your!rest!during!sleep!can!thus!become!more!complete.!!Furthermore,!with!daily!
practice,!preferably!more!then!once,!you!can!thwart!the!tendency!to!intensification!of!patterns!of!muscle!
tightness!which!are!so!detrimental!to!flexibility!needed!in!the!dance.!
!
Report!in!the!posture!laboratory,!without!fall,!any!pain!or!discomfort!you!may!experience.!
!
Remember!to!roll!over!on!your!side!from!CRP,!then,!slowly!assume!the!standing!position.!

36
 NOTE!ON!HOW!TO!CRITIQUE!SCENES!
!
To!critique!a!scene,!the!whole!focus!is!to!first!discover!what!works,!what’s!right!–!then,!only!then,!to!
suggest!what!an!actor!might!want!to!add.!!It’s!such!easier!to!discover!what!to!add!if!you’re!first!clear!on!
what!works.!
!
It’s!never!of!any!interest!to!know!what!one!thinks!is!“wrong”.!!It’s!not!illuminating.!!It!merely!tells!of!
negative!reaction.!!If!you!suspect!something!is!missing!(“wrong”)!in!a!scene,!the!obligation!is!to!tell!what!
specifically!to!add.!
!
“The!artist!makes!no!mistakes.!!His!mistakes!are!the!portals!of!discovery.”!–!J.!Joyce,!via!D.!Schwartz.!
!
When!one!is!generous!of!spirit,!which!means!to!be!“imaginative,!capable!of!embracing!another’s!view!and!
world,”!one!is!not!only!clearer!and!kinder!but!more!accurate.!!More!can!be!seen.!!Vision!is!everything;!in!
theatre,!in!life.!!!
!
“When!anything!goes!wrong!in!a!scene!or!any!improvement!occurs!to!you,!make!a!note…Don’t!criticize.!!If!
a!thing!is!wrong!and!you!don’t!know!exactly!how!t!set!it!right!say!nothing.!!Wait!until!you!find!out!the!right!
thing!to!do.!!It!maddens!and!discourages!an!actor!to!be!told!you!are!dissatisfied.!!If!you!cannot!help!him,!let!
him!alone.!!Tell!him!what!to!do!if!you!know:!!if!not,!hold!your!tongue.”!–!G.B.!Shaw!to!McNulty!on!
rehearsals.!
!
When!generous!of!spirit!toward!other’s!work,!it!is!easier!t!be!generous!toward!your!own!work!–!and!that!is!
crucial.!!One!must!be!kind!while!demanding!of!oneself!or!there!is!no!chance!to!grow.!!You!will!eat!yourself!
up!before!the!wicked!world!has!a!chance.!
!
“That!which!eats!the!heart!is!mostly!heart.”!–!S.!Kunitz!
!
“Drama!is!a!representation,!not!of!men,!but!of!action….Drama’s!are!not!performed,!therefore,!in!order!to!
represent!character;!characters!are!involved!for!the!sake!of!action.”!!Aristotle,!The!Poetics.!
!
The!positive!fight!in!terms!of!a!scene!partner!is!the!best!place!to!orient!all!critiques.!!Without!a!clear!fight,!
positive!fight,!interfering,!changing,!coercing,!loving!a!scene!partner,!specifically!in!the!moment,!nothing!
can!happen!
!
Please!remember!all!critiques!in!class!will!be!based!on!implementing!the!Yale!Technique…personal!
opinions!are!not!as!valuable!and!leads!us!to!subjective!rather!than!objective!analyses.!

37
 179 W ays To Rehearse A Scene
!
These exercises are a collection of devices I have gleaned from my experience as a teacher and
student. Although many of them are specifically related to Shakespeare, please experiment with them on any
literature. The title of this list comes from a master class with Tina Packer, Artistic director of Shakespeare &
Co. At the present time, the list exceeds 150. The list is a compilation of original exercises and adaptations of
what I have learned through working with the faculty of Shakespeare & company, Kristin Linklater. I’ve also
been influenced by Cicely Berry and Patsy Rodenburg. If you find some exercises listed twice, it’s only that they
are useful to solve more than one problem.
!
The first exercises dealing with breath and getting on the voice can be practiced at any time—if you try them
when a text is new to you, it can help you to memorize and get a more visceral understanding of the text.
!
Before starting text analysis exercises, I am assuming you have done the initial homework of knowing the play;
knowing any pertinent history, and that you have looked up every word you don’t know. The exceptions may
be “dropping in,” discovering the “world of the play” and “Elizabethan world picture,” where the exercises
themselves may help you begin your digging for the treasures of the text.
!
Never approach your text mechanically. A technical vocal exercise will always be more beneficial as you keep
the emotional and imagistic world alive. Nor can you expect to follow this list like a recipe and insure that you
have done everything you can do. The exercises come out of the needs of the individual and the text. Use the
list as a jumping off point, and perhaps you can make up your own exercises as well.
!
- Enjoy and don’t forget to breathe.
!
I) Lowering the Breath— (Try any of these first whispering, then speaking the text.)
01) Lean against a wall; shoulders pinned, hips and feet away from the wall
02) Lunge forward, hands against the wall (neck free)
03) “Birthing” position—on your back, legs up the wall, tailbone as close to the wall as possible, torso on
floor, arms overhead on floor (lengthen legs when tired or cramped.)
04) Straddle chair, find width in back, length in neck.
05) Hold chair above your head.
06) Squat.
07) Pelvic Clock (whispering and speaking.)
08) Oiling hip sockets.
09) Diagonal Stretch.
10) On Feldenkrais roller, vertically or horizontally.
!
II) Connecting to the Breath— (Use as much breath as you can, don’t spare or conserve it. At this stage
it’s OK to exaggerate into “over breathing.”)
11) fff it, one fff per syllable.
12) Whisper it.
13) Speak the vowels only, no consonants (tongue out; tongue in.) Speak through the space, not the
tongue
14) Slip your tongue out, leave it there, speak through the upper part of the channel; then rest your tongue
inside your mouth and repeat, articulate clearly.
15) Speak with “Blah Jaw”
16) Jiggle your belly as you speak.
17) Speak from standing while circling your pelvis; big hippy circles.
!
III) Getting and Staying on your Voice
18) Sing it, operatically, if possible.

38
 19) Intone it.
20) Exaggerate the style (Edwardian bad acting.)
21) Experiment with your distance from the audience. Find where you will speak on your voice, then move
farther and nearer to the audience.
22) Conversely to the above, the speaker stays stationery, and the listener keeps moving through the
room. The speaker must stay on his voice, no matter how close the listener comes, and must not strain,
no matter how far away the listener goes.
23) Similarly, find the portion of text where emotionally you connect and stay on your voice. Then use that
as a marker for what it feels like. Keep exploring the other portions of the text, finding out what it means
to stay on your voice.
24) Find the pitch areas where you most likely stay on your voice. Then move above and below those
areas, increasing the “on-voiceness.”
!
IV) Getting Rid of Tension / Channeling the Energy
25) RELAX YOURSELF TOTALLY, THEN speak your text.
26) Loosening up, or Energizing oneself: shake out body; pant; start text immediately.
27) Shake words through and out of your body (from your center out a limb; out your spine, out your butt,
etc.)
28) Group Help: Have several people shake you (legs, arms, head) while you speak the text.
29) Shake jaw continually and speak the sense of the text on “huh huh”.
30) Write out the words of the text in the air with your nose as you speak.
31) Balance a stick on your palm or finger. Speak the text while focusing on the stick.
!
V) Sustaining to the End of the Line
32) Throw a ball (pad, Frisbee) on the last word: Build up your line, word by word, increasing by one word
each time (When; when I; When I consider; When I consider everything; When I consider everything that:
When I consider everything that grows;--(start fresh with new lines) Holds,; Holds in’ Holds in perfection;
Holds in perfection but, etc.
33) Spaghetti Western Word/Line Endings: Add “uh” to the ends of important words, and definitely to the
end of the last word of the phrase. This will give you the experience of what it feels like to support
through those last sounds. “O-uh for a muse-uh of-uh fire-uh”
34) Going Backwards: Say the last word of the thought. Say the last two words. The last three, etc. (e.g.
grows; that grows; everything that grows; consider everything that grows; I consider everything that
grows; When I consider everything that grows; moment; little moment, etc.)
!
VI) Range/Energy/Character W ork: Exploring the Resonators
35) Pick lines that have vowels that lend themselves to each resonator, speak it through that isolated
resonator.
36) Use the same line in each resonator.
37) Choose lines in which the emotion/energy feel as if they belong in a specific resonator. Speak them
there—and switch them around.
38) Speak the text moving the voice through the whole range, not to make sense of the range choices, but
just to move into the extremes. Then go back and speak the text again without playing the range.
39) Zu Wo Shaw: Planet of certain sounds, i.e. emphasize vowels, range.
40) To drop more into chest resonator: Lying on your back, jibble out the text. Then stand up speaking
the text while jiggling. With each new breath, start the breath and voice lower than you ended the last
phrase of text, so that each line explores lower and lower pitches. Then speak the text with this new
awareness.
!
VII) Dropping the Text into the Body: Releasing the Voice (or Emotion) Out of the Body, Breaking
Patterns
41) Thrashing (with spotters)

39
 42) Punching mats
43) Swatting with a stick or roll of newspaper
44) Punching in the air
45) Jogging
46) Many falls onto a mat
47) Many physical activities (Give 10 tasks that must be completed while speaking the text)
48) Specific activity (peeling carrots, folding clothes, getting dressed)
49) Moving through space leading with your hips (or other parts of the body.) you may inhabit one part of
the body for the entire text, or someone may touch various parts of the body at any time, at which point
you change point of initiation of movement, always allowing the voice to inhabit that part of the body.
50) Constant motion, alternating between qualities of weight, speed, direction (strong-light, quick or abrupt-
sustained or prolonged, direct-indirect; advancing, retreating.
51) Slow rolls on the floor
52) Tree falling swings releasing text on the downward swing. Speaking one line per swing; the biggest
rush of energy at the top of the line as you fall; uncurl, breathe in as float arms above head.
53) Falling into the wall, hands out to brace the fall. Similar to tree-falling swings.
54) Head rolling (needs a skilled partner)
55) Pushing hands (needs a partner) Keep jaw loose, belly soft, send action from middle into other person’s
middle through the hands. Keep the center of gravity low. (also great for getting on the voice, getting
connected to partner.)
56) Improvise a line between each line of text (fuck you, Stop bothering me, etc.)
57) Pass the body (group help)—you’re in the middle; again, releasing your text
58) 3 corners—Love, Hate, Need. Speak your text from one corner, then the next, then the next. Then
come to the center of the triangle and speak the text, letting everything operate on its own.
59) Distractions to get out of the head: (group help) Have people throw (light) things at you—tissue boxes,
pads, shoes, etc.
60) Play keep-away as you say your text.
!
VIII) Getting Unstuck
61) Switch roles with your scene partner (pick up the scripts to do it.)
62) Do it very badly (Edwardian acting)
63) Reread the play.
64) Read something else, go to the movies, go to sleep, etc…
!
IX) Changing the “How” for Exploration/Discovery, Vocal/Em otional Release
65) Do it as stand-up comedy.
66) Sing in various styles.
67) Laugh after every line; cry after every line.
68) Do it as a stereotype character.
69) Do it as your favorite actor, personality.
70) Do it as a small child; a teenager; an old person; a bag lady; a drunk; different sex…
71) Explore different styles of dancing as you speak the text.
!
X) Text Analysis: Finding the Sense (Outer Line) of the Text
72) Tell the story of the text with gibberish.
73) Paraphrase the text.
74) “Detailed” paraphrasing—say the line; say everything it means to you, why you’re saying it, the action,
then say the line again. Say the next line, etc. Go back and say just the text.
75) Huh-huh through the text—move it into improve or the specific text.
76) Physically move through the inner and outer line of the text, but no sound
77) Physically move through the text, sighing out on huuuuuh.

40
 78) Have someone listen to you. They stop you every time they don’t understand. Make them
understand.
79) Stringing the Big Words together; then the Little words.
80) Partnering; Whisper text into partner’s ear; or have partner whisper your text into your ear.
81) Partnering: Hold partner’s hand, you guide partner’s hand, “painting the images” as you speak the
text. Reverse: Partner leads hands as you speak your text.
82) Partnering: Sit back to back. Speak your text.
!
XI) Text Analysis: Clarity of Thought
83) Switch chairs to point up different thoughts, contrasts, antithesis.
84) Arranging books on shelf—1 book per thought.
85) Thought clarity and lightness: moving through the room, turning at the end of each line; or stopping at
the end of each thought or turn at end of each punctuation mark. (It helps to have someone there to clap
a hand or snap a finger so you can keep your spontaneity)
86) Similarly, change type of physical activity with change of line (or thought, or punctuation)—run, skip,
swing, curving lines, crawl on floor—go for spontaneous choices.
87) Similarly, to establish place, time, dynamic action, speak the text, moving through the room, changing
direction each time there is a reference to place. Repeat to discover time and again for the dynamic
action.
88) Build complicated sentences by first simplifying them, (subject/predicate) then adding subordinate
clauses, one by one. (I go; I go gladly; I, who am alone, go gladly; I, who lately am alone, go gladly. I who
lately am alone, go more and more gladly.—etc.)
89) Speak just the consonants of each word, milking the thought out of each sound.
!
XII) W here do you breathe? Phrasing for Meaning; Experiencing the Structure of the Verse and
Building Capacity
90) Speak the (verse) text in paragraph form, then in verse.
91) Explore the last word of each line—what is the thread if these lines are emphasized by breathing at the
end of each line (1 line = 1 iambic pentameter?)
92) Run, breathe and change direction at the end of every line; then at the end of each punctuation mark.
93) Decide where you are going to breathe (if not at the ends of lines, then rehearse catch breaths:
94) Panting on breath, then pant/speak each word
95) Pant, release a phrase quickly, catch breath, on to the next line/phrase
96) Speak long sentences with lists using a catch breath and upturn of the pitch until the period.
97) Building up capacity for the very long, very heightened thoughts.
98) Increase the time you spend on capacity in the warm-up (many sets of big breath; Feldenkrais breath
exercise (holding breath and moving the air between the upper chest and lower abdomen; etc.
99) Pant, release on one word; pant, release on 2 words; pant, release out 3 words, keep building
up, allowing the panting to energize your thought. (p-p-p-MY; p-p-p-My noble; p-p-p-My noble lord—etc)
100) Feed in 4 huge sighs, and on the last one, release onto the text. Repeat several times.
101) Keep sight of your need to communicate. Be generous with the release of your thought and breathe,
rather than hoarding it.
!
!
XIII) Rhythm of the Verse
102) Step through the iambic pentameter, clap at the end of the line as you breathe.
103) Dance the differentiating rhythms.—Find the “jazz.”
104) Varying tempo—finding the slowness of monosyllabic phrases; the quick, light tempo of multi- syllabic
passages.
!
XIV) Text Analysis: Antithesis, ladders, Anglo Saxon vs. Latin Roots and more

41
 105) Antithesis Exploration: take the opposites to extreme; make statues, differentiate movement, move to
different parts of the room.
106) More antithesis exploration: Differentiate through pitch, pause, pace or power.
107) Emphasize lists and ladders and extended thoughts with some physicalization, juggling imaginary
balls in the air.
108) Exploring Anglo-Saxon versus Latin Based Roots of Text: Monosyllabic vs. polysyllabic, experiential
vs. visceral, etc…
109) Releasing the Inner Line from Sense of the Outer Line of Text: If through your analysis you think the
character sounds as if he’s having a childish tantrum, then explore it with the tantrum of a six-year old—
so release into that voice.
110) Repetition of a Word (e.g. Paulina’s good queen, good queen, etc.) Repetition usually means the
character has discovered something in saying the word, and therefore must say it again. Play with the
stress, pitch, tempo, pace, imagery—how are you going to reveal the discovery?
!
XV) Developing and Differentiating Im agery
111) Visualize the image with eyes closed, then say it.
112) Play with one word at a time (tear up the words.) Explore the sounds of the word. Let them move
through your body. Notice what comes up.
113) Dropping In—by yourself, use a tape recorder, or tear text up word by word. Pick up one at a time,
play with saying the word; drop in questions and say the word.
114) Have someone drop you in.
115) Paint the images as if you had an imaginary canvas.
116) Physicalize words, actions and images through still statues or moving ones.
117) Dance it—different styles for different thoughts/images.
118) Demonstrate the narration—get friends to become images you talk about.
119) Sing it, opera, musical theater, etc.
120) Draw images on a chalk board.
121) Sculpt a partner as you mentally (or aloud) go through the text (as in the Haiku exercise.)
!
XVI) Finding an Im age for Soliloquies
122) Who is your audience? Imagine speaking to young children, innocents, blind people, deaf, non-
English speaking, etc. This is also good for clarifying text.
123) Image the person you are talking to; experiment with having them at different distances; they move,
they react to what you are saying.
!
XVII) W orld of the Play: Core of the Scene
124) To find recurrent, dominant themes, pick one (love, honor, power, time, etc.) and point it up each
time there is a word relocating to that theme. Use hand claps, snapping fingers, tapping/stomping the
floor.
125) Physicalize Contrasting Themes: pushing/pulling.
126) Elizabethan World Picture: Think back to the chain of being, from lowest animal up to God.
127) Where does your character live? Do the thoughts/images move from one level to another? Lay down
the parts of the chain on the floor, and physically move from chain to chain as the text dictates.
128) What is the status of your character? Line up with your cast according to rank and status, with the
emperors, kings, priests at the top, and murderers, prisoners, and thieves at the other end.
!
XVII) Deepening your Sense of Truth/Finding M ore Need
129) Talk to one or a group of people across the room. They are instructed not to move or to move away
until they have felt the truth of what you are saying, at which point they move toward you.
130) “Pass/No Pass” Speak a line of text. Your partner says pass if you are heard; if you have sent an
action; if you are not pushing, if you are speaking to him, not at him.

42
 131) Have a group of listeners come quite close. Speak to them, staying on your voice. Have them move
farther away and repeat
132) Sensitizing you to your partner: blowing on your partner. One person, partner A, closes his/her
eyes. The other, partner B, blows or puffs air on A. A moves that part of the body which feels the air, then
comes back to center. After awhile, reverse.
!
XIX) Finding m ore Vulnerability
133) Leave mouth open after every sentence.
134) Speak entire text through sinus resonator. Gaining confidence / Taking focus
135) Get a group of people, your support group, behind you; have them cheer you on after each line of
text.
136) Imagine a support group behind you, cheering you on.
137) Group work: Everyone is walking through the space. One person decides to take focus by
standing on a chair in the middle of the room and begins his/her text. When someone takes focus,
everyone else stops to give focus.
!
XX) Exploring Character
138) What animal is this character? Find the animal movement, experiment with the text; come back to
human form; what of the animal stays with you?
139) Choose an animal that reminds you of the character and explore physicalizing that animal. What about
the movement and manner of that animal could live in your character?
140) Change your idea of the age of the character.
141) Change your personal preparation.
142) Do a River story of your character.
!
XXI) Physicalizing to find Character
143) Energy States: Sloth, Over Easy, Economic, Stressed.
144) Seven Deadly Sins: Anger, pride, sloth, gluttony, greed, envy, lust
145) Statues of a Stereotype.
146) Working opposites for contrast: Wide, narrow; high, low, straight, curved.)
147) Laban Effort/Shape: Indirect, direct; quick, sustained; light, heavy; bound, free.
!
XXII) Sound and M ovem ent - Finding the Text in the Body; Finding Musicality, Onomatopoeia, Imagery,
Releasing, Connecting the Voice Work to Text, Listening and Responding.
148) Exploring the sounds of each word.
149) Words releasing through the body parts
150) Sounds/words releasing as colors.
151) Specify with colored body parts.
152) Primitive articulation.
153) Zu Wo Shaw: Planet of certain sounds, i.e. emphasize vowels, range.
154) Laying with the Consonants: Repeating them, finding the repetitions (alliteration) onomatopoeia of the
words—ocean, splash.
155) Use phonetic pillows to sound your way through an entire monologue; if no pillows, spend time with
each sound of a word, then put the word together, then move on to the next word; string a few words
together.
156) Puffer Fish: Say all of the text with free, exaggerated movement, concentrating on listening and
responding; moving and being moved. Then into stillness, imaging the vibrations moving through your
body and out.
!
XXIII) Communicating, Listening, Responding, Giving/Receiving, Sending
157) Practice speaking directly to another person rather than trying to “fill” a space with sound.
158) Think about the breath and thought rather than trying to produce a sound you’ve heard before.

43
 159) Respond in the body to what you hear. Give back with the body when it’s your turn.
160) Play pass/no pass.
161) Treat text as a tennis match—lob your line overt to your partner.
162) Have someone feed you the text, line by line. You give over the need to read or remember, and focus
entirely on your partner/image.
163) With improvised text, repeat what your partner has said (I’m joyful; you’re joyful; I’m scared, you’re
scared, etc. until you are really tuned into the other, then start your scene.)
164) Partnering, Palms together, one hand each. As you speak, move your partner across the space from
your center through your hand. As you listen, allow yourself to be moved (to receive.)
165) Who’s in charge? Or Working the Status/power of the scene. Play the scene, line by line. Whoever
has more status/power on a line is physically at a higher lever. Lower status character is physically
lower. (Lear is higher rank, but when does the Fool have more power?)
166) Monologues to Dialogues. Two people in the circle, each doing a monologue (they can be from 2
different plays.) The first says one sentence and the second says their first sentence, in response to the
partner.
!
XXIV) Finding Stillness:
167) Sit on hands; speak text; notice desire to more hands.
168) Have someone hold your feet.
169) Notice if stillness comes with stronger action; more connected breathing.
170) Have partner hold your head from the back while you speak.
171) Specify your actions—stillness will happen.
172) Allow your body to exaggerate all its nervous energy; shake it out, then speak.
173) Increase the tensions you are aware of; speak through/with them. Then release and speak again.
174) Put tape or a band aid on your forehead; go through your text.
!
XXV) Stage W ork: Getting used to the House
175) Taffy Pull: Start from the back of the house, use articulation exercises and text to continue to connect
to the back as you move towards the stage.
176) Talking & Calling: Differentiate the given and imaginary areas of the set: talking on stage in the same
room, calling to a hidden or upstairs room; calling from inside to outside; outside to inside.
177) 123: Sending action to front, middle, back of the house, always including everyone else.
178) Talk upstage.
179) Talk very softly and low using the nasal resonator to carry the sound.
!

44
 GENERAL GUIDLINES FOR SENSE STRESS 1/3!
!
Sense!stress!is!also!called!meaning!stress,!logical!stress!or!rhetorical!stress.!!The!process!of!determining!
sense!stress!involves!determining!which!images!are!important!to!communicating!the!essential!meaning!of!a!
thought,!and!ALSO!involves!determining!which!of!those!images!is!the!most!important,!less!important,!even!
less!important,!et!cetera—determining!a!HIERARCHY!of!importance!to!imagery!within!a!thought!or!series!of!
thought.!
!
Simply!highlighting!verbs,!while!a!good!place!to!begin,!is!not!sufficient!in!communicating!a!complete!
thought.!!!Complete!thoughts,!or!sentences,!must!also!contain!a!subject:!!that!which!performs!the!action!of!
the!verb.!!Transitive!verbs!act!upon!objects,!and!modifiers!(adjectives,!adverbs)!also!convey!important!
information.!!Who?!To!whom?!How?!What?!How!much?!What!sort?!And!many!other!ideas!are!conveyed!by!
nouns,!adverbs,!and!adjectives.!
!
A!rough!hierarchy!of!the!main!parts!of!grammar!might!look!like!this:!
!
Most!important!in!stress! !
• Nouns,!Adjectives,!Verbs!–!active!verbs!
!
Least!important!in!stress! !
• Adverbs!

Words!which!almost!NEVER!receive!primary!stress!*(exceptions!explained!below)!and!are!SUBORDINATED:!
• passive!verbs!and!“helping!verbs”!(auxiliaries)!
o is,!are,!was,!were,!be,!had,!have,!would,!should,!will!can,!may,!might,!shall,!must,!am,!
ought,!do,!did,!been!
• passive!linking!verbs!
o to be, to seem, to feel, to appear, to look!
• pronouns!(represents!a!noun!or!introduces!a!phrase!elaborating!a!noun)!
o he,!she,!it,!they,!you,!thou,!thee,!that,!their,!his,!her,!your,!our,!we,!my,!mine,!them,!
myself,!himself,!herself,!etc.!who,!which,!what,!whose,!whom,!this,!these,!those!
• definite!and!indefinite!articles!
o the,!a,!an,!
• conjunctions!(from!relationships!between!images!or!parts!of!thought)!
o and,!or,!but,!after,!because,!if,!nor,!as,!as!if,!either,!since,!than,!that,!until,!unless,!
whether,!while,!nor,!before,!although,!though,!‘til,!in!order!that,!so!that!
• prepositions!(indicates!relationships!in!space!and!time)!–!These!are!parentheticals.!
o about,!above,!across,!after,!against,!around,!at,!behind,!below,!beneath,!beside,!
between,!down,!in,!off,!of,!to,!on,!out,!over,!up,!upon,!with,!without,!into,!like,!for,!
except,!near,!through,!since,!under,!etc.!
• NEGATIVES
o no, not, nor, neither
!
*These words may receive primary emphasis ONLY WHEN THEY ARE THE ONLY NEW IDEA in a
statement:!
• To be or not to be; that is the question.
• That is not his house; this is his house.

45
 GENERAL RULES FOR SENSE STRESS 2/3!
!
The following rules for sense stress are from Speak with Distinction by Edith Skinner:!
!
• Place!stress!on!important!ideas!while!subordinating!the!unimportant!ideas!
!
• THE!IMPORTANT!IDEA!IS!THE!NEW!IDEA!
o What!a!comfortable!chair.!!Won’t!you!sit!in!this!chair?!
!
• An!idea!or!image!recently!mentioned!should!be!subordinated.!
Love!is!not!love!!
alters!when!it!alteration!finds,,!
bends!with!the!remover!to!remove…!
…Time’s!fool,!though!rosy!lips!and!cheeks!!
bending!sickle’s!compass!comes::!
brief!hours!and!weeks….!
!
• A!possessive!adjective!is!usually!more!important!than!the!noun!it!modifies!(see!above.!!Time’s!fool,!!
sickle’s!compass)!
!
• Words!in!the!following!categories!never!receive!primary!stress!unless!they!are!the!only!new!image!
or!word:!
o passive!and!auxiliary!verbs!
o pronouns!
o definite!and!indefinite!articles!
o conjunctions!
o prepositions!
o NEGATIVES!(Already!mentioned!on!the!previous!page.)!
!
• In!antithetical!phrases,!direct!contrast,!or!parallel!contrast,!the!new!idea!receives!double!stress.!
o It!is!easy!to!play,!but!difficult!to!work.!
!
• When!ideas!are!presented!in!a!list!or!ladder!form,!each!step!of!the!list!receives!increasing!stress
o This!silly!house,!this!agonizing!house,!this!house!<without!foundation.>!!I!shall!call!it!
Heartbreak!House!!
o blocks,!you!stones,!you!<worse!than>!senseless!things!!!!!!!
o you!hard!hearts,!you!cruel!men!of!Rome,!
!you!not!Pompey??!

46
 GENERAL RULES FOR SENSE STRESS 3/3!
!
In summation, Edith says:!
WITHOUT CHANGING THE MEANING, YOU NEED NOT AND SHOULD NOT STRESS” (and she
also types it completely in upper case letters)!WITHOUT!CHANGING!THE!MEANING,!YOU!NEED!NOT!AND!
SHOULD!NOT!STRESS”!(and!she!also!types!it!completely!in!upper!case!letters)!
“EMPHASIZE!! ! 1.!!The!new!idea!
2.!!or!the!contrasting!idea!
3.!!subdue!the!old!idea!
ITH IDEAS, WITH MEANINGS, AND NOT MERELY WITH WORDS”ITH!IDEAS,!WITH!MEANINGS,!
AND!NOT!MERELY!WITH!WORDS”!
!
Here!are!some!useful!methods!and!symbols!for!marking!for!sense!stress:!
not! not! !!!!!!!!!not!stressed!
blue!!!!!weak! !!!!!!!!!weak!stress!
dress!!!moderate! moderate!stress!
wears!!strong! strong!stress!(and!you!can!continue!to!add!underlines!for!series!and!contrast)!
!
Alice who wears the blue dress: Janet wears the blue dress!wears!the!blue!dress!

47
And Things That Go Bump In The Night Monologue

“Clarence”

By Terrence McNally

There are just too many good things in the world not to want to be alive. Just think of all the beautiful things

men have made. Music, art, literature… Shakespeare alone is a reason to be alive. How could anyone not

want to be alive after there’s been a Shakespeare on this earth? Someone who writes poetry? I can’t imagine

it… And even if I’ve never seen it real... and maybe I never will… how could anyone not want to be alive

when there is a city in Italy named Florence? How could they? Just knowing about Florence.… what it

means to us that it’s there. That there was a Florence, is and will be. It… it makes the rest of this planet

tolerable. Florence is why we’re alive. It’s what we’re about. And the things you can do. The simple things.

What about them. Just to take a walk even. It can be wonderful. Or to be by the sea and feel that air on your

face and see what the horizon means. You can actually see the curve of the earth. Just what they taught you

in school and it’s true. That’s a wonderful thing to see for yourself. Or just to sit in a park… with the sun

spilling all over you … watching the people. The other people. They’re not you, and that’s what’s so

beautiful about them. They’re someone else. Sit and wonder who they are. What they ate for breakfast, what

paper they’re reading, where they live, what they do … who they love. And that’s another reason. Everybody

loves somebody … or they will … sometime in their life. Anything that makes you want to live so bad you’d

… you’d die for it … Shakespeare, Florence … Someone in the park. That’s what I believe in. That’s all.

That’s the way I live.

48
ARTY

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Successful businesses must now be

Knowledge based and relationship

49
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50
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51
Casting Session Video Script

“Good Cause”

INT. COURTROOM – DAY

Our host leans against the jury box in an empty courtroom.

HOST

The story reads like a John Grisham novel, but these

facts are far from fiction.

It’s the story of lawyers who made billions of dollars

suing companies.

They put their own financial interests above the interests

of their clients.

They racked up fees of more than one hundred thousand

dollars an hour.

One Judge called the fees “unconscionable.”

This is the story of how greed turned a “good cause”

into a “bad deal.”

“CREDIBLE – WARM – NATURAL” READ

JEFF GERRARD CASTING

52
ROMEO AND JULIET

Act II Scene 2 (33-50)

JULIET

O Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

ROMEO [Aside]

Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

JULIET

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O, be some other name.

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.

ROMEO

I take thee at thy word!

53
PRODUCT: Marketing Image

UNIT: TV :30

TITLE: “Nightmare”

YOUNG MAN: If I’m going to spend five or six grand on a computer system…I’m going to feel like I’m

entitled to a little hand-holding from the dealer, you know? I’m not going to want to be hurried. Or

pressured. Or hustled into buying whatever the guy happens to have lying around in the back room. So

maybe my sale isn’t going to make this guy’s month…I’ve got no apology to make. It’s an important

decision for my business. So the salesman’s going to groan when he sees me coming? So maybe I’m going

to give him nightmares? Hey. it goes with the territory.

54
QUESTIONS!FOR!WORK!GUIDLINES!
!
Preamble:!
!
What!does!the!text!tell!me!about!my!character?!What!are!the!facts?!What!are!the!exact!given!
circumstances:!age,!environment,!time,!physical!conditions,!socioZeconomic!conditions!or!any!other!
information!important!in!the!text?!!How!do!I!view!myself,!and!the!world,!based!on!the!given!
circumstances!(point!of!view).!Story!facts?!Relationship!facts?!!How!do!I!feel!about!myself?!!What!are!my!
accomplishments!or!failures?!
!
How!do!others!treat!me?!What!is!my!social!status?!!How!do!I!react!to!that!treatment?!!!
!
What!do!I!do!in!the!text!as!oppose!to!what!I!say?!(A!character!is!defined!by!his!actions)!
!
When!am!I!telling!the!truth!as!opposed!to!when!am!I!lying,!based!on!the!facts!and!circumstances?!
!
What!are!my!simple!likes!and!dislikes!(found!in!the!sense!stress)?!
!
Have!I!asked!myself!what!about!doing!this!piece!is!personal!and!why!I!am!choosing!to!do!it?!How!can!I!
relate!to!the!writing!and!story?!
!
What!is!the!superZobjective?!Ask!yourself,!!“am!I!able!to!go!after!this!physically!and!fully!throughout!the!
scene?”!What!are!the!facts!in!the!past!that!have!brought!me!to!need!the!superZobjective?!What!are!the!
past!facts!of!the!character’s!background?!What!period!do!they!live!in!that!makes!the!super!objective!
necessary!and!burning?!(Ex:!Hitler!was!a!ridiculed,!sickly!child,!which!may!have!given!him!his!quest!for!
power)!
!
What!is!the!scene!about?!What!happens!in!the!scene!to!the!character?!What!transpires!physically!and!
emotionally?!What!is!the!event!in!simple!terms?!
!
What!are!the!art,!literature!and!music!of!the!period?!How!am!I!influenced!by!the!time!and!environment!
in!which!I!live?!!How!does!it!affect!and!influence!me!physically?!
!
What!is!the!climate!(physical,!social,!psychologically)!in!which!I!exist!and!how!does!it!affect!me?!
!
How!does!the!accent!of!the!character!or!cadence!in!which!I!speak!affect!my!body!and!those!around!me?!
Are!there!any!vocal!choices!that!may!be!different!from!my!own?!
!
How!does!my!choice!of!clothing!affect!and!change!the!way!I!behave?!
!
Are!there!any!physical!choices!I!make!for!the!character?!What!are!the!predominant!gestures!for!the!
character!(physiological!gesture)?!!Anything!specific!I!may!find!physically!(lisp,!limp,!slowness!of!carriage!
etc.)!that!the!text!suggests?!Are!there!habitual!behaviors?!
!
In!looking!at!the!writing!of!the!material:!What!is!the!sense!stress?!What!does!the!sense!stress!suggest!to!
me?!Are!there!patterns!or!rhythms?!!Does!the!sense!stress!tell!me!the!story?!How!is!the!sense!stress!
connected!to!my!superZobjective!or!scene!objective?!

55
!
What!images!do!I!have!for!each!sense!stress!word?!!How!are!those!images!connected!to!my!superZ
objective!or!scene!objective?!!!Identify!and!imagine!each!image!word!in!the!text….!make!the!images!
personal!to!you.!(Example:!!if!you!say!you!like!“football”,!and!it!means!nothing!to!you,!you!can!substitute!
an!image!of!some!other!activity!that!would!affect!you!“as!if”!it!were!football)!
!
Are!the!images!specific!by!using!all!five!senses!to!create!them?!
!
What!are!the!stakes!in!this!scene!for!me?!!What!are!the!stakes!for!me!personally!as!well!as!the!stakes!
for!the!character!in!doing!the!material?!!Are!the!stakes!hot!for!me?!Are!they!immediate?!!!
!
What!key!images!in!the!writing!!make!the!stakes!vibrant?!
!
What!is!the!arch!of!the!scene?!!What!is!the!journey!of!the!play?!!!How!does!this!particular!scene!change!
me!forever?!What!is!the!journey!of!the!scene?!Where!do!I!start!and!where!do!I!end?!What!do!I!have!
coming!into!the!scene!opposed!and!what!am!I!left!with?!
!
!Have!I!asked!myself!“where!is!the!love”!in!this!scene?!!!What!can!I!give!the!other!characters,!the!
audience,!and!myself!by!doing!the!work!(as!oppose!to!what!I!am!getting!from!it.)?!
!
Entering!the!Scene:!
!
Where!has!the!character!just!come!from!…why!do!I!need!to!enter!this!scene!now…what!would!happen!
if!I!didn’t!enter!the!scene!or!the!scene!did!not!take!place…how!am!I!vital!to!this!scene?!!!
!
How!am!I!feeling!emotionally!based!on!where!I!have!just!come!from?!How!am!I!affected!physically?!
!
What!am!I!doing!physically!the!moment!before!I!enter!or!when!I!am!alone!in!the!scene?!
!
What!are!my!specific!expectations!entering!into!the!room….!Emotionally!and!physically?!
!
How!do!I!deal!with!the!specific!reality!of!what!I!see!the!moment!I!step!into!the!scene!opposed!to!what!
my!expectations!were!or!what!I!imagined!would!occur?!
!
How!does!that!change!me!emotionally!or!make!me!behave!differently?!
!
!What!is!my!relationship!to!the!other!characters!…socially,!economically,!emotionally,!physically,!and!
spiritually?!!What!are!my!expectations!(positive)!of!these!people!individually?!What!are!my!
expectations!(negative)!if!I!don’t!acquire!the!objective?!!!What!will!physically!happen!to!me?!
!
Who!has!the!power!in!the!relationships?!When!and!does!that!power!shift?!
!
How!are!the!relationships!changing!in!the!scene!or!from!scene!to!scene?!!How!are!the!other!people!
different!towards!me?!How!do!I!respond!to!them!once!they!change?!How!do!I!respond!once!I!change?!
!
Why!do!I!speak?!What!makes!me!speak?!Why!do!I!continue!to!speak?!!Why!do!I!not!speak?!!!
!

56
What!makes!me!continue!to!stay!in!the!room?!!What!makes!me!leave!the!scene!immediately?!
!
Why!do!I!move?!!What!is!my!destination?!!What!makes!me!move?!!Am!I!always!going!toward!something!
as!oppose!to!moving!away?!!
!
SOURCES!AND!TRIGGERS:!
!
Can!you!identify!the!characters!essence!in!a!piece!of!music,!or!writing,!or!art!that!is!personal!to!you?!
What!can!you!find!in!other!art!forms!that!remind!you!of!the!character?!(Example:!the!“1812!Overture”!
reminds!me!of!the!spirit!of!my!father)!!
!
What!animal!reminds!you!of!the!character?!!!How!does!that!trigger!your!imagination!in!the!specifics!of!
movement!or!the!way!you!speak?!
What!emotional!or!physical!triggers!have!I!set!up!for!myself!in!the!scene?!What!key!images!have!I!
prepared!for!myself?!What!key!objects!have!I!placed!on!the!set?!!How!do!these!“triggers”!propel!me!
into!action?!How!do!these!“triggers”!change!me!emotionally!and!physically?!
!
What!is!my!relationship!to!the!key!objects!on!the!set!and!how!have!I!endowed!these!objects!so!that!
they!become!“triggers”!for!me?!
!
Have!I!personalized!the!environment,!and!or!event!in!the!scene!so!that!they!immediately!affect!me!as!
soon!as!I!enter?!
!
How!does!the!environment!directly!affect!the!characters!actions!and!feelings?!
!
How!does!the!environment!affect!each!one!of!your!senses!in!relationship!to!the!objective?!
!
Does!the!event!(weddings,!funerals,!etc.)!affect!me!immediately!and!is!it!personal!and!defined!for!
myself?!
!
!
OBJECTIVE:!
!
What!is!my!objective!in!this!individual!scene!that!supports!the!super!objective?!!Why!have!I!entered!the!
room!and!what!do!I!physically!want!to!accomplish!(smoke!a!cigarette,!break!up!with!someone,!do!
laundry!etc.)!!
!
How!much!energy!is!needed!to!capture!my!objective?!Am!I!doing!too!much!or!too!little?!
!
Is!there!a!thread!that!connects!each!moment?!!One!moment!has!to!come!logically!from!the!moment!
before.!!Each!moment!is!a!building!block!to!the!objective.!
!
Is!the!scene!objective!as!personal!as!the!super!objective?!
!
How!have!I!personalized!that!objective!so!that!it!is!hot!for!me!every!time?!Have!I!used!an!affective!
memory!(imaginary!or!real)!,!personal!object,!!sense!memory,!!imagination!exercise!!or!Stanislavsky’s!!
magic!“as!if”!to!make!it!vibrant?!

57
!
Have!I!asked!myself!how!would!I!respond!in!going!after!this!objective!if!I,!personally,!!were!in!the!given!
circumstances?!!How!would!I!feel!in!the!circumstances!with!the!need!that!I!have?!
!
What!do!I!do!physically!to!accomplish!the!objective?!!
!
Am!I!sourcing!off!my!partner!letting!them!dictate!if!I!am!or!am!not!getting!my!objective!or!am!I!self!
generating?!Do!they!dictate!my!every!move,!thought,!feeling?!!
!
Am!I!dependent!on!my!partner,!my!environment!in!accordance!to!my!objective?!
!
!
OBSTACLES:!!
!
What!stands!in!the!way!of!me!getting!what!I!want!(physically,!emotionally,!intellectually!and!
spiritually)?!
!!
Why,!again,!does!the!scene!go!on!and!what!am!I!actively!doing!to!overcome!each!obstacle?!!

outer!obstacle)?outer!obstacle)?!

!
What!is!within!myself!(inner!obstacle)!that!prevents!me!from!getting!what!I!want?!
!
!How!do!I!immediately!physically!respond!to!these!obstacles?!
!
What!do!I!discover!about!the!obstacles!that!I!did!not!anticipate!before!the!scene!(suspect!the!wife!is!
cheating!but!actually!come!home!to!find!her!in!the!act)?!
!
How!do!these!discoveries!change!me!within!the!scene?!
!
How!do!these!obstacles!change!my!behavior!within!the!scene?!
!
How!do!these!obstacles!change!my!relationships?!!How!are!they!different!towards!me!in!terms!of!the!
obstacles?!!
!
How!do!I!respond!to!them!once!they!change!toward!me?!
!
!
ACTIONS:!
!
What!actions!do!I!take!to!combat!these!obstacles:!physical,!emotional,!verbal?!
!
Am!I!making!Positive!as!oppose!to!Negative!choices?!!
Am!I!making!choices!that!will!enable!me!to!win!the!fight!or!choices!that!illustrate!the!problem!of!the!
text?!
!

58
Am!I!making!physical!action!choices?!
!
Are!the!action!words!(images)!hot!for!me?!
!
Do!I!increase!my!actions!if!I!get!what!I!want?!
!
Do!I!change!my!actions!if!I!don’t?!
!
!Are!the!action!words!personal!to!me!and!indigenous!to!the!character?!(Stanley!in!Streetcar!might!make!
some!one!feel!“demolished”!as!oppose!to!“annoyed”)!
!
Am!I!also!sending!nonZverbal!actions?!
!
How!am!I!listening!to!the!actions!being!sent!to!me?!!Are!the!actions!in!my!body!or!my!head?!!How!is!my!
body!changing!as!I!am!taking!in!what!is!said!or!done!to!me?!!How!does!that!affect!my!breathing?!!Am!I!
breathing?!!What!physical!tensions!or!blocks!do!I!notice!while!sending!and!receiving!actions?!
!
Are!the!tasks!and!actions!I!have!fun!for!me?!!Do!they!inspire!me!and!make!me!anxious!to!get!in!there!
and!fight!for!what!I!want!in!the!most!enjoyable!way?!
!
Am!I!constantly!changing!my!actions!during!the!rehearsal!process,!redefining!what!works!best!in!
accomplishing!my!goals!or!am!I!stuck!in!a!predetermined!pattern?!
!
Have!I!tried!to!avoid!cliché!,!by!not!having!a!predetermined!“idea”!of!what!the!scene!is!about!,!!who!the!
character!is!,!and!how!I!would!behave?!!Are!my!actions!original,!!physical,!!alive,!and!personal.!!

59
AUDITION!MONOLOGUE!GUIDELINES!!
!
The!Audition!
!
I. The!Monologue!(Choosing!and!Preparing)!!
!
a. The!kind!of!role!you!choose!must!be!something!you!enjoy!doing!
b. Create!the!whole!imaginary!life!in!the!fullest!of!detail.!
c. What!are!your!expectations!on!your!imaginary!partner’s!responses?!
d. Substitute!relationships!by!finding!similar!needs.!!
!
The!Monologue!Audition!
Karen!Kohlhaas!
!
Introduction!
a) After!you!have!completed!and!rehearsed!your!staging,!you’ll!be!free!to!
commit!to!your!acting.!!
b) Definition!of!acting!your!monologue!as!how!you!perform!your!staging!in!the!
moment!to!pursue!the!acting!choices!you’ve!made!for!your!monologue.!(Part!
2)!
!
Part!1:!Directing!Your!Monologue!
!
! Chapter!1:!Story,!Suspense,!and!Structure!
!
Story!
!
a) The!first!step!in!directing!your!monologue!is!to!examine!it!closely!
within!the!whole!play,!so!that!you!understand!what!the!story!of!this!
particular!monologue!means!to!the!character.!!
b) Questions!to!ask!about!the!monologue:!!
a. Who!is!the!character!addressing?!!
b. Where!does!this!monologue!appear!in!the!play?!!
c. What!has!happened!up!to!this!point!in!the!play!(including!the!
scene!the!monologue!is!in)?!!
d. Why!is!the!character!speaking!this!monologue!now?!!
e. What!does!the!character!want!the!other!characters!to!do!as!
a!result!of!hearing!this!monologue?!!
f. What!are!the!stakes?!(What!will!happen!if!my!character!
doesn’t!get!what!she!wants?)!
g. Does!the!character!succeed!or!fail?!!
c) Your!opinions!of!the!story!are!all!you!have!to!interpret!the!writer’s!
intentions.!!

60
 !
Suspense!
!
a) Suspense!is!defined!as!a!deliberate,!well!chosen!flow!of!action!that!is!
specific!to!each!part!of!the!story.!Good!direction!is!always!
suspenseful.!!
b) Suspenseful!direction!never!has!the!audience!get!ahead!of!the!story.!!
!
!
Structure:!Beginning,!Middle,!End,!and!Climax!
!
a) Every!good!story!has!a!beginning,!middle,!climax!and!an!end.!!
b) For!the!monologue!you!want!both:!good!writing,!which!is!why!your!
choice!of!material!is!important,!and!good!direction!to!make!clear,!
committed!choices!for!the!story.!!
c) To!decide!the!most!effective,!middle,!and!end!sections!for!your!
monologue,!look!for!a!sense!of!suspense!–!of!“what’s!going!to!
happen!next?”!–!in!the!writing.!!
!
Beginning!
!
a) The!beginning!words!need!to!tell!us!that!the!character!is!ready!for!a!
confrontation!of!some!kind.!!
b) It!must!also!tell!us!something!that!you!are.!!
!
Middle!
!
a) Choosing!the!beginning!and!end!of!your!monologue!automatically!
defines!the!middle.!There!are!no!hard!and!fast!rules!for!the!lengths!of!
the!beginning,!middle!and!end,!although!the!middle!is!almost!always!
the!longest!section.!!
!
End!
!
a) Ends!can!also!be!just!one!sentence,!or!even!one!word,!depending!on!
the!monologue.!When!the!end!is!too!long,!we!lose!a!sense!of!it!truly!
being!the!end!of!the!story!and!risk!losing!the!audience’s!attention.!!
b) The!end!also!has!an!important!relationship!to!the!climax.!!
!
Climax
!
a) The!climax!is!the!moment!of!highest!tension!in!the!monologue.!After!
the!story!of!your!monologue!climaxes,!your!audience!expects!the!end!
to!come!soon.!For!this!reason,!the!climax!usually!comes!toward!the!

61
 end!of!the!middle!section!or!in!the!actual!end!section!of!the!
monologue.!Very!often!the!climax!ends!the!middle,!leaving!the!end!to!
be!the!resolution.!!
b) There!can!only!be!one!climax!in!the!monologue.!This!does!not!mean!
that!other!parts!of!the!monologue!are!unimportant.!It!means!that!
each!other!part!has!a!specific!meaning!in!relation!to!the!climax!and!is!
therefore!stronger!and!more!defined.!!
c) Making!a!specific!choice!of!climax!encourages!you!to!make!specific!
choices!for!all!of!the!other!parts,!which!makes!your!direction!
suspenseful!and!keeps!your!audiences!with!you.!!
d) A!climax!should!be!fairly!short.!!
e) Your!direction!will!be!stronger!if!you!express!those!differences!fully!
rather!than!minimize!them.!!
f) When!choosing!the!climax!ask!how!might!each!choice!of!climax!
change!the!impact!of!the!monologue?!Which!one!do!you!think!tells!
your!story!the!best?!!
!
Chapter!2:!Making!Choices!
! !
The!first!step!toward!creating!suspenseful!staging!for!you!monologue!was!
choosing!the!beginning,!middle,!climax!and!end!in!chapter!1.!The!next!is!to!get!
even!more!specific.!
!
Chunks!
!
a) A!chunk!is!a!group!of!words!or!sentences!within!the!beginning,!
middle!and!end!sections!of!your!monologue!that!feels!to!you!like!a!
complete!unit,!like!a!single!thought!or!point!being!made!in!the!
writing.!
b) Dividing!your!monologue!into!Chunks!lets!you!control!how!the!
audience!receives!the!flow!of!information!in!the!monologue,!
according!to!your!interpretation.!!
c) The!middle!section!almost!always!contains!several!Chunks,!and!you!
can!make!the!climax!its!own!Chunk!so!that!it!stands!out.!!
d) Creating!Chunks!for!you!Monologue!(Rules!and!Guidelines):!!
1) No!chunk!overlaps!the!divisions!between!beginning!and!
middle!and!end.!!
2) The!climax!is!its!own!chunk.!!
3) A!2Zminute!monologue!should!have!between!2!and!10!Chunks!
4) Chunks!are!of!different!lengths.!Short!chunks!are!used!to!
isolate!what!I!felt!were!very!important!statements!in!the!
beginning!and!end!of!the!monologue.!!

62
 5) The!chunks!can!follow!shifts!of!mood!and!rhythm!in!the!
writing.!As!you!build,!the!rhythm!quickens!and!the!chunks!
also.!!
6) The!chunks!can!change!later!on.!You!can!also!change!them!as!
you!progress!in!your!monologue.!!
!
Descriptions!
!
a) Descriptions!are!staging!tools!that!help!you!name!the!physical!
“picture”!you!want!the!audience!to!see!in!each!chunk!as!the!
monologue!is!performed.!
b) The!ultimate!test!is!could!you!understand!the!description!if!you!saw!
it!performed!silently?!!
c) Descriptions!are!simply!a!way!to!articulate!your!ideas!from!a!
director’s!visual!perspective.!Know!that!once!you!have!finished!your!
descriptions,!you!will!turn!them!into!staging!–!physical!movements!–!
and!forget!about!their!wording.!
d) Descriptions!are!vivid,!“seeable”!adverbs!and!verbs!to!give!each!
Chunk!of!your!monologue!its!own!identity.!!
e) Writing!Descriptions!helps!you!tell!the!Story!clearly!by!defining!how!
each!Chunk!uniquely!relates!to!the!climax.!This!practice!will!build!the!
suspense!by!ensuring!that!your!staging!wont!be!vague!or!repetitive.!!
f) To!create!Descriptions,!choose!a!verb!that!describes!what!you!
imagine!the!character!doing!in!that!part!of!the!Story!and!an!adverb!
that!describes!how!you!imagine!him!doing!it.!!
g) Descriptions!are!a!condensed!version!of!a!technique!taught!at!
directing!classes.!
h) Choosing!descriptions!for!your!monologues:!!
a. The!words!of!your!descriptions!must!be!“Seeable”.!(You!will!
not!be!acting!them.!Remember).!!
The!following!is!a!list!of!Seeable!verbs!to!use:!!
Challenges,!Confronts,!Begs,!Dismisses,!Announces,!Dares,!
Flirts,!Gossips,!Condemns,!Savors,!Warns,!Lectures,!
Ponders,!Regroups,!Frets,!Assures,!Berates,!Jokes,!Goads,!
Coaxes,!Teaches,!Entreats,!Pleads,!Confesses,!Teases,!
Taunts,!Mocks,!Revels,!Confides,!Vows,!Attacks,!
Encourages,!Grills,!Scolds,!Invites,!Complains,!Apologizes,!
Threatens,!Orders.!
!
The!following!is!a!list!of!Seeable!Adverbs!to!use:!
Boldly,!Hesitantly,!Sincerely,!Happily,!Scornfully,!
Sarcastically,!Hopelessly,!Shamefully,!Exhaustedly,!
Frustratedly,!Mischievously,!Arrogantly,!Confidently,!
Eagerly,!Nervously,!Dreamily,!Carefully,!Hopefully,!

63
 Righteously,!Furiously,!Coolly,!Haughtily,!Apologetically,!
Viciously,!Lovingly,!Disgustedly,!Exasperatedly,!Giddily,!
Casually,!Shyly.!
!
b. Descriptions!contain!no!plot.!Verbs!like!“remembers”!
performed!silently,!we!cannot!tell!what!the!character!is!doing.!
We!can!only!see!what!the!memory!is!doing!to!the!character’s!
behavior.!
c. A!descriptive!adverb!or!verb!should!be!used!only!once!in!the!
monologue.!The!purpose!of!descriptions!is!to!make!the!
staging!of!each!Chunk!unique!to!build!the!suspense.!If!the!
same!adverbs!and!verbs!are!repeated,!they!lose!their!power!
to!make!each!Chunk!of!the!monologue!specific.!!
d. Your!adverb!and!verb!should!make!a!complete!picture!that!
makes!sense.!Sometimes!they!can!cancel!each!other!out.!!
e. Use!your!Descriptions!to!direct!variety!into!your!monologue.!
Variety!is!very!important.!If!your!monologue!is!all!“one!note”!
ask!yourself!which!one!of!the!chunks!can!you!change.!!
f. The!Descriptions!add!up!to!a!complete!Story.!Compare!your!
descriptions!to!the!story!you!wrote!for!you!monologue.!Do!
your!descriptions!tell!your!Story?!Beginning,!middle,!climax,!
end?!Is!the!description!for!the!climax!vivid!and!expressive?!!
g. Have!fun!with!your!Descriptions!!!
!
Sizes!and!Shapes!
!
a) Sizes!and!Shapes!are!another!directing!tool!and!are!the!next!step!toward!your!
staging.!There!are!only!four:!Big!and!Fast,!Small!and!Fast,!Small!and!Slow,!Big!
and!Slow!and!Anyone!of!these!becoming!another.!!
b) Sizes!and!Shapes!combined!with!specific!movements!are!an!extremely!potent!
storytelling!device.!
c) When!choosing!Sizes!and!Speeds!for!each!of!your!descriptions:!!
a. Choose!them!quickly,!based!on!the!descriptive!words.!!
b. Adjust!your!choices!so!you!don’t!have!the!same!Size!and!Speed!
combination!twice!in!a!row.!
c. Make!sure!you!have!variety.!!
d. If!you!are!using!builds:!You!can!have!the!Size!and!Speed!in!the!Chunk!
before!the!build!be!the!same!as!the!one!that!starts!the!build.!Similarly,!
you!can!have!the!Size!and!Speed!after!the!build!be!the!same!one!that!
ends!it.!Use!a!build!only!once!or!twice!in!a!monologue!–!more!than!that!
can!get!repetitive.!!
!
!
!

64
 Checklist!for!Making!Choices!
!
You!have!chosen!Chunks!for!your!monologue!that:!!
a) Don’t!overlap!your!beginning,!middle!and!end!structure!
b) Feel!like!distinct!units!to!you!
c) Are!of!different!lengths!
d) Are!not!too!many!or!too!few!(probably!7Z10)!
e) Define!the!climax!as!its!own!chunk!
!
You!have!chosen!Descriptions!for!your!Chunks!that:!!
a) Are!seeable!adverbs!and!verbs!
b) Suggest!a!vivid!picture!for!each!Chunk!
c) Contain!no!plot!
d) Have!words!used!only!once!for!this!monologue!
e) Have!variety!
f) Add!up!to!a!complete!Story!
!
You!have!chosen!Size!and!Speeds!for!you!Descriptions!that:!!
a) Are!not!repeated!twice!in!a!row!
b) Have!variety!!
!
Chapter!3:!Staging!Options!
!
Staging!can!make!or!break!an!entire!production.!You!can!create!a!good!staging!
monologue!by!making!specific!and!unique!choices!about!how!and!when!you!use!
your!body!to!stage!each!of!your!Descriptions.!!
!
The!Square:!Your!Stage!
!
a) Work!in!a!perfect!Square!(6ft!x!6ft).!!
!
Focus!
!
a) In!a!play,!using!the!element!of!focus!means!attracting!the!audience’s!attention!
to!what!the!director!wants!them!to!look!at!any!particular!moment.!
b) Choosing!the!focus!for!a!monologue!therefore!means!deciding!where!you’re!
going!to!focus!when!you!perform!it.!
c) The!focus!you!choose!should:!!
a. Allow!you!to!be!seen!as!much!as!possible!throughout!the!performance!
b. Make!absolutely!clear!who!your!character!is!talking!to!
d) Choosing!your!focus?!The!character!may!be:!!
a. Talking!to!one!other!character!
b. Talking!to!one!other!character!but!referring!to!someone!or!something!
else!in!the!room!

65
 c. Talking!to!two!or!more!characters!
d. Talking!to!a!crowd!
e. Talking!directly!to!the!audience!
e) In!a!monologue!the!character!may!be:!!
a. Talking!to!himself!
b. Talking!to!someone!who!is!not!there!
c. Talking!to!God!
f) For!monologues!in!which!your!character!is!talking!directly!to!one!other!
character,!take!your!focus!up!to!a!point!at!or!slightly!below!your!own!eye!level,!
slightly!behind!the!auditors.!!
g) Always!keep!that!spot!in!the!same!place.!!
h) Never!look!down!to!the!floor.!This!could!take!your!audience!out!of!the!Story.!!
i) If!you!want!to!show!that!the!character!is!thinking,!look!up:!your!audience!will!
always!stay!with!you.!!
j) If!your!character!is!talking!to!multiple!people,!simply!allow!your!focus!to!expand!
a!couple!fo!feet!to!either!side!of!the!center!point.!!
k) If!your!character!is!talking!to!God,!look!up!with!your!eyes,!not!with!your!head.!!
l) If!your!character!is!talking!on!the!telephone,!mime!a!telephone!but!keep!your!
eyes!up!above!eye!level!and!always!make!sure!you!can!be!seen.!
!
!
Placement!Options!
!
It!is!very!important!for!one!to!make!a!commitment!to!these!nine!positions!–!not!
anywhere!in!between.!This!will!also!help!memorize!the!staging.!The!audience!will!
not!know!about!positions,!they!will!just!see!the!result!of!committing!to!the!
positions:!clean,!committed,!staging.!!
!
a) Upstage!Center!is!a!strong,!balanced!position!that!can!seem!removed!or!
commanding,!depending!on!your!interpretation.!From!there!you!can!“go!
anywhere”.!For!this!reason,!it!is!a!strong!place!to!start!your!monologue.!!
b) Center!stage!is!a!place!you!can!use!to!call!attention!to!important!parts!of!your!
story!by!literally!“taking!center!stage”.!If!you!don’t!have!much!movement!in!
your!piece,!you!can!stand!here!much!of!it!while!easily!keeping!the!audience!
focused!on!the!story.!It!is!also!a!very!balanced!place!to!start!your!monologue.!
c) Downstage!Center!is!closest!to!the!audience.!It!can!be!confrontational!or!
vulnerable,!depending!on!how!it!is!used.!It’s!a!great!place!to!use!to!bring!out!
your!Climax.!DC!should!be!used!sparingly!–!too!much!and!the!audience!may!
start!to!feel!uncomfortable,!and/or!the!position!can!lose!its!power.!Because!of!
its!intensity,!you!should!seldom!start!your!monologue!here;!doing!so!gives!you!
no!place!to!go!unless!you!back!up!from!it!very!soon!after!starting.!
d) Upstage!Right!and!Upstage!Left!can!have!a!lurking!or!suspicious,!or!hesitant!
quality!that!you!might!want!fro!the!beginning!of!your!monologue;!like!UC,!both!
positions!give!you!somewhere!to!go.!Because!they!are!close!to!the!audience!

66
 and!off!to!the!side,!both!positions!tend!not!to!work!well!as!places!to!start!your!
monologue!unless!you!have!a!specific!reason.!!
e) Center!stage!Right!and!Center!stage!Left!are!good!for!transitional!moments!
between!stronger!chunks,!and!for!ending!up!in!for!a!few!moments!to!make!a!
point.!They!are!usually!not!strong!places!to!start.!If!you!compare!starting!in!
them!to!starting!in!any!of!the!upstage!positions,!you’ll!notice!how!much!weaker!
they!seem.!
f) Downstage!Right!and!Downstage!Left!are!not!as!confrontational!or!vulnerable!
as!Downstage!Center,!but!they!can!be!used!for!making!strong!statement!in!the!
monologue.!They!are!often!strong!places!to!be!immediately!before!the!climax!of!
your!monologue,!if!you!choose!to!put!it!DC.!Neither!are!good!places!to!start.!
!
Movement!Options!
!
a) Movement!in!and!of!itself!is!neither!good!nor!bad!it!really!has!to!do!with!telling!
the!Story.!!
b) Use!as!much!movement!as!you!need,!fully!performed.!!
!
Gesture!
!
a) Gestures!are!specific!choices!for!your!upper!body!–!your!arms,!hands,!and!
sometimes!even!your!facial!expressions!–!that!can!be!used!as!needed!to!stage!
your!Descriptions.!I!suggest!you!actually!set!gestures!in!your!staging,!separately!
from!the!acting.!Doing!so!has!tow!major!advantages:!!
a. It!ensures!that!your!staging!tells!your!Story.!!
b. It!gives!your!whole!body!something!specific!to!do!when!you!audition!that!
you!can!use!fully!as!an!actor.!
c. Notice!that!once!the!Description!has!become!physical!staging,!only!the!
movement!remains.!
d. The!actor!can!now!simply!use!that!specific!movement!to!express!her!
impulse!in!the!moment.!
e. Setting!the!gesture!means!not!waiting!until!you!feel!like!it!to!commit!to!
your!monologue!with!you!body.!
f. When!you!stage,!give!yourself!permission!to!choose!gesture!that!
absolutely!get!your!Descriptions!across.!!
g. In!the!beginning!use!gestures!as!big!and!exaggerated!as!possible!and!by!
the!end!they!will!be!yours.!!
!
!
!
!
Budgeting!
!

67
 a) Budgeting!helps!you!maintain!the!suspense!in!your!monologue!and!is!exactly!
what!it!sounds!like:!you!decide!when!you’re!gong!to!“spend”!a!movement,!
gesture!or!placement!choice!in!your!staging,!so!that!you!guarantee!each!staged!
Description!is!unique!and!doesn’t!look!like!any!other.!!
b) It!also!keeps!you!from!using!choices!too!early!that!you!want!to!save!for!later!on.!!
c) Budget!your!staging!elements!so!that!you!can!decide!the!most!effective!place!to!
use!them.!!
!
Staging!Guidelines!
!
Using!specific!choices!about!your!focus,!placement,!movement,!gesture,!and!
budgeting!combined!with!your!Sizes!and!Speeds!helps!you!stage!each!
Description!of!your!monologue!fully!and!clearly.!Quick!reference!guide!to!staging!
a!monologue:!!
!
a) Most!monologues!work!best!when!you!start!them!from!the!UC,!CS,!or!UR!
position!in!the!square.!These!positions!all!give!you!somewhere!to!go.!!
b) Most!climaxes!are!clearest!if!they!are!CS!or!DC.!!
c) Unless!you!have!a!specific!reason!to!do!otherwise,!always!move!to!one!of!the!
nine!positions!in!the!square.!!
d) Work!with!the!least!number!of!movements!–!actual!traveling!in!the!square!–!
required!to!get!your!Story!across.!Always!move!for!a!reason.!!
e) Your!overall!movement!in!most!cases!should!progress!downstage!as!the!
monologue!continues.!Backing!up!or!turning!around!and!moving!upstage!during!
your!staging!can!work!well,!but!always!have!a!specific!reason!for!doing!so.!
Otherwise,!it!might!feel!to!your!audience!like!you!are!backtracking!or!starting!
over.!
f) Don’t!move!on!more!than!two!Chunks!in!a!row!unless!you!have!a!reason.!More!
movement!than!this!gets!repetitive!and!starts!to!ill!the!suspense.!!
g) Movement!usually!works!best!if!you!go!only!half!a!square’s!length!at!a!time.!!
h) Balance!your!staging!in!the!square!by!keeping!track!of!when!you!have!gone!to!
the!Right!or!the!Left!sides.!The!next!time!you!want!to!go!to!the!side,!go!Right!if!
you!went!Left!before,!and!go!Left!if!you!went!Right!before.!!
i) If!you!choose!to!turn!your!back!on!the!audience!to!walk!upstage,!make!it!the!
briefest!time!possible!so!they!don’t!lose!you.!Raise!your!voice!so!you!can!be!
heard,!and!let!them!see!your!face!again!as!soon!as!possible.!!
j) Never!look!down!during!your!monologue.!!
k) If!your!character!referes!for!a!moment!to!something!outside!the!square,!place!it!
at!a!downstage!diagonal!so!that!the!audience!gets!a!threeZquarters!view!of!you!
rather!than!a!profile!view!this!will!keep!your!audience!with!you.!!
l) If!you!pace!from!side!to!side,!keep!your!head!up!and!your!eyes!on!your!focus!
point!the!whole!time!to!keep!the!audience!with!you.!
m) Use!props!only!when!absolutely!necessary.!If!so,!make!it!something!you!can!
handle!easily.!!

68
!
!
Checklist!for!Staging!Options!
!
1) You!have!practiced!placing!the!square!in!the!room,!making!sure!to!place!it!
behind!the!point!that!is!too!close!to!the!auditors!
2) You!have!chosen!the!focus!appropriate!for!your!monologue.!!
3) You!have!experimented!with!the!placement!options!in!the!square!with!a!
partner,!noticing!how!each!position!affects!the!audience.!!
4) You!have!experimented!with!the!movement!options!in!the!square!using!
different!Sizes!and!Speeds,!noticing!how!each!movement!affects!the!audience.!!
!
Chapter!4:!Staging!your!Monologue!
!
Most!of!the!time,!what!feels!too!big!for!an!actor!is!not!big!enough!for!the!
audience.!!
!
Planning!Your!Staging!
!
a) Before!starting!to!stage!your!monologue,!first!plan!some!movement!and!
placement!choices!by!working!backward!–!from!the!end!of!the!monologue!to!
the!beginning.!Planning!helps!you!start!to!budget,!so!you!don’t!use!up!all!your!
options!too!early.!Answer!the!following!questions:!!
1) Where!do!I!want!the!character!to!be!at!the!end?!!
2) Where!do!I!want!the!character!to!be!at!the!climax?!!
3) Where!do!I!want!the!character!to!start?!
4) Based!on!the!words!in!my!Descriptions!and!my!interpretation!of!the!
story!where!do!I!definitely!want!the!character!to!move?!Or,!which!
Chunks!could!really!use!some!movement!(combined!with!Size!and!
Speed)!to!get!the!description!across?!!
5) Now!refer!to!the!staging!guidelines!in!chapter!3.!!
!
The!First!Movement:!Countdown!
!
a) To!address!the!first!moment!of!any!monologue,!I!introduce!the!Countdown.!!
b) The!Countdown!is!used!in!three!ways!in!this!book:!!
a. To!give!you!a!consistent!starting!place!for!your!first!Chunk!of!staging.!!
b. To!start!yourself!in!the!acting!exercises!in!part!2,!so!that!you!can!practice!
being!present!and!truthful!from!the!very!first!moment!when!you!act!your!
monologue.!!
c. To!start!your!monologue!when!you!audition.!!
d. It!helps!you!make!a!transition!from!introducing!yourself!to!beginning!
your!monologue.!!

69
 c) The!best!thing!you!can!do!is!to!trust!the!work!that!you!have!put!into!it!and!hope!
that!it!comes!across!successfully.!
d) As!you!stage!your!monologue,!your!goal!should!be!to!communicate!the!
Descriptions!for!each!Chunk!with!physical!movement!only!–!no!acting.!!
!
!
Part!2:!Acting!Your!Monologue!
!
! Chapter!5:!Acting!in!the!Moment!
!
a) It!is!the!actor’s!job!to!live!the!individual,!unique!moments!that!arise!each!time!
the!story!is!performed.!!
b) Once!you!have!taken!full!responsibility!for!all!of!the!structure!and!staging!as!a!
director,!you!can!trust!that!the!Story!is!being!told!and!therefore!be!completely!
free!to!act.!
c) When!you!listen!to!those!directors’!questions!to!yourself!you!are!no!longer!in!
the!moment!nor!are!you!acting!anymore.!
!
The!Action!
!
a) Central!to!many!acting!techniques!is!the!practice!of!having!once!Action!
(Objective,!Goal)!for!a!scene!(Your!goal!on!stage)!so!that!its!always!personal!to!
you.!!
b) After!you!have!chosen!your!goal!you!can!let!each!line!mean!anything!it!needs!to!
mean!for!you!to!achieve!the!Action.!!
c) Every!action!must!be!specific,!fun!to!perform,!and!having!a!test!in!another!
person.!!
d) The!following!is!a!list!of!action!already!having!these!qualities:!!
To!get!(What!I!deserve,!What’s!owed!me,!An!apology,!Someone!to!put!
her!faith!in!me,!a!Chance,!Another!chance,!Forgiveness,!Reassurance,!A!
promise,!A!commitment,!An!ironclad!guarantee,!Someone!to!play!by!my!
rules,!Someone!off!of!his!ass,!Someone!to!grow!up,!Someone!to!stand!on!
her!own!tow!feet,!The!truth,!Get!a!confession,!A!straight!answer,!Put!
someone!in!his!place,!Knock!someone!off!her!high!horse,!burst!
someone’s!bubble,!A!break,!Someone!to!bend!the!rules!for!me,!A!favor,!
Help,!Someone!to!bail!me!out,!Someone!to!rescue!me,!Someone!to!join!
forces!with!me,!Someone!to!come!through!for!me,!Someone!to!seize!a!
great!opportunity,!Someone!to!take!a!chance/risk,!Someone!to!rise!to!the!
challenge,!Someone!to!take!a!dare,!Someone!to!let!his!hair!down,!
Someone!to!accept!a!treat,!someone!to!accept!a!gift,!A!compromise,!
Someone!to!meet!me!half!way,!Someone!to!accept!my!help,!Someone!to!
take!my!hand).!
!

70
 e) Notice!that!none!of!these!Actions!require!you!to!be!in!any!kind!of!emotional!
state!in!order!to!begin!performing!them.!
f) Under!the!pressure!of!an!audition,!it!is!impossible!to!control!how!you!feel.!
Having!an!Action!that!doesn’t!rely!on!you!feeling!a!certain!way!to!do!it!gives!you!
something!to!do!when!you!don’t!feel!like!it.!!
g) Emotions!are!engendered!in!you!as!you!pursue!this!Action.!These!emotions!
occur!naturally!because!of!the!difficulty!of!pursuing!an!Action.!Therefore,!the!
emotions!and!moments!you!experience!as!you!pursue!the!Actions!are!always!
truthful.!!
h) Playing!an!action!fully!makes!your!monologue!performance!risky!and!dynamic.!!
i) In!choosing!an!Action!ask!yourself,!“What!do!I!want!the!other!character(s)!to!
do!as!a!result!of!my!hearing!this!monologue?”!
j) The!Action!is!how!you!are!going!to!get!the!character!what!he!wants?!!
k) If!you!are!confused!about!which!action!to!decide!on!do!not!worry!because!the!
playwright!has!already!decided!that!for!you.!Simply!ask,!“Which!action!would!
help!me/character!create!order!in!the!scene;!which!Action!would!be!the!surest!
way!to!get!your!character!what!he!wants.”!
l) Attempt!to!bring!order!to!your!monologue!with!your!choice!of!Action,!and!let!
the!playwright!throw!you!off!in!the!lines.!You!will!feel!freer!as!an!actor!and!
those!moments!when!the!lines!contradict!your!action!will!be!exciting!to!perform!
and!to!watch.!!
m) When!you!are!choosing!actions,!don’t!be!afraid!to!play!against!the!text!!
Characters!are!not!always!direct!about!what!they!want!in!their!lines!so!don’t!
test!an!Action!by!looking!for!a!number!of!lines!to!support!it.!Only!a!few!actions!
may!support!the!action.!
n) Many!times,!working!with!an!action!that!lets!you!go!after!what!the!character!
wants!in!a!less!obvious!way!often!brings!a!refreshing,!unexpected!quality!to!a!
monologue.!!
!
The!AsZIfs!
!
A) The!AsZIfs!is!a!simple!device!you!use!to!explain!exactly!what!a!particular!Action!
means!to!you.!
B) It!provides!you!with!a!personal!“text”!with!which!to!practice!the!Action.!
C) The!AsZIf!is!a!current!or!easily!accepted!scenario!from!your!own!life!in!which!you!
would!want!to!accomplish!the!action!you!have!chosen!for!your!monologue.!
D) AsZIfs!come!from!our!fantasy!lives,!from!what!we!would!love!to!say!to!someone!
or!wish!we!had!the!guts!to!say!but!can’t,!for!whatever!reason.!
E) They!are!the!whatZif!conversations!we!suggest!to!ourselves.!!
F) Like!Actions,!whatZifs!work!most!effectively!for!monologues!when!they!have!
certain!qualities.!
!
!
!

71
 Good!AsZIfs:!
!
a) Explain!what!the!Action!means!to!you,!but!do!not!parallel!the!
relationship!or!circumstances!of!the!monologue.!You’ve!
already!interpreted!the!monologue!wit!the!choice!of!Action,!
and!using!an!AsZif!that!duplicates!the!circumstances!destroys!
that!carefully!chosen!specificity!by!reiterating!the!monologue!
rather!than!interpreting!it.!!
b) Are!form!a!present!or!possible!future!situation!in!your!life!Z!
not!from!the!past.!Acting!is!about!the!present!moment,!and!
choosing!a!past!situation!for!your!asZifs!limits!your!possibilities!
in!the!moment!be!as!if!you!already!know!how!it!was!resolved,!
making!your!monologue!lose!the!“anything!can!happen”!quality!
that!is!so!compelling!to!watch.!Instead,!listen!to!the!
conversations!you!have!in!your!imagination!that!start!with!
“What!if”.!
c) Specifically!define!exactly!what!you!want!the!person!in!your!
AsZIf!to!do!now!(apologize,!give!you!the!money,!commit!to!a!
dinner!date,!etc.).!This!quality!gives!you!an!immediate!test!of!
how!close!you!are!to!getting!what!you!want!in!the!AsZif.!
Specificity!provides!you!at!to!any!moment!with!a!yes!or!no!
answer!to!act!on.!
d) Are!things!you!really!want!to!do!or!really!must!do.!Don’t!
choose!AsZifs!that!aren’t!fun!to!do.!A!good!AsZif!makes!your!
heart!beat!a!little!bit!faster!and!your!body!a!little!restless!when!
you!think!of!it.!They!should!be!so!fun!you!can’t!wait!to!do!
them,!or!so!important!you!must!do!them!now.!They’re!also!a!
great!opportunity!to!indulge!yourself!in!the!fantasy!of!acting!on!
things!you!may!not!be!able!to!act!on!in!real!life.!!
e) Are!scenarios!you!can!easily!accept.!If!they!are!too!fictional!or!
too!hard!to!accept!they!will!not!be!accessible.!Most!good!AsZIfs!
come!from!relationships!and!circumstances!that!already!mean!
a!great!deal!to!you.!!
f) Are!not!about!lifeZandZdeath!circumstances!or!about!people!
in!immediate!physical!danger.!These!tend!to!shut!you!down!
because!they!are!too!emotionally!loaded.!!
g) Challenge!you!because!you!don’t!know!whether!you!will!get!
them!or!not.!Your!AsZIfs!shouldn’t!be!too!easy,!but!it!should!
also!not!be!impossible!to!achieve.!!
h) Should!always!be!addressed!to!another!person!to!another!
person,!never!to!yourself.!Doing!an!AsZIf!to!yourself!only!
makes!you!selfZConscious.!!

72
 i) Should!not!be!about!show!business!!AsZifs!should!be!about!
personal!situations!you!care!about!in!your!own!life.!Show!
business!ones!will!only!make!you!selfZconscious.!!
!
g) As!yourself,!“Who!do!I!need!a!big!favor!from?”!(Or!whatever!the!action!is)!and!
see!which!faces!and!situation!pops!into!your!mind.!Then!make!the!situation!
specific!so!that!you!know!why!it’s!important!and!why!you!would!act!on!it!now.!
!
Let!the!lines!mean!Anything(
!
a) Let!the!lines!and!words!be!gibberish.!Do!not!let!the!lines!mean!nothing,!but!to!
let!them!mean!Anything.!Trust!your!interpretation!as!an!actor!–!your!choice!of!
action!–!and!let!the!moment!fall!where!it!may!as!you!pursue!your!action!fully.!In!
this!way,!the!subtext!–!what!your!character!really!means!–!becomes!a!continual!
and!truthful!surprise!for!you!and!for!you!audience.!!
b) True!connection!requires!that!you!to!give!up!all!expectation!of!what!is!going!to!
happen!and!simply!address!yourself!to!what!really!is!happening.!This!will!allow!
you!to!put!all!of!your!attention!on!your!partner!instead!of!saying!your!lines!at!
your!partner.!!
c) As!you!build!your!connection!in!the!AsZIf,!keep!it!as!you!transition!into!the!lines!
of!your!monologue!by!continuing!to!work!off!your!partner’s!behavior.!!
d) If!you!lose!your!connection,!go!back!into!your!AsZIfs!to!get!it!back.!!
e) Practice!until!you!can!get!all!way!through!your!monologue!while!staying!
connected!to!your!partner.!
f) Keep!breathing!as!you!work!on!the!monologue.!!
!
More!about!Staying!in!the!Moment!
!
a) You!have!more!of!a!chance!at!remembering!your!lines!when!you!are!connected!
and!stay!connected.!!
b) To!help!build!the!habit!of!staying!in!the!moment,!I!suggest!embracing!the!idea!
that,!once!you’ve!begun!a!scene!or!monologue,!there!is!no!moment!until!you’ve!
finished!that!is!not!the!scene,!no!moment!that!is!not!a!part!of!the!story!you’re!
telling!for!the!next!several!minutes.!This!includes!losing!lines,!thinking!what!
you’ve!just!done!is!stupid,!huge!jolts!of!inspiration,!or!a!glass!accidentally!falling!
off!a!table.!!
c) Your!acting!will!immediately!get!stronger!if!you!let!go!of!trying!to!make!your!
performance!“right”!and!allow!it!to!be!what!it!is.!!
!
!
!
!
!
!

73
 The!Last!Moment!
!
a) The!last!moment!of!your!monologue!needs!to!the!same!commitment!to!staying!
in!as!the!rest!of!your!monologue.!The!last!moment!can!be!beautiful!if!you!
commit!to!it.!!
!
Checklist!for!Acting!in!the!Moment!
!
1) You!have!chose!and!Action!for!your!monologue,!based!on!what!your!character!
wants!from!the!other!character(s)!he!is!addressing!in!the!monologue.!!
2) You!have!chosen!an!AsZif!that!explains!that!Action!to!you.!!
3) You!have!practiced!the!Action!with!your!partner,!using!your!AsZIfs.!!
4) You!have!practiced!the!Action!with!your!partner,!using!the!liens!of!your!
monologue.!!
5) You!are!able!to!pursue!your!action!as!freely!and!as!spontaneously!with!the!lines!
of!your!monologue!as!you!are!able!to!with!the!words!of!your!AsZif.!!
6) You!are!able!to!start!from!your!Countdown!and!pursue!your!Action!all!the!way!
through!your!monologue!without!stopping,!no!matter!what.!!
!
Chapter!6:!Who!Do!I!Act!With?!
!
a) This!chapter!is!about!acting!without!a!partner.!Once!you!understand!and!
practice!some!simple!changes!in!the!AsZif!exercise!you’ll!find!you!can!act!your!
monologue!just!as!fully!without!a!partner!as!with!one.!
b) “If!I’m!not!focusing!on!my!partner,!then!where!do!I!get!my!impulses!from?”!We!
all!have!AsZif!conversations!in!our!heads!all!of!the!time.!As!we!do!this!those!we!
are!talking!to!also!respond.!As!you!do!this,!you!don’t!have!to!invent!responses;!
your!mind!automatically!suggested!the.!The!key!to!acting!your!monologue!
without!focusing!on!your!partner!is!to!work!off!of!your!own!imagination,!just!as!
you!do!in!the!conversations!you!have!in!your!head!every!day.!!
c) The!Key!is!going!with!your!first!impulses!as!to!what!your!AsZif!person’s!
responses!are!in!each!moment.!!
d) You!do!not!need!to!“see”!the!face!of!the!other!person!on!the!wall!!Trying!to!do!
this!will!distract!you!from!pursuing!your!action.!The!responses!come!from!
within!you.!All!you!have!to!do!is!to!keep!your!head!up.!The!mind!will!rebel!if!
asked!to!believe!something!that!is!not!happening,!but!it!will!always!be!ready!to!
accept!a!scenario!it!might!find!interesting!to!imagine!at!the!moment.!Just!simply!
accept!their!presence.!!
e) The!commitment!you!make!and!the!risks!you!take!in!changing!the!AsZif!person!
make!the!lines!of!your!monologue!come!alive.!
f) Let!the!other’s!response!predict!the!next!moment.!!
!
!
!

74
 Checklist!for!Who!do!I!act!with?!
!
1) You!are!able!to!pursue!your!Action!fully,!with!your!focus!up,!with!the!AsZif.!!
2) You!are!able!to!pursue!you!Action!fully,!with!your!focus!up,!with!the!liens!of!the!
monologue.!!
!
Chapter!7:!Acting!your!Staging!
!
Troubleshooting!
!
1. I’m!having!trouble!connecting!with!my!Action!when!I!do!my!monologue!
because!there!are!so!many!different!moves!in!my!staging!that!I’m!focusing!
only!on!remembering!them!all.!!
a) You!may!have!broken!down!your!monologue!into!too!many!Chunks,!or!
you!may!have!used!too!much!movement!to!express!the!Chunks!you!
have.!Go!back!and!see!if!there!are!some!Chunks!you!can!combine!into!
longer!ones.!Also!try!simplifying!your!movements.!You!should!be!able!
memorize!all!your!moves!fairly!easily.!
2. I!find!myself!making!the!same!gestures!over!and!over!during!the!chunks.!I!
don’t!feel!like!the!staging!is!specific!enough.!!
a) You!may!have!too!few!Chunks!in!your!monologue.!If!you!have!fewer!
than!7,!try!breaking!it!down!further.!A!couple!more!Chunks!will!make!
you!more!specific!when!you!write!the!additional!Descriptions!and!create!
staging!for!the.!!
!
Chapter!8:!The!Audition!
!
CHECK LIST FOR SCENES AND MONOLOGUES!
!
!
*! What do I want to Personally Explore by doing the Material!
*! What!are!my!Objectives!(Super,!Scene!and!Plot)!
*! How!may!I!Personalize!these!Objectives!
*! What!is!the!Event!of!the!Scene!on!a!broad!level!
*! Who!am!I!
*! Where!am!I!and!When!am!I!There!(leading!me!to!Specific!Behavior)!
*! What!do!I!Want!(Need,!Objectives)!
*! How!do!I!go!about!Getting!what!I!Want!(Actions/How’s)!
*! What!do!I!Do!when!I!Get!or!do!not!Get!what!I!Want!

75
 *! How!may!I!Physicalize!the!Event!
*! How!may!I!Physicalize!the!Actions!
*! What!is!the!Arch!of!the!Scene!
*! What!is!the!Function!of!my!Character!
*! What!is!the!Discovery!in!the!Scene!for!my!Character!
*! What!is!Revealed!in!the!Sense!Stress!(Spine!of!the!Text)!
*! What!are!my!Points!of!Focus!
*! What!are!the!Rhythms!in!the!Scene!
*! What!is!my!Stereotype!
*! ACTION!REHEARSAL!
*! AFFECTIVE!MEMORY!(GOING!TO!TEXT)!
*! AFFECTIVE!MEMORY!(REAL!OR!IMAGINED)!
*! ANIMAL!EXERCISE!
*! DROPPING!IN!EXERCISE!
*! EXPLORING!THE!LANGUAGE!PHYSICALLY!
*! EXPLORING!THE!WHO!AM!I!THROUGH!MUSIC!
*! IMPROVISATION!ON!THE!SCENE!
*! PERSONALIZATION!EXERCISE!
*! PHYSICALIZING!THE!WORDS!
*! PICTURE!EXERCISE!
*! POINTS!OF!FOCUS!EXERCISE!
*! PRIVATE!MOMENT!(CHARACTER)!
*! PRIVATE!MOMENT!(PERSONAL)!
*! TEXT!ANALYSIS!(SENSE!STRESS,!OBJECTIVES,!EVENTS,!ETC.)!
*! THE!HAMLET!EXERCISE!
!
!
I.!Preparing!for!the!Monologue!Audition!
!
a)!You!must!always!make!all!your!acting!choices!personal.!The!more!you!can!
personally!invest!yourself!into!the!character!you’re!working!on,!the!more!
effective!your!audition!will!be.!
!!

76
 b)!Expose!a!part!of!yourself!in!the!monologue.!Do!not!play!the!idea!of!yourself!in!
the!part!as!opposed!to!engaging!themselves!in!their!characters.!!
!
c)!In!order!to!identify!with!your!character!you!need!two!main!questions:!!
! ! 1)!How!are!you!like!this!character?!!
! ! 2)!How!are!you!NOT!like!this!character?!!
!
! d)!All!you!have!as!an!actor!is!yourself:!!
! ! 1)!Your!life!experiences!!
! ! 2)!Your!feelings!
! ! 3)!Your!imagination!
!
e)!Use!your!different!selves!when!working!on!the!character!(Roles).!
!
f)!The!best!way!to!work!is!to!allow!your!impulses!to!lead!you.!Let!your!body!
guide!you!as!to!how!much,!when,!etc.!Trust!it.!Be!brave,!be!outrageous,!try!
things,!but!always!be!truthful!and!stay!connected!in!the!moment.!Don’t!make!
choices!from!your!head!and!try!not!to!direct!yourself.!!
!
g)!Communication:!Send!and!receive!information!with!your!imaginary!partner.!
Do!not!continue!until!they!have!received!the!information.!There!must!always!be!
an!onZgoing!circle!of!communication.!Most!monologues!are!actually!“Duologues!
but!the!other!person!is!not!saying!anything.!!
!
h)!The!more!you!need!to!communicate!to!your!imaginary!partner,!the!more!
effective!and!dynamic!your!monologue!will!be.!!
!
i)!Keep!your!imaginary!partner!at!eyeZlevel.!!
!
!
I.!Actable!Choices!
!
a) You!must!translate!your!audition!into!actable!choices.!An!actable!choice!is!a!
choice,!rooted!in!the!text,!that!incites!you!to!act,!a!choice!that!marshals!your!
intuition,!imagination,!senses,!and!reason!to!help!bring!the!text!and!the!
character!to!life.!
b) Focus!on!what!is!knowable!about!the!text!not,!what!is!not.!Play!the!play!!
c) When!you!practice!applying!the!ten!actable!choice!question,!you!will!begin!to!
develop!a!sixth!sense!for!the!clues!in!the!text!that!will!help!you!focus!on!the!
information!that!leads!you!to!action.!Having!prepared!in!this!way,!you!will!
feel!grounded!in!the!text!and!can!then!trust!your!creative!impulses!at!the!
audition,!allowing!you!to!play!the!scene!freely!and!spontaneously.!
d) The!Ten!Questions!that!will!lead!you!to!actable!choices:!
!

77
 a. What!are!your!first!impressions,!your!immediate!intuitive!
responses!to!the!scene?!
!
a) Your!first!impressions!are!a!reliable!guide,!a!direct!response!to!
the!human!behavior!in!the!scene.!!
b) Don’t!hurry!into!analysis.!The!freer!your!imagination!the!more!
the!scene!will!come!into!focus.!
!
b. What!is!the!world!of!the!play?!!
!
a) Your!acting!choices!should!be!determined,!in!part,!by!the!visual!
and!sensory!images!of!the!period!and!place!represented,!and!
the!unique!quality!and!tone!of!the!piece.!The!physical!and!vocal!
elements!in!your!work!must!be!organically!rooted!in!the!
character’s!behavior!in!the!specific!circumstances!of!the!scene.!!
!
1) How!does!the!time!and!place!affect!the!character’s!
physical!life,!speech,!manner,!and!point!of!view?!!
2) What!is!the!social!class!of!the!character?!!
3) What!does!the!furniture!look!like?!!
4) How!does!the!clothing!feel?!Loose!or!constricting?!
Texture?!!
!
!
!
!
c. What!is!the!scene!about?!
!
a) Acting!choices!flow!from!the!story!or!event!around!which!the!
scene!revolves.!Try!to!describe!the!story!simply,!eliminating!the!
details.!At!this!point,!you!are!not!concerned!with!how!or!why!
the!event!happens,!only!with!what!happens!in!the!scene.!
b) Find!the!beginning,!middle!and!end.!The!end!of!the!scene!should!
be!inherent!in!the!beginning.!Prepare!the!way!for!the!end!of!the!
scene!so!that!it!doesn’t!come!out!of!the!blue.!Look!for!the!
contrast!between!the!beginning!and!end.!The!contrast!might!be!
subtle!but!important!to!note.!The!more!contrast,!the!more!
dynamic!the!journey!you!chart!for!yourself.!Every!scene!is!
always!about!something,!and!develops!in!someway!from!
beginning!to!end.!Don’t!miss!the!big!picture!of!what!it!is!about.!
It!will!provide!you!with!a!structure!for!your!actable!choices.!!
!
d. Who!is!the!Character?!!
!

78
 a) There!are!simple!and!immediate!ways!to!evoke!a!character!that!
will!show!you!have!the!potential!to!transform!yourself.!Explore!
the!main!similarities!and!differences!between!you!and!the!
character.!First,!try!to!find!yourself!in!the!character.!The!similar!
qualities!you!share!will!seem!natural!and!familiar,!and!can!be!
easily!incorporated!into!the!part.!Personal!connections!will!
resonate!in!an!authentic!way.!They!may!need!to!be!reduced!or!
exaggerated.!Ex.!Your!normal!humor!may!be!exaggerated!to!fit!
the!character.!If!you!are!not!clownish!this!may!serve!as!a!
difference!that!can!evoke!the!character.!!
b) An!immediate!way!evoke!the!physical!life!of!the!character!might!
be!to!imagine!the!way!the!character!might!walk.!
c) Finding!polarities!in!the!character!–!qualities!opposite!from!the!
character’s!principal!qualities!–!may!help!you!give!more!
dimensions!to!your!audition.!
!
e. What!is!the!character’s!objective?!!
!
a) Desire!and!the!will!to!achieve!what!we!want!is!our!most!
powerful!energy!source.!They!illuminate!the!logic!of!our!
behavior.!A!character!cannot!exist!in!the!scene!without!wanting!
something!(Objective).!It!is!the!driving!force!in!the!scene.!What!
the!character!says!and!does!in!the!scene!will!reflect!his!objective!
whether!he!is!conscious!of!it!or!not.!If!the!character!is!conscious!
of!his!objective,!it!is!often!secret.!!
b) Verbs!define!objectives.!Many!verbs!embrace!the!same!
objective.!But!some!verbs!are!more!active,!will!turn!you!on,!
raise!the!stakes.!You!can!then!decide!how!much!or!how!little!of!
the!character’s!desire!you!want!to!reveal!when!you!are!
auditioning!for!the!part.!
c) Negative!Objectives!can!be!defined!as!positive!ones.!Ex.!“I!don’t!
want!to!listen”!to!“I!want!to!shut!you!out”.!
d) Static!“to!be”!verbs!can!be!similarly!transformed!into!more!
energized,!active!ones.!Ex.!“I!want!to!be!funny”!to!“I!want!to!
make!you!laugh”.!
e) The!initial!objective!that!launches!you!into!the!scene!should!be!
strong!enough!to!charge!you!up.!You!can!then!concentrate!on!
momentZtoZmoment!work,!which!will!be!grounded!by!the!
objective.!
f) An!objective!can!change!in!the!course!of!a!scene.!If!you!achieve!
it,!you!need!to!replace!it!with!a!different!objective.!
g) Once!you!light!the!fire!in!your!belly,!you!need!to!find!ways!to!
fight!for!you!objective.!These!are!Actions.!They!supply!you!with!
the!way!you!achieve!your!objective!–!the!“how”.!If!your!

79
 objective!is!to!punish!someone,!your!actions!may!be!to!belittle!
him,!to!insult!him,!to!intimidate!him.!Identify!your!actions!so!
that!you!have!something!to!play!throughout!the!whole!scene;!
otherwise!you!will!lose!energy!in!the!middle.!!
h) Many!active!verbs!project!an!image!of!a!movement!or!gesture.!
The!Psychological!Gesture!will!resonate!in!your!work!as!an!
impulse!for!whatever!your!objective!or!action!may!be.!It!will!
help!you!connect!body!and!mind.!!
i) The!following!is!a!list!of!verbs!that!usually!trigger!a!visceral!
response.!Add!more!verbs!to!the!list!as!you!discover!them.!!
a. Annihilate,!Awaken,!arouse,!badger,!bait,!balance,!bang,!
beat,!beguile,!bend,!blitz,!bombard,!bury,!charm,!choke,!
close,!command,!conquer,!console,!consume,!control,!
corrupt,!dazzle,!demean,!devour,!discover,!dissect,!
distract,!dominate,!elevate,!embrace,!eviscerate,!exalt,!
expose,!fascinate,!feed,!fill,!flatten,!fly,!force,!grab,!grasp,!
heal,!humiliate,!illuminate,!incite,!inflame,!inspire,!
intimidate,!jolt,!kick,!kiss,!lift,!manipulate,!mask,!mold,!
nail,!nurture,!offer,!oil,!open,!overwhelm,!penetrate,!
pinch,!please,!poison,!pike,!possess,!probe,!protect,!
provoke,!pull,!purge,!push,!quench,!reveal,!rip,!root!out,!
rule,!scare,!screw,!seduce,!seize,!serve,!shake,!shed,!
shine,!shock,!slap,!smooth,!soar,!soil,!soothe,!stalk,!stop,!
strengthen,!strip,!suck,!tantalize,!taste,!tear,!tempt,!
threaten,!trick,!transcend,!trap,!twist,!uncover,!unite,!
uplift,!wring.!
!
f. What!is!the!obstacle!to!achieving!the!objective?!!
!
a) Your!objective!once!defined,!leads!you!to!strong!actable!choices!
as!you!fight!for!it!against!an!obstacle!or!obstacles:!someone!or!
something,!external!or!internal,!that!stands!between!you!and!
what!you!want.!!
b) It!is!helpful!to!say!to!your!self,!“I!want!to!do!this!but…”!the!
”but”!is!the!obstacle.!
c) Obstacles!can!be!external!or!internal.!
d) Physical!conditions!as!obstacles!to!your!objective!often!inspire!
an!immediate!response!that!strengthens!your!objective.!These!
obstacles!need!not!be!externalized,!but!they!will!give!you!
something!internally!to!play!against!in!fighting!to!achieve!your!
objective.!!
!
g. What!are!the!relationships!in!the!scene?!!
!

80
 a) The!relationships!between!the!characters!will!always!inform!and!
deepen!the!scene!in!some!way.!They!may!define!your!character.!!
b) Don’t!take!the!relationship!for!granted.!Find!the!heat!in!the!
relationship,!the!specific!elements!that!make!it!emotionally!
charged.!!
c) If!your!relationships!in!the!scene!suggest!a!larger!context,!
imagine!them!in!a!archetypal!way:!cat!and!mouse,!child!and!
parent,!teacher!and!student,!lawyer!and!client,!lover!and!lover,!
lover!and!exZlover,!doctor!and!patient,!angel!and!devil,!detective!
and!suspect,!priest!and!confessor,!etc.!!
d) Ask!the!question:!“What!do!I!want!to!do!to!my!partner!in!the!
scene?!What!do!I!want!from!my!partner?!Is!my!partner!the!
obstacle!to!my!objective?!Is!my!partner!helping!me!achieve!my!
objective?”!
!
h. Where!are!the!“Moments”!in!the!scene?!!
!
a) Finding!distinctive!or!significant!moments!in!the!scene!will!
ensure!that!you!don’t!invest!every!line!with!equal!importance!or!
weight.!A!moment!can!last!for!a!line,!a!few!lines,!a!pause,!or!a!
literal!moment.!!
b) Choose!the!moments!that!illustrate!the!scene!or!the!character.!
They!might!be!transitions,!humorous!moments,!climactic!
moments,!etc.!!
c) The!more!you!experience!the!scene!rather!than!just!analyze!it,!
the!more!the!moments!will!leap!out!at!you.!!
d) Always!try!to!find!out!the!climactic!moment!in!the!scene,!if!
there!is!one.!!
e) Transitions!can!be!particularly!exciting!moments!because!we!see!
change!happening;!you!experience!something!that!leads!you!to!
another!place!emotionally!or!psychologically.!These!may!be!very!
subtle!shifts.!!
f) Moments!can!manifest!themselves!in!movement!or!behavior.!
Look!for!the!possibility!of!humor!in!every!scene.!Whenever!
humor,!wit,!sarcasm,!or!irony!there!is!in!the!scene!should!be!
used!to!reveal!character,!event!or!relationships.!The!reverse!is!
also!true.!!
g) You!should!identify!where!the!moments!happen!but!not!plan!
exactly!how!you!will!play!the.!By!knowing!where!the!moments!
are!will!give!you!a!form!or!structure!for!your!acting!choices.!!
!
i. What!is!the!atmosphere!of!the!scene?!
!

81
 a) Place,!season,!time!of!day,!or!an!event.!Imagining!these!
atmospheres!arouses!your!senses.!
b) There!is!no!plot!or!dialogue,!but!you!should!move,!speak,!and!
behave!differently!in!each!atmosphere.!!
c) Awareness!of!the!sensory!aspect!of!your!character!will!bring!the!
character!to!life.!!
!
j. !What!is!the!PreZBeat?!!
!
a) The!most!provocative!element!of!your!preZbeat!can!be!tapped!
into!three!or!four!seconds!before!you!begin!the!scene.!!
b) The!preZbeat!should!trigger!an!energy!source!in!the!scene.!It!can!
be!a!character!element,!objective,!obstacle,!atmosphere,!
relationship,!or!the!previous!moment.!It!can!combine!any!of!
these!elements.!!
c) A!good!choice!for!a!provocative!element!to!tap!into!at!the!
audition!itself!is!an!affecting!image.!
d) Objective!is!a!powerful!preZbeat.!!
e) Imagine!what!the!character!is!wearing.!!
f) Awareness!of!the!breath!of!the!character!is!very!important.!!
g) The!Cry!is!a!phrase!or!paraphrase!that!the!character!might!be!
thinking!just!before!the!scene!begins.!It!could!be!invented!or!in!
the!script.!!
!
!
II.!Applying!Actable!Choices!
!
a) Applying!the!ten!actable!choice!questions!will!provide!a!way!for!
you!to!explore!and!animate!the!scene.!Before!your!work!on!the!
scene,!ask!yourself,!“What!interests!me!about!this!character?”!
Find!something!that!attracts!you!to!the!character,!this!will!
connect!you!to!the!material!and!focus!your!acting!choices.!!
!
III.!Monologues!!
!
a) One!must!be!if!it’s!true!in!thought!and!unique!to!who!you!are,!if!
it’s!spoke!through!your!own!individual!understanding.!!
b) No!longer!than!2!min.!!
c) Avoid!monologues!that!are!narrative!in!form.!!
d) Avoid!monologues!that,!taken!out!of!context!and!performed!on!
their!own,!become!melodramatic.!!
e) Quiet!pieces!with!emotional!subtleties!are!appreciated!and!
often!reveal!an!important!dimension!of!the!actor’s!talent.!
!

82
e. The!12!Guideposts!
1. Relationship.!Who!are!they!to!you!exactly?!What!are!your!
feelings!about!them!right!now?!Why?!Use!your!feelings!as!they!
are!to!you.!Every!Scene!is!a!love!scene.!By!asking!where!love!is!
you!will!find!the!deepest!emotional!content.!This!will!involve!
you!emotionally!with!full!commitment.!The!achievement!of!a!
relationship!of!need!and!love!is!what!will!make!the!audience!
believe.!
2. Conflict.!Instead!of!using!a!goal!or!a!!!!!!motivation!define!what!
you!are!fighting!for.!It!is!better!to!find!a!positive!motivation!
than!a!negative!one.!The!actor!must!make!the!most!active!
choice!possible!for!every!scene.!There!are!no!passive!scenes.!
When!everyone!is!pitching!hard!for!they!want,!what!balances!
the!scene!is!the!Relationship.!Conflicts!are!obstacles.!The!more!
conflict!you!find,!the!more!interesting!the!performance!of!the!
play.!
3. The!Moment!Before.!Every!scene!begins!in!the!middle!so!you!
must!provide!what!comes!before.!It!might!sometimes!be!
necessary!to!go!back!many!years!into!the!life!of!the!character.!
The!more!specific,!the!more!focused!the!moment!before,!the!
better!the!entire!scene!will!go.!It!is!not!enough!to!know!what!
the!happened!just!before,!but!the!actor!must!be!overcome!by!
the!feeling.!In!acting!is!only!useful!if!it!guides!to!the!emotions.!
Underneath!every!rational!human!being!is!passion!that!drives!
him.!The!moment!before!has!got!to!give!the!actor!something!to!
feed!on!all!through!the!scene.!
4. Humor.!Humor!is!not!jokes.!It!is!that!attitude!toward!being!
alive.!Very!much!like!life,!it!exists!in!every!scene;!even!in!the!
humorless.!The!heavier!the!situation,!the!more!in!need!we!are!
of!humor!to!endure!it.!The!actor!must!be!conscious!of!humor!
and!put!it!in!there.!Moreover,!humor!is!more!important!in!
drama!than!in!comedy.!
5. Opposites.!Whatever!you!decide!your!motivation!to!be!in!the!
scene,!the!opposite!must!also!be!in!it.!Consistency!is!the!heart!
of!dull!acting.!As!a!result,!the!effect!of!playing!an!opposite!
emotion!makes!the!character!unpredictable!and!entertaining;!
both!emotions!should!be!in!the!scene.!It!is!this!creation!of!
opposites!that!develops!conflict,!drama,!and!interest.!It!is!the!
process!of!dealing!with!the!pain!that!the!actor!must!bring!to!
the!stage,!not!the!fact!of!having!resolved!it.!The!more!extreme!
the!opposites!chosen,!the!more!everything!in!between!is!likely!
to!occur!instinctively!without!having!to!consider!the!choices.!
They!are!discoveries!that!the!character,!in!his!own!character,!

83
 may!be!denying.!The!stage!compresses!experience!that!is!why!
opposites!are!so!important.!
6. Discoveries.!Every!scene!is!filled!with!discoveries!or!things!that!
happen!for!the!first!time.!And!there!is!always!something!new!
no!matter!how!many!times!done!or!practiced.!The!difference!
between!a!discovery!and!an!event!is!that:!the!more!important!
you!make!a!discovery,!the!more!it!becomes!an!event.!
7. Communication!and!Competition.!(Communication)!Acting!is!a!
task!of!communication.!It!is!not!enough!for!the!actor!to!feel!if!it!
is!not!being!communicated!(Nothing!has!happened).!It!is!not!
dramatic!or!active!until!you!need!to!have!it!felt!by!the!other!
character.!Communication!is!a!circle!not!a!oneZway!street.!
Therefore,!saying!something!is!“not!said”!until!the!other!person!
hears!it.!The!receiver!must!reply!with!a!response!in!order!to!
conclude!that!cycle!of!communication.!The!steps!of!obligations!
for!communication!are!as!follows:!SENDER!1)!Make!sure!the!
message!is!clear!and!2)!Check!that!the!receiver!has!received!it.!
RECEIVER!1)!Make!sure!he’s!heard!the!message!to!duplicate!it!
and!2)!Let!the!messenger!know!that!he!has!received!it.!
Receiving!is!harder!than!sending.!It!requires!heightened!
awareness,!sensitivity!and!caring!for!the!other!person.!Being!
open!is!an!act!of!selfishness!and!generosity.!One!must!want!to!
know!more!about!them!(Generosity)!and!want!to!satisfy!one’s!
curiosity!(Selfishness).!You!cannot!move!on!until!the!circle!is!
complete.!The!goal!of!communication!is!duplication.!This!is!the!
motivation!behind!every!single!communication.!You!want!the!
other!person!to!think!as!you!do,!to!repeat!what!you!have!just!
said,!to!feel!what!you!feel,!to!agree!with!you!regardless!of!you!
achieving!it!or!not.!Plays!are!concerned!with!he!unusual!
moments!in!a!person’s!life!when!his!need!to!communicate!is!at!
it’s!greatest.!There!is!always!a!selfish!reason!why!we!are!
unselfish;!a!selfish!personal!need!that!is!being!answered.!
Communication!is!the!desire!to!change!the!person!to!whom!
you!are!communicating.!(Competition)!All!dramatic!
relationships!are!competitive.!Drama!feeds!on!conflict!and!dies!
with!agreement.!The!two!points!of!view!are!1)!I!am!right!you!
are!wrong!and!2)!You!should!change!from!the!way!you!are!to!
the!way!I!think!you!should!be.!Competition!is!healthy.!
Competition!is!life.!Great!actors!enjoy!competition.!
8. Importance.!Plays!are!written!about!the!most!important!
moments!in!people’s!lives!not!their!everyday!routine.!People!
live!for!their!dreams!not!for!the!oppressiveness!of!truth.!Truth!
is!not!enough!if!it!is!not!dramatic!nor!interesting!nor!unique.!
Truth!only!becomes!important!if!there!is!enough!emotion!

84
 invested!to!make!it!important.!Many!times!we!must!go!against!
what!we!have!been!taught!to!do!(Be!nice,!avoid!problem,!etc).!
Important!does!not!necessarily!mean!significant!to!others.!It!
means!emotionally!important!to!you!at!this!moment.!Make!the!
stakes!in!every!scene!as!high!as!you!can.!Look!for!the!maximum!
importance.!Add!importance.!If!not,!no!one!will!be!listening!to!
you.!Every!play!is!about!love.!Sometimes!it’s!about!hate,!which!
is!the!reverse!of!love.!Hate!happens!when!someone!is!deprived!
of!love.!The!negatives!are!always!written;!you!can’t!avoid!them.!
However,!it!is!the!actor’s!job!to!provide!the!positives.!Choosing!
positive!reasons!gives!you!much!more!to!work!with.!If!not,!you!
are!no!longer!open!to!the!experience.!Even!fights!are!based!on!
love.!No!one!can!live!without!thinking!that!better!is!going!to!
happen!to!you.!Reality!creates!the!problems!and!dreams!are!
how!we!deal!with!them.!
9. Find!the!Events.!One!of!the!actor’s!main!jobs!is!to!create!the!
events!of!the!play;!to!make!the!changes!happen.!The!strongest!
possible!event!is!a!change.!An!event!can!be!a!confrontation!
always!leading!to!a!result,!a!consequence!for!the!actor!to!
present.!Changes!can!come!in!many!different!ways.!They!can!
be!overt,!hidden,!obvious,!obscure,!ether!way,!the!actor!must!
keep!a!sharp!lookout!for!changes!in!the!scene.!The!more!
changes!you!create,!the!more!alive!the!scene!is.!Every!major!
change!brings!about!minor!changes!along!the!route.!Fine!actors!
register!these!changes,!which!is!what!makes!them!fascinated!in!
them.!Events!make!a!play!progress.!Character!or!behavior!
alone!will!not!do!that.!Something!has!to!happen!to!move!the!
story!forward.!Actions!are!always!more!interesting!than!talk.!
Events!are!discoveries!that!are!made!important!to!the!point!
where!changes!in!the!relationship!are!effected.!If!each!
discovery!is!eventful,!then!it!becomes!suspenseful!and!
unexpected.!Events!and!importance!go!hand!in!hand.!
Important!events!are!very!revealing.!You!can!make!an!event!
important!if!you!add!stakes!and!competition.!
10. !Place.!Creating!a!place!will!help!in!creating!a!reality!for!the!
reading.!It!is!wisest!to!choose!a!place!you!know!well!so!you!
don’t!waste!time!imagining!it.!You!already!know!it.!How!you!
feel!about!it!changes!depending!on!the!emotional!events!that!
take!place!there.!The!feeling!is!the!most!important.!That!is!
what!will!elevate!your!use!of!place!into!emotional!value.!
11. Game!Playing!and!Role!Playing.!When!we!play!games!it!is!for!
real;!when!we!take!on!different!roles,!it!is!sincere!conduct!for!it!
is!a!way!of!dealing!with!reality,!not!avoiding!it.!Make!are!
making!adjustments!to!new!situations.!Different!games!have!

85
 different!rules,!which!require!different!roles.!Knowing!the!
game!and!the!roles!helps!you!provoke!conflict!and!to!create!
drama.!The!rules!of!the!game!tell!us!how!to!“Act”.!Always!
choose!to!play!your!role!well.!There!will!always!be!room!in!the!
scene!to!show!conflict,!event!and!opposites.!Every!job!requires!
that!you!play!a!role!(Ex,!nun!is!a!keeper!of!morality),!but!in!
addition!to!that!one!must!create!a!personal!relationship!from!
one’s!own!life!so!that!the!stakes!in!the!relationship!are!
personal,!caring,!emotional.!Caring!choices!always!lead!us!to!
unexpected!behavior.!Anyone!can!be!cold:!it’s!the!warmth!in!a!
human!being!that!interests!us,!the!humor,!the!dreaming.!Cold!
choices!never!pay!off.!It!is!important!for!you!to!keep!track!of!
your!wins!and!losses!as!in!with!any!other!game.!Let!there!be!
joy!in!your!winning!and!sorrow!in!your!losing.!The!pleasure!of!
the!game!is!in!the!winning!and!the!losing.!Play!to!win!what!you!
are!fighting!for!(super!objective).!!
12. Mystery!and!Secret.!Secrets!exist.!You!can!never!really!keep!a!
secret!to!yourself.!Sooner!or!later!you!end!up!telling!someone.!
It!is!important!to!add!it!to!the!acting/audition.!Many!times!in!
plays!the!secrets!are!never!really!answered!or!satisfied.!You!
never!really!reveal!everything.!The!mystery!of!a!character’s!
inner!life.!
!
!
!
f. Character!Profile!and!Analysis!!
!
WHO!am!I?!!! ! ZHistorical!givens!
ZImmediate!past!givens!
ZPresent!physical!givens!
ZOther!people!(relationships!to!and!!
! ! ! ! needs!from)!
ZSelf!perceived!strengths!and!!
ZVulnerabilities!–We!all!possess!the!weaknesses!of!
our!strengths!and!the!strengths!of!our!weaknesses.!!
To!find!this,!go!to!far!with!each!to!find!the!other.!!
!
WHERE!and!WHEN!am!I?!!
!
WHAT!do!I!want?!
The!super!objective!and!the!scene!objective!are!the!same.!The!scene!
objective!does!not!change!over!the!scene.!This!must!also!pass!the!
positivity!test.!The!answer!should!be,!“I!want!my…”!
! ! !

86
 Objective:!!
- Life!
- Play!!
- Scene!
!
(Phrased!as!“what!do!I!want!to!get!from!the!world,!the!other!people!in!
my!life,!the!play,!the!scene?”)!
!
WHAT!do!I!do!to!get!what!I!want?!
! ! Play!an!ACTION!!Z!Affect!my!partner,!“Throw!the!ball”!
! ! How!do!I!want!to!make!my!partner!feel?!!
!
HOW!do!I!do!what!I!do!to!get!what!I!want?!
! ! Arises!moment!to!moment!in!the!scene!based!on!what!!
! ! is!received!from!scene!partner!–!never!preplanned.!!
!
What!stands!in!the!way!of!my!getting!what!I!want?!
! ! Obstacles!–!Piece!of!the!circumstances!
!
What!will!happen!if!I!don’t!get!what!I!want?!
! ! Stakes!–!The!nightmare!
!
!
g. You!must!bring!the!obstacles!confronting!your!character!to!life,!so!that!
you!can!react!to!them.!Plan!in!advance!the!attitude!of!your!partner!and!
then!workout!your!own!reactions.!!
h. Take!time!to!listen!to!your!partner.!Take!pauses.!!
i. Think!of!what!he!is!not!only!saying!but!trying!to!achieve.!
j. Work!out!the!thoughts!of!the!character!and!to!the!thoughts!reacting!to!
what!they!are!saying.!!
k. Use!imaginary!objects!to!react!to.!!
l. Give!yourself!characters!to!react!to!by!finding!or!creating!monologues!in!
which!you!quote!what!other!people!have!said.!!
m. If!your!monologue!contains!and!unforeseen!event!that!changes!what!
your!character!is!trying!to!accomplish!you!will!have!more!to!react!to.!
n. Choose!an!original!way!of!pursuing!your!objective.!!
o. Write!one!or!two!words!next!to!each!line!where!you!are!changing!your!
tack.!!
p. Create!contrasting!means!of!approaches.!!
q. Choose!a!monologue!with!a!strong!start.!!
r. Choose!a!monologue!that!goes!with!your!personal!strengths.!!
s. End!the!monologue!before!the!character!resolves!his!conflict.!!
t. Sense!Stress.!

87
 u. You!must!translate!your!audition!into!actable!choices.!An!actable!choice!
is!a!choice,!rooted!in!the!text,!that!incites!you!to!act,!a!choice!that!
marshals!your!intuition,!imagination,!senses,!and!reason!to!help!bring!the!
text!and!the!character!to!life.!Focus!on!what!is!knowable!about!the!text!
not,!what!is!not.!Play!the!play!!
v. !
!
II. The!Entrance!
a. Walk!in!as!yourself!
b. Relax!the!audition!audience!
c. Walk!in!slowly!with!a!sense!of!purpose!
d. Locate!and!reach!the!center!of!the!stage!then!be!silent!for!a!moment.!!
e. Say!“Hello”!to!everyone!in!the!room.!!
f. Say!your!name!even!if!it!means!repeating!it!after!them.!!
g. Say!two!to!three!original!lines!about!yourself.!
h. Introduce!the!character!you!are!going!to!portray!in!the!monologue!
(Name!of!Character,!Play!and!Moment!before).!
!
III. The!Performance!
a. Make!your!first!approach!a!strong!one,!to!propel!yourself!into!the!scene.!
b. To!concentrate!go!into!a!freeze!by:!Starring!straight!forward,!Closing!your!
eyes,!Bowing!your!head!or!Turning!back.!
c. Think!of!the!moment!before;!!
d. React!to!the!last!line!your!partner!gave!you!(30!Seconds?)!
e. The!Monologue!is!always!spoken!to!another!person.!!
f. Put!him/her!in!front!of!you!and!behind!the!audition!audience.!!
g. Establish!the!location!of!the!imaginary!person.!!
h. Return!to!the!location!of!focus!when!you!want!to!emphasize!something!
or!when!you!are!looking!for!a!response!from!the!other!person.!!
i. Take!time!to!react!to!what!your!partner!is!saying.!!
j. Work!out!the!thoughts!of!your!character!and!to!the!thoughts!reacting!to!
what!they!are!saying.!!
k. Use!imaginary!objects!to!react!to.!!
l. Give!yourself!characters!to!react!to!by!finding!or!creating!monologues!in!
which!you!quote!what!other!people!have!said.!!
m. If!your!monologue!contains!and!unforeseen!event!that!changes!what!
your!character!is!trying!to!accomplish!you!will!have!more!to!react!to.!
n. Pursue!your!objective!by!original!means.!!
o. End!the!monologue!before!the!character!resolves!his!conflict.!!
p. When!you!end,!freeze!by!looking!at!your!partner!as!if!waiting!for!a!
response!(At!least!3!seconds)!
q. Finally!become!yourself!again.!!
r. Take!a!bow!and!say!thank!you.!!

88
 s. Never!apologize!or!display!unhappiness.!Assume!you!have!been!
successful.!Say!thank!you!as!if!you!were!saying!“Your!Welcome”.!!
t. Walk!out!the!same!way!you!entered.!Slowly!and!confidently.!!!
!
IV. The!Interview!
a. Make!them!comfortable!
b. Make!a!personal!script!in!case!they!ask!about!you.!This!should!come!from!
your!life!experience!and!must!allow!you!to!show!your!acting!strengths.!
Make!it!also,!like!the!performance!monologue,!about!a!conflict!you!are!
trying!to!resolve!over!something!that!is!important!to!you.!Write!down!
your!acting!strengths.!After!you!have!written!this!description,!write!a!
scene!with!dialogue!in!which!you!have!a!chance!to!display!these!qualities.!
Then!construct!your!personal!monologue!by!incorporation!the!dialogue!
you!wrote!for!yourself,!leaving!out!the!lines!of!the!other!characters.!
c. Make!the!script!in!such!a!way!that!you!make!them!care!about!you!and!
what!you!want!to!achieve.!!
d. Make!questions!and!get!interested!in!him/them!and!ask!questions!about!
the!program/school.!Make!him!the!center!of!attention.!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

89
AUDITION!MONOLOGUE!CHECKLIST!
!
What!are!my!historical!givens?!! !
!
!
!
What!are!my!immediate!givens?!! !
!
!
!
!
What!is!my!secret!life?!! !
!
!
!
!
When!am!I!there!(Leading!me!to!specific! !
behavior?!! !
!
!
Where!am!I?!! !
!
!
!
!
Place,!Season,!Time!of!day!and!Event?!! !
!
!
!
!
What!do!the!surroundings!look!like?!! !
!
!
!
!
How!does!the!time!and!place!affect!my! !
physical!life,!speech,!manner,!and!point!of! !
view?! !
! !
!
!
! !
! !

90
What!am!I!wearing?! !
! !
!
!
!
What!are!the!present!physical!givens?! !
!
!
!
!
How!may!I!physicalize!the!event?! !
!
!
!
Why!am!I!speaking!this!Monologue!now?!! !
!
!
!
What!are!the!stakes?!What!will!happen!if!I! !
don’t!get!what!I!want?!! !
!
!
Do!I!succeed!or!fail?!! !
!
!
!
What!are!my!selfZperceived!strengths?!and! !
vulnerabilities?! !
!
!
What!are!my!selfZperceived!vulnerabilities?!! !
!
!
!
!
How!may!I!physicalize!the!actions?!! !
!
!
!
What!is!my!function!within!the!play?!! !
!
!
!

91
How!am!I!like!the!character?!! !
!
!
!
How!am!I!not!like!the!character?!! !
!
!
!
!
What!is!my!social!class?!! !
!
!
!
What!is!my!breathing!like?!! !
!
!
!
What!is!my!Objective/Action/Motivation?! !
(How!am!I!going!to!get!what!I!want?!What! !
is!the!surest!way!of!getting!what!I!want?! !
*This!must!be!fun,!specific,!positive,!and!
test!in!an!another)!
What!is!the!opposite!to!my!O/A/M?! !
!
!
!
!
What!do!I!want!the!other!characters!to!do! !
as!a!result!of!hearing!this!Monologue?! !
!
!
What!do!I!want!from!life?!! !
!
!
!
!
What!do!I!want!from!the!play?!! !
!
!
!
What!do!I!do!to!get!what!I!want?!! !
!
!

92
 !
How!do!I!do!what!I!do!to!get!what!I!want?! !
!
!
!
What!are!my!expectations!on!my!imaginary! !
partners!responses?!! !
!
What!are!my!external!obstacles?! !
(“I!want!to!do!this!but…”)! !
!
!
What!are!my!internal!obstacles?! !
!
!
!
How!do!I!make!my!partner!feel?! !
!
!
!
What!do!I!want!to!do!to!my!partner!in!the! !
scene?! !
!
!
What!do!I!want!from!my!partner?! !
!
!
!
Is!my!partner!helping!me!achieve!my! !
objective?”! !
!
!
How!can!I!bring!to!life!the!obstacles! !
confronting!me?! !
!
!
!
What!am!I!fighting!for?!! !
(Positive!response)! !
!
!
!
What!is!my!relationship!to!the!others!in!the! !

93
play?!! !
!
!
!
What!roles!are!we!playing?! !
!
!
!
!
What!does!my!imaginary!partner!respond! !
to!what!I!say!and!when?! !
!
!
!
How!does!my!imaginary!partner!respond!to! !
what!I!say!and!when?! !
!
!
!
What!makes!the!relationships!heated?! !
!
!
!
How!would!the!relationships!be!described! !
in!an!archetypical!way?! !
!
!
!
What!are!your!feelings!about!them!right! !
now?! !
!
!
Where!is!the!love!in!the!scene?! !
!
!
!
!
What!am!I!substituting!for!the! !
relationships?! !
(See!list!of!good!asZifs)! !
!

94
What!are!my!first!impressions!and! !
intuitive!responses!to!the!scene?! !
!
!
What is the Event of the Scene on a !
broad level? ! !
! !
!
!
What!are!the!moments!in!the! !
scene?! !
!
!
What!is!the!beginning!of!the! !
monologue?! !
!
!
!
!
What!is!the!middle!of!the! !
monologue?! !
!
!
!
What!is!the!climax?! !
!
!
!
What!is!the!end?! !
!
!
!
!
What!are!my!7!–!10!Chunks?! !
!
!
!
What!are!the!Descriptions!of!the! !
Monologue?! !
(See!guidelines)! !
!
What!are!my!Sizes!and!Shapes?!! !
(See!guidelines)! !
!
!
Do!I!have!the!checklist!for!making! !

95
 choices?! !
!
!
Where!are!the!pauses!in!the! !
Monologue?! !
!
!
Where!are!the!changes/events?! !
!
!
!
Does!the!monologue!quote!the! !
other!people?! !
!
!
!
Have!I!put!humor!in!the! !
monologue?! !
!
!
!
Does!my!monologue!end!before!I! !
resolve!the!conflict?!
!
!
! !
What!are!my!placement!options!for! !
the!performance!of!the!monologue?! !
!
!
What!are!my!gestures?! !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

96
QUICK!CHECK!LIST!FOR!AUDITIONS!
!
!
Section!1.01 What!did!the!other!person!just!say!or!do!to!precipitate!my!first!line!(even!if!it!is!not!in!
the!script).!
!
Who!am!I!talking!to!in!the!script,!what!is!my!relationship!to!them,!and!who!is!my!substitution!for!that!
person.!
!
Where!am!I!and!what!is!my!relationship!to!that!environment!dictated!by!the!given!circumstances.!
!
What!are!the!specific!circumstances!in!!the!text.!What!are!the!facts!of!the!scene.!
!
What!is!the!event!of!the!scene.!!
!
What!do!I!want.!What!are!the!specific!expectations,!negative!and!positive,!concerning!the!objective.!
!
What!is!my!specific!status!socially!and!specifically!to!the!person!I!am!speaking!to!or!about.!
!
What!are!my!specific!actions!that!will!help!me!achieve!the!objective.!
!
What!time!of!day,!month!and!year!is!it!and!how!do!they!influence!my!objective.!
!
What!is!the!specific!obstacle!in!the!scene!that!may!hinder!my!achieving!the!objective.!
!
!
Remember:(
(
Section!1.02 You!can!never!anticipate!what!they!are!looking!for..just!do!your!work!based!on!the!text.!
Take!in!the!specific!reality!that!you!see..seek!in!truth!and!you!will!find!…show!up!to!serve!the!text,!
not!to!impress.!
!
Nerves!are!vanity.!
!
Don’t!look!for!approval.!Stand!behind!your!choices!and!take!direction.!
Listen!to!the!direction…take!it!in!.!
!
Breath.!
!
Have!fun.!

97
 QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 1/2!
!
*! How do you want the audience to change during the course of your speech?!
*! What!themes!must!the!audience!face?!
*! Remember!the!immediacy!of!your!need—want!it!here!and!now.!
*! Whenever!you!get!what!you!want!in!a!scene,!want!more.!
*! Don’t!go!to!get!the!job,!go!to!do!the!job.!
*! What!is!the!key!line!without!which!the!speech!would!not!make!sense?!
*! Aim!to!affect!powerful!change!in!the!person!to!whom!you!are!talking.!
*! Host!your!own!audition.!
*! Choose!to!be!there,!in!that!room,!doing!that!audition.!
*! Why!are!these!moments!so!important!for!the!character?!
*! What!do!the!thoughts!imply—what!are!the!consequences!and!significance!to!these!moments?!
*! Allow!the!beginning!of!your!speech!to!be!as!far!away!from!the!end!as!possible.!
*! Events!are!the!signposts!the!audience!follows.!
*! Remember!to!change!the!other!person’s!will.!
*! Live!the!adventure!of!your!scene.!
*! If!you!become!selfZpossessed,!you!become!entangled!in!your!own!effort.!
*! Create!the!appropriate!relationship,!then!watch!the!words!become!inevitable.!
*! Follow!your!hunch—that’s!why!it’s!there.!
*! Vanquish!selfZconsciousness!by!creating!interaction.!
*! To!Act!does!not!simply!mean!to!be,!but!to!do.!
*! Discoveries!promote!spontaneity!which!creates!momentum.!
*! Audiences!love!t!watch!people!change—adapt—regroup—and!respond.!!Take!us!on!that!journey.!
*! The!dynamic!setZup!between!the!objective!and!the!obstacle!produces!dramatic!conflict.!
*! Before!you!begin—center,!focus,!harness,!then!begin!to!relate.!
*! Events!are!the!result!of!major!discoveries.!
*! There!is!no!such!thing!as!to!act!‘properly’,!so!don’t!even!try.!
*! An!objective!is!one!person’s!journey!toward!altering!someone!else’s!path!of!action.!
*! Respect!your!character!and!honor!their!feelings.!
*! Every!syllable!should!be!purposeZbuilt—words!are!meaning—craft!them!accordingly.!
*! Know!what!you!want!to!do!in!your!audition,!and!then!go!in!there!and!do!it.!
*! Don’t!worry!about!acting—focus!on!relating.!
*! Creating!specific!relationships!makes!you!into!who!you!are!and!drives!all!you!do!and!say.!

98
!
!
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE2/2 !
!
*! Whenever you’re not getting what you want, try another way.!
*! Whenever!you!are!getting!what!you!want,!want!more!!
*! Form!is!what!you!are!left!with!after!the!truth!of!the!content!has!dictated!to!you!what!is!required.!
*! Words!are!the!result!of!ideas.!
*! Every!moment!onstage!should!be!a!movement!into!the!future.!!
*! Emotions!without!ideas!are!meaningless.!
*! A!full!stop!marks!the!end!of!the!thought—why!go!on?!
*! Significance!should!increase!as!your!speech!develops.!
*! What!choice!best!develops!the!idea!or!theme!present!at!this!moment!of!the!play?!
*! What!is!the!implication!and!consequence!behind!each!thought?!
*! Craft!your!energy!toward!creating!meaning.!
*! Catapult!yourself!from!the!exposing!world!of!the!actor!to!the!‘adventure!world’!of!your!
character.!

99
 On Camera Notes

! Who am I talking to? (This is the most important thing you can ask yourself).

! What do I want from that person?

! How am I in the given circumstances?

! Do not lean forward (unless it is a choice); maintain your power. It does not create intimacy.

! Send three strong actions (what you want to make the other person feel); pick three actions that are

logical and three that are NOT logical.

! Respond physically on the other person’s sense stress words (your body is constantly moving and

having an opinion about what the other person is saying in accordance to you objective).

! Positive actions: don’t emotionally comment on the situation, assume victory on every line. Don’t

anticipate defeat by playing the end of the scene at the beginning.

! Have a physical button at the beginning and the end of the scene. Have the language of the first

line come from the physical button. Utilize the use of sound within the auditions.

! The first line is always a response to something else: (that was said or done to you).

! Pick up your cues (first couple words). Then you can take your time in the text.

! Environment: place sources (indigenous to the environment) over the reader’s shoulders. Pick one

positive and one negative source. Thread the sources back to the reader.

! Use your “mistakes” within the scene. We have an irony and opinion about ourselves, and our

blunders. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen!

! The reader is the most important person in the room (get something going with them). Sit down

slowly. Control the room.

! Keep your focus tight when talking to multiple people in the scene (reader is the primary person in

the scene). The reader can be used for two of the people in the scene.

! Have a definitive, physical change on every action that is being sent. Change or increase your

action on ever line.

100
! Multiple sides for series regular roles: Identify what different aspects of the character they are

looking for within each given scene. Don’t generalize the character by giving nuance within

scenes. Utilize the stereotypes – one at a time.

! Character descriptions: 5 contradictory, opposing descriptive words. Those are the “how’s” of the

action. Don’t ever create a hybrid character based on description. Character = Woody

Allen/Adrien Brody – be the stereotype of each person. Back and forth, one then the other. Switch

when it suits the objective or what will get you the objective.

! Have a secret for every audition that will move you (connected to the objective and circumstance).

The secret should be logical to the scene.

! Have an arc: beginning, middle, end. Have an “ah-ha” moment (discovery). Every scene is

literally a journey.

! Ask “where am I framed?” In a close up – send the action even more defined.

! Drop sides on the ground, quietly.

! No pantomiming/no props. Exception – cell phone.

! In the case of pointing a gun just point one finger. Also, use the sides as a prop if possible.

! Have a sense of yourself (do not be a needy actor).

! Don’t touch the casting director, or bring in props.

! Don’t be the character outside the room – turn it on and off – walk into the room neutrally.

! Do read the other person’s sense stress words outside the room to find the necessity for yourself

and objective. The other person’s works will ALWAYS provoke yours.

! Ask questions (though never about interpretations).

! Ask to read the script, even if it means sitting in the office. Knowledge is power.

! They are not buying you or your performance. They are buying the relationship you’ve created.

! Adjust your “how’s” to actors A, B, C (be sensitive to who you’re partnered with).

101
! Stay focused – take care of yourself. In regards to someone being competitive with you: you don’t

have to be sociable – listen to music…

! Listening to music is always a great preparation, but pick music that engenders the need for the

other person rather than generates the mood of the scene.

! Don’t “dress up” as the character – but do dress reminiscent of the character.

! Don’t let the casting director rush you (it is your time). Don’t get into a negative energy because

they’re behind schedule.

! Commercial auditions – neutral or over the top? Comedy = send stronger actions. Actions

radically change. Specificity makes comedy.

! Never look down on the reader’s lines. If you want something from the reader, then they are more

important than your lines.

! “Emotion” - don’t release the emotion the day of the audition. Have a full release the night before

(look for the key images). Tease the emotion throughout the day of the audition. Release it in the

audition.

! If you have language you yourself would never use (like “golly gee”) in dialogue – say it how the

script says, but respond to it how you respond to that word. Don’t mock the writing, only yourself.

If the whole thing is “golly gee” it’s a farce – have fun with it.

! Don’t do the aesthetic of the show. Get the rhythm of the show (like West Wing has a rhythm –

look at the taste of the director – campy/dry. Educate yourself.

! Make sound – do not just breathe or exhale to indicate what you feel – connect it to the dialogue.

! Know what you’re trying to say with this audition. Make each audition vibrant and personal so

your political vantage can be expressed – so that your voice speaks.

! Every scene is an intrinsic build (you don’t get what you want).

! When are you lying?

! With short sides – make the stakes really high.

102
Do’s and Don’ts from Session Directors at Lien Cowan Casting!
!
DO!listen…just!calm!down!and!listen.!!You’ll!avoid!a!multitude!of!sins!and!improve!your!auditions!
100%.!
!
Do!read!the!instructions.!!Stop!!!And!read!the!instructions!!!Nothing!is!more!irritating!than!to!have!an!
actor!come!in!to!audition!and!say,!“Oh,!I!didn’t!know!I!had!to!have!that!filled!out.!
!
DO!bring!a!pen!and!pencil…sounds!silly!but!if!there!aren’t!any!around!and!you!have!to!pester!the!
session!director!–!well,!you!get!the!picture.!
!
DON”T!make!us!go!looking!for!you.!!It’s!great!to!run!into!friends!at!auditions,!but!please!schmooze!
on!your!own!time.!!When!you!see!your!name!coming!up!on!the!sign!in!sheet,!stay!close!by!and!be!
ready!to!go!in!and!audition.!
!
DO!have!your!picture!and!paper!work!ready.!!It’s!maddening!to!stand!there!with!the!clock!ticking!
while!an!actor!rummages!around!looking!for!their!picture,!size!sheet!and!name!strip.!!Have!
everything!out!and!ready.!
!
DON’T!ask,!“Which!picture!should!I!use?”!as!you!spread!4!or!5!headshots!out!on!the!desk.!!Use!
common!sense!and!make!your!own!decision.!
!
DON”T!ask!the!session!director!why!you!haven’t!been!in!to!audition!for!awhile.!!Often!they!don’t!
know!and!if!they!do,!they’re!not!about!to!tell!you.!!It!just!creates!discomfort.!
!
DON”T!ask!to!have!your!Polaroid!taken!over!again!(unless!your!eyes!are!closed!in!the!shot.)!!
Honestly,!thee!is!nothing!at!stake!in!the!quality!of!the!Polaroid!other!than!your!bruised!vanity.!!They!
are!for!ID!purposes!only!!
!
DON”T!offer!up!any!mug!shot!jokes!about!the!name!strips.!!It’s!hard!for!the!session!director!to!
pretend!to!be!amused!after!hearing!the!“joke”!for!the!100th!time.!
!
DO!come!in!with!ideas.!!More!often!than!not!you!get!2!takes,!so!come!up!with!different!approaches!
for!both!takes.!!Come!in!to!the!room!ready!to!work!creatively.!
!
BONUS!–!DO!!!!Read!the!instructions,!listen!and!HAVE!FUN!!
!

103
What!Does!A!Casting!Director!Look!for!In!A!Commercial!Headshot?!
!
• LikeZability,!warmth,!and!a!sense!of!personality.!
• The!face!and!body!are!relaxed!and!open.!!There!is!no!tension!around!the!mouth!and!eyes.!
• A!smile!that!seems!spontaneous!not!forced.!!Showing!teeth!is!good!but!not!mandatory.!!A!subtle!
mischievous!smile!may!say!more!than!a!forced!slappedZon!grin.!
• Eyes!must!be!alive,!not!glazed!over!or!dead.!!Sometimes!the!mouth!is!smiling!but!the!eyes!are!cold.!!
You!want!a!sparkle,!a!twinkle!in!your!eyes.!
• The!actor!is!casually!dressed.!!Hairstyles!are!current!and!not!too!extreme,!unless!you!have!an!offbeat!
look.!!Men!with!facial!hair!should!realize!this!will!limit!them!to!fewer!roles.!!For!women,!makeup!
must!be!natural.!
• The!photo!should!be!black!and!white,!well!lit,!in!focus,!with!sharp!contrasts.!!Avoid!soft!focus!
pictures!that!look!like!they’ve!been!shot!through!layers!of!gauze.!!It!appears!that!you’re!trying!to!
hide!something.!
• The!actor’s!name!along!with!their!agent’s!logo!(if!the!actor!has!representation)!is!printed!on!the!
photo.!!At!least!five!actors!each!week!miss!auditions!at!our!office!because!their!name!is!not!printed!
on!their!photo.!!Many!actors!staple!their!“nameless”!headshot!to!a!resume!and!think!that!they!are!
covered.!!Wrong.!!Pictures!get!separated!from!resumes!all!the!time.!
• Actors!should!look!like!their!headshots.!!This!may!seem!obvious!but!you’d!be!amazed!at!how!many!
don’t.!!There’s!nothing!more!irritating!to!a!casting!director!than!an!actor!who!shows!up!looking!
nothing!like!his!or!her!headshot.!
!

104
10!Tips!For!Handling!Spokesperson!Copy!
!
Read!and!understand!the!script.!!Be!sure!you!know!how!to!pronounce!all!the!words!in!the!
copy,!especially!the!name!of!the!product.!
!
Know!who!you!are!–!an!expert!or!a!typical!consumer.!!If!you!are!an!expert,!determine!
what!you!can!do!to!give!yourself!credibility.!
!
Determine!where!you!are.!!Creating!specific!details!in!your!mind!about!your!surroundings!
will!add!texture!to!your!audition.!
!
Determine!what!is!special!about!the!product!and!how!you!can!subtly!convey!these!special!
features.!
!
Determine!who!the!general!audience!is!for!this!product!and!them!whom!you!are!
specifically!talking!to.!!Remember!you!want!to!seem!to!be!talking!to!just!one!person.!!!
!
Picture!in!your!mind!the!person!you!are!speaking!to.!
!
Think!of!the!copy!as!more!like!a!dialogue!with!the!person!you’ve!created!in!the!camera.!
!
Read!the!copy!out!loud!a!couple!of!times!so!that!the!words!become!your!own.!
!
Memorize!the!first!and!last!lines!so!you!can!begin!and!end!your!audition!looking!directly!
in!the!camera.!
!
Write!out!the!copy!in!order!to!see!it!in!a!different!format.!!This!will!help!you!adjust!to!
seeing!the!copy!on!the!cue!card!and!will!also!help!you!to!become!more!familiar!with!the!
words.!
!
Don’t!just!drop!out!of!the!scene!when!you!come!to!the!end!of!the!written!material.!!Keep!
the!life!of!the!scene!going!until!the!operator!stops!the!tape.

105
Reference Resources!
!
SUGGESTED!PLAYS!TO!READ!
!!
CLASSICAL!GREECE!&!ROME!
Aeschylus!
•!!The!Oresteia!(Agamemnon,!The!Libation!Bearers,!The!Eumenides)!
•!Seven!Against!Thebes!
•!The!Suppliants!
•!Prometheus!Bound!
•!The!Persians!
!!
Sophocles!
•!Oedipus!Rex!
•!Antigone!
•!Electra!
•!Ajax!
•!The!Women!of!Trachis!
!!
Euripides!
•!Hippolytus!
•!Medea!
•!The!Bacchae!
•!Hecuba!
•!Iphigenia!in!Aulis!
•!The!Suppliants!(The!Suppliant!Woman)!
•!The!Trojan!Women!
•!Herakles!
!!
Aristophanes!
•!Lysistrata!
•!The!Birds!
•!The!Frogs!
!!
Plautus!
•!The!Brothers!Menaechmus!(or!The!Two!Menaechmuses)!
•!Amphitryon!
!!
Terence!
•!The!Brothers!
!!
Seneca!
•!Medea!
•!Phaedra!
•!Thyestes!
!!
!!
!!
MEDIEVAL!
Unknown(Author!
•!Everyman!

106
•!Mankind!
•!The!Farce!of!Master!Pierre!Pathelin!
The!Wakefield!Master!
•!The!Second!Shepherds!Play!
E.K.!Chambers!(editor)!
•!The!Play!of!St.!George!
The!Plays!of!Hrotswitha!of!Gandersheim!
!!
RENAISSANCE!
Machiavelli!
•!The!Mandrake!
!!
Torquato(Tasso!
•!Aminta!
!!
TUDOR,!ELIZABETHAN,!JACOBEAN!
Thomas(Dekker!
•!The!Shoemaker‘s!Holiday!
!!
Thomas(Kyd!
•!The!Spanish!Tragedy!
!!
Thomas(Middleton!
•!The!Changeling!
•!A!Chaste!Maid!in!Cheapside!
•!The!Revenger‘s!Tragedy!
!!
Christopher(Marlowe!
•!Doctor!Faustus!
•!Edward!II!
!!
William(Shakespeare!
•!Without!question,!read!everything.!
!!
Ben(Jonson!
•!The!Alchemist!
•!Volpone!
!!
John(Webster!
•!The!Duchess!of!Malfi!
•!The!White!Devil!
!!
John(Ford!
•!‘Tis!Pity!She‘s!A!Whore!
!!
Francis(Beaumont(&(John(Fletcher!
•!A!Maid‘s!Tragedy!
!!
!!
SPANISH!GOLDEN!AGE!
Tirso(de(Molina!

107
•!The!Trickster!of!Seville!
!!
Lope(de(Vega!
•!Fuente!Ovejuna!
!!
Calderon(de(la(Barca!
•!Life!is!a!Dream!
!!
JAPANESE!COURTLY!DRAMA!
Chikamatsu(Monzaemon!
•!Fair!Ladies!at!a!Game!of!Poem!Cards!
•!The!Battles!of!Coxinga!
(!
Seami!
•!Nakamitsu!
!!
FRENCH!NEOCLASSICISM!
Pierre(Corneille!
•!The!Cid!
!!
Jean(Racine!
•!Phaedra!
!!
Molière!
•!The!Misanthrope!
•!The!Miser!
•!Tartuffe!
!!
ENGLISH!RESTORATION!&!18TH!CENTURY!
George(Etherege!
•!The!Man!of!Mode!
!!
William(Wycherley!
•!The!Country!Wife!
!!
Aphra(Behn!
•!The!Rover!
•!Oroonoko!
!!
William(Congreve!
•!The!Way!of!the!World!
!!
John(Dryden!
•!All!for!Love!
!!
Thomas(Otway!
•!Venice!Preserv‘d!
!!
Thomas(Southerne((adapted(by)!
•!Oroonoko!(written!by!Aphra!Behn)!
!!

108
George(Farquhar!
•!The!Beaux‘!Stratagem!
!!
George(Lillo!
•!The!London!Merchant!
!!
John(Gay!
•!The!Beggar‘s!Opera!
!!
Oliver(Goldsmith!
•!She!Stoops!to!Conquer!
!!
Richard(Brinsley(Sheridan!
•!The!School!for!Scandal!
•!The!Rivals!
!!
John(O‘Keeffe!
•!Wild!Oats!
!!
EUROPEAN!18TH!CENTURY!
Marivaux!
•!The!Triumph!of!Love!
•!The!Game!of!Love!and!Chance!
!!
Carlo(Goldoni!
•!A!Servant!of!Two!Masters!
!!
Carlo(Gozzi!
•!The!Green!Bird!
•!The!King!Stag!
!!
Gotthold(Ephraim(Lessing!
•!Nathan!the!Wise!
!!
Johann(Wolfgang(von(Goethe!
•!Faust!Part!I!
•!Iphigenia!at!Taurus!
!!
Friedrich(Schiller!
•!The!Robbers!
•!Maria!Stuart!
!!
EARLYZMID!19TH!CENTURY!
Heinrich(Von(Kleist!
•!The!Prince!of!Homberg!
!!
Eugene(Scribe!
•!The!Glass!of!Water!
!!
Alfred(de(Musset!
•!Lorenzaccio!

109
!!
Pierre(Beaumarchais!
•!The!Marriage!of!Figaro!
!!
Victor(Hugo!
•!Hernani!
!!
Alexandre(Dumas:!
•!Kean!
!!
Georg(Buchner!
•!Woyzeck!
•!Danton‘s!Death!
!!
Nikolai(Gogol!
•!The!Government!Inspector/The!Inspector!General!
!!
Alexander(Ostrovsky!
•!Diary!of!A!Scoundrel!
!!
Alexandre(Dumas(fils!
•!The!Lady!of!the!Camelias!
!!
George(Aiken!
•!Uncle!Tom‘s!Cabin!
!!
Dion(Boucicault!
•!The!Octoroon!
•!The!Colleen!Bawn!
!!
Leopold(Davis(Lewis!
•!The!Bells!
!!
LATE!19TH!&!EARLY!20TH!CENTURY!
S.(Ansky!
•!The!Dybbuk!
Arthur(Wing(Pinero!
•!The!Second!Mrs.!Tanqueray!
!!
Harley(GranvilleWBarker!
•!Voysey!Inheritance!
!!
Oscar(Wilde!
•!The!Importance!of!Being!Earnest!
•!An!Ideal!Husband!
•!Salome!
•!The!Ballad!of!Reading!Gaol!
!!
Georges(Feydeau!
•!A!Flea!in!Her!Ear!
!!

110
Leo(Tolstoy!
•!The!Power!of!Darkness!
!!
Edmond(Rostand!
•!Cyrano!de!Bergerac!
!!
Emile(Zola!
•!Therese!Raquin!
!!
Gerhart(Hauptmann!
•!The!Weavers!
!!
Henrik(Ibsen!
•!Peer!Gynt!
•!A!Doll‘s!House!
•!Ghosts!
•!Hedda!Gabler!
•!The!Wild!Duck!
!!
August(Strindberg!
•!The!Father!
•!Miss!Julie!
•!Ghost!Sonata!
•!A!Dream!Play!
!!
Anton(Chekhov!
•!The!Seagull!
•!Uncle!Vanya!
•!Three!Sisters!
•!The!Cherry!Orchard!
!!
Arthur(Schnitzler!
•!La!Ronde!
!!
!!
LATE!19TH!&!EARLY!20TH!CENTURY!(cont’d)!
George(Bernard(Shaw!
•!Major!Barbara!
•!Man!and!Superman!
•!Heartbreak!House!
!!
Frank(Wedekind!
•!Spring!Awakening!
•!Lulu!
!!
Maxim(Gorky!
•!The!Lower!Depths!
•!Summerfolk!
!!
Alfred(Jarry!
•!Ubu!Roi!

111
!!
Maurice(Maeterlinck!
•!Pelleas!and!Melisande!
!!
John(Millington(Synge!
•!Riders!to!the!Sea!
•!Playboy!of!the!Western!World!
!!
20TH!CENTURY!!
Sean(O‘Casey!
•!Juno!and!the!Paycock!
!!
Eugene(O‘Neill!
•!The!Emperor!Jones!
•!Desire!Under!the!Elms!
•!Long!Day‘s!Journey!Into!Night!
•!Mourning!Becomes!Electra!
•!Anna!Christie!
•!Strange!Interlude!
•!Ah,!Wilderness!!
!!
Clifford(Odets!
•!Awake!and!Sing!
•!Waiting!for!Lefty!
•!Golden!Boy!
!!
Elmer(Rice!
•!The!Adding!Machine!
•!Street!Scene!
!!
Luigi(Pirandello!
•!Six!Characters!in!Search!of!an!Author!
•!Henry!IV!
!!
Bertolt(Brecht!
•!Baal!
•!Threepenny!Opera!
•!Mother!Courage!and!Her!Children!
•!Caucasian!Chalk!Circle!
•!Life!of!Galileo!
•!The!Resistable!Rise!of!Arturo!Ui!
!!
Georg(Kaiser!
•!From!Morn!to!Midnight!
!!
Sophie(Treadwell!
•!Machinal!
!!
T.S.(Eliot!
•!Murder!in!the!Cathedral!
!!

112
Federico(Garcia(Lorca!
•!Blood!Wedding!
•!Yerma!
•!The!House!of!Bernardo!Alba!
!!
Vladimir(Mayakovsky!
•!The!Bedbug!
!!
Noel(Coward!
•!Private!Lives!
•!Blithe!Spirit!
•!Present!Laughter!
!!
Philip(Barry!
•!The!Philadelphia!Story!
!!
William(Saroyan!
•!The!Time!of!Your!Life!
!!
Karel(Capek!
•!R.U.R.!
!!
George(S.(Kaufman(and(Moss(Hart!
•!You!Can‘t!Take!It!With!You!
!!
Eduardo(De(Filippo!
•!Filumena!Marturano!
!!
Jean(Anouilh!
•!Antigone!
•!Becket!
!!
Tennessee(Williams!
•!Glass!Menagerie!
•!A!Streetcar!Named!Desire!
•!Cat!on!a!Hot!Tin!Roof!
•!The!Night!of!the!Iguana!
•!Summer!and!Smoke!
•!The!Rose!Tattoo!
•!Camino!Real!
•!Orpheus!Descending!
•!Suddenly,!Last!Summer!
•!Sweet!Bird!of!Youth!
!!
Arthur(Miller!
•!The!Crucible!
•!Death!of!a!Salesman!
•!All!My!Sons!
•!A!View!From!the!Bridge!
•!After!the!Fall!
•!The!Ride!Down!Mt.!Morgan!

113
•!Broken!Glass!
!!
Thornton(Wilder!
•!Our!Town!
•!The!Matchmaker!
•!The!Skin!of!Our!Teeth!
!!
Gertrude(Stein!
•!Dr.!Faustus!Lights!the!Lights!
!!
Lillian(Hellman!
•!The!Little!Foxes!
•!The!Children’s!Hour!
!!
Lorraine(Hansberry!
•!A!Raisin!in!the!Sun!
!!
William(Inge!
•!Dark!at!the!Top!of!the!Stairs!
•!Come!Back!Little!Sheba!
•!Picnic!
•!Bus!Stop!
!!
Ossie(Davis!
•!Purlie!Victorious!
!!
James(Baldwin!
•!Blues!for!Mr.!Charlie!
!!
!!
Fernando(Arrabal!
•!Guernica!
!!
JeanWPaul(Sartre!
•!The!Flies!
•!No!Exit!
!!
Jean(Genet!
•!The!Balcony!
•!The!Maids!
•!The!Blacks!
!!
Aime(Cesaire!
•!A!Season!in!the!Congo!
!!
Friedrich(Durrenmatt!
•!The!Visit!
!!
Antonio(Buero(Vallejo!
•!The!Dream!Weaver!
(!

114
Eugene(Ionesco!
•!The!Bald!Soprano!
•!Rhinoceros!
!!
Amiri(Baraka((Jones)!
•!Dutchman!
!!
Edward(Albee!
•!Who‘s!Afraid!of!Virginia!Woolf!
•!The!Zoo!Story!
•!The!Goat,!or!Who!is!Sylvia?!
•!A!Delicate!Balance!
•!Seascape!
•!Three!Tall!Women!
!!
Slawomir(Mrozek!
•!Tango!
!!
Samuel(Beckett!
•!Waiting!for!Godot!
•!Krapp‘s!Last!Tape!
•!Endgame!
•!Happy!Days!
!!
John(Osborne!
•!Look!Back!in!Anger!
•!The!Entertainer!
!!
Arnold(Wesker!
•!The!Kitchen!
!!
Harold(Pinter!
•!The!Birthday!Party!
•!The!Homecoming!
•!The!Dumb!Waiter!
•!Betrayal!
•!No!Man’s!Land!
•!Celebration!
•!The!Caretaker!
!!
Adrienne(Kennedy!
•!Funnyhouse!of!a!Negro!
!!
Peter(Weiss!
•!Marat/Sade!
!!
Luis(Valdez!
•!Zoot!Suit!
!!
August(Wilson((In!historical!order)!
•!1904Z!Gem!of!the!Ocean!

115
•!1927Z!Ma!Rainey’s!Black!Bottom!
•!1936Z!The!Piano!lesson!
•!1948Z!Seven!Guitars!
•!1957Z!Fences!
•!1969Z!Two!Trains!Running!
•!1977Z!Jitney!
•!1948Z!Seven!Guitars!
•!1985Z!King!Hedley!II!
•!1997Z!Radio!Golf!
!!
Lynn(Nottage!
•!Intimate!Apparel!
•!Ruined!
!!
Susan(LoriWParks!
•!Topdog/Underdog!
•!Father!Comes!Home!From!The!Wars!
!!
Rajiv(Joseph!
•!Gruesome!Playground!Injuries!
!!
Katori(Hall!
•!The!Mountaintop!
•!Hurt!Village!
!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

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Suggested Reading Material

REQUIRED READING**

THE ACTOR AND THE TARGET

BY Declan Donnellan

A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR Uta Hagen

ACT ONE Moss Hart

ACTING IS BELIEVING Charles McGraw

ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS Richard Boleslavsky

ACTORS ON ACTING Toby Cole

ADOLPHE APPIA Theatre Arts magazine August, 1932

ADVICE TO THE PLAYERS Robert Lewis

BEING AN ACTOR Simon Callow

BUILDING A CHARACTER (Volume Two) Constantin Stanislavsky

CONTINENTAL STAGE CRAFT K. Macgowan & R. E. Jones

CREATING A ROLE (Volume Three) Constantin Stanislavsky

CURTAINS Kenneth Tynan

DUSE William Weaver

E.G. CRAIG ON THE ART OF THE THEATRE Theatre Arts Magazine

ELIZABETHAN PLAYS & PLAYERS G. B. Harrison

HAZLITT ON THE THEATRE William Archer (ed.)

HOLINSHED’S CHRONICLE AS USED IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS A Nicoll

LAURETTE Courtney

LIES LIKE TRUTH Harold Clurman

MEMOIRS Tennessee Williams

117
METHOD OR MADNESS Robert Lewis

MOSCOW REHEARSALS #1 Norris Houghton

NEW THEATRES FOR OLD Mordecai Gorelik

ON ACTORS & THE ART OF ACTING George Henry Lewes

ON DIRECTING Harold Clurman

OUR THEATRES IN THE NINETIES (3 vols.) George Bernard Shaw

PAPERS ON ACTING Brander Matthews

PLAYWRIGHTS ON PLAYWRITING Toby Cole

POETS DICTIONARY William Packard

PREFACE TO HAMLET Harley Granville-Barker

PRODUCING THE PLAY John Gassner

REFLECTIONS ON THE THEATRE Jean-Louis Barrault

RESPECT FOR ACTING Uta Hagen

SCHOOL OF STAGE ART Eugene Vakhtangov

SHADOWS OF THE STAGE William Winter

SHAKESPEARE & CRAFT OF TRAGEDY William Rosen

SHAKESPEARE & HOME LIFE C. Clark

SHAKESPEARE & THE RIVAL TRADITIONS Alfred Harbage

SHAKESPEARE OF LONDON Marchette Chute

SHAKESPEARE WITHOUT TEARS Margaret Webster

SHAKESPEARE’S BAWDY Eric Partridge

SHAKESPEARE’S IMAGERY Caroline Spurgeon

SHAKESPEARE”S STAGE A. M. Nagler

SHAW ON THEATRE Edward Joseph West

SLING AND ARROWS Robert Lewis

118
STANISLAVSKI IN AMERICA Tulane Drama Review T25 & 26

STANISLAVSKI ON THE ART OF THE STAGE David Magarshack

STANISLAVSKI’S LEGACY Konstantin Stanislavski

STANISLAVSKY DIRECTS Nikolai M. Gorchakov

STANISLAVSKY DIRECTS OTHELLO Constantin Stanislavsky

STRASBERG AT THE ACTOR’S STUDIO Robert Hethmon

TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Charles & Mary Lamb

THE ACTOR AND THE TARGET Declan Donnellan

THE ACTOR PREPARES (Volume One) Constantin Stanislavsky

THE ACTORS’ WAYS AND MEANS Michael Redgrave

THE ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING Lagos Egri

THE ART OF PLAYWRITING William Packard

THE CHINESE THEATRE Kalvodova-sis-vanis

THE ELIZABETHAN STAGE E.K. Chambers

THE ENGLISH DRAMATIC CRITICS James Agate

THE ENGLISH THEATRE Allardyce Nicoll

THE FERVENT YEARS Harold Clurman

THE IDEA OF THEATRE Francis Furgeson

THE KABUKI THEATRE Earle Ernst

THE METHOD AS MEANS Charles Marowitz

THE PARADOX OF ACTING & MASKS OR FACES? Denis Diderot, William Archer

THE STAGE IS SET Lee Simonson

THE STANISLAVSKY SYSTEM Sonia Moore

THE THEATRE OF BARRAULT Jean Louis Barrault

THE THEATRE OF BERTOLT BRECHT John Willett

119
THE THEATRE Stark Young

THEATRE IN THE ROUND Margo Jones

THEATRE OF TOMORROW Kenneth Macgowan

THEATRE: THE REDISCOVERY OF STYLE Michel St. Denis

TO THE ACTOR Michael Chekhov

WHAT HAPPENS IN HAMLET? Dover Wilson

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (2 vols.) E.K. Chambers

STRASBERG’S METHOD S. Loraine Hull

120
 SUGGESTED BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

!
AUTOBIOGRAPHY Tommaso Salvini

DUSE Jeanne Bordeux

EDMUND KEAN Harold Hillebrand

EDWIN BOOTH Edwina Booth Grossman

ELEONORA DUSE A. Symons

HENRY IRVING Frederic Daly

INDEX TO THE STORY OF MY DAYS Edward Gordon Craig

LIFE AND ART OF EDWIN BOOTH William Winter

LIFE OF GARRICK Vols. 1 & 2 Arthur Murphy

LIFE OF MRS. SIDDONS Thomas Campbell

MACREADY’S REMINISCENCES & DIARIES Sir F. Pollack

MR. MACREADY J.C. Trewin

MY LIFE IN ART Konstantin Stanislavski

MY LIFE IN THE RUSSIAN THEATRE V. Memirovich-Danchendo

SIX GREAT ACTORS Richard Findlater

WINGLESS VICTORY Frances Winwar

121
 Quotes for Scenes & Auditions!

* Nerves are vanity.

* You can never anticipate what they are looking for. Just do your work based on the text. Take
in the specific reality that you see, seek truth and you will find, show up not to impress but to
serve the text.

* Don’t want to book the job, take it as an opportunity to do the job now.

* Don’t look for approval. Stand behind your choices and take direction.

* Remember the immediacy of your need – want it here and now. If you do not get it now you
might not ever get it. Whenever you do get what you want, always want more. We are never
satisfied.

* Whenever you are not getting what you want, try something new.

* Aim to affect change in the person to whom you are speaking. Change the other person.

* Show up. Choose to be there, in that room, participating in the audition.

* To act does not mean to be, but to DO.

* Follow your own instincts: that is why you have them.

* Events are the result of major discoveries.

* Discoveries promote spontaneity. Spontaneity creates momentum.

* Live the adventure of the scene.

* Allow the beginning to be as far away from the ending as possible.

* What are the consequences and significance to these moments?

* Why are these moments important for the character?

* Be willing to take the audience/casting team on the journey with you.

* There is no way to act properly, so don’t even try. Give yourself permission to do it wrong.

* Don’t worry about “acting” – pay attention to how you are relating to the other person.

* If you are watching yourself, you are not paying attention to what is happening around you.

122
* Know what you want to do in your audition, and then go in there and do it.

* Creating a specific relationship defines you and drives everything you do and say.

* Words are the result of ideas.

* Emotions without ideas are meaningless.

* What is your implication behind each thought?

* What is the consequence of communicating this thought?

* A full stop marks the end of a thought.

* Significance should increase as your speech develops.

* Respect the writing and the life of your character; honor their feelings.

* Every syllable should have a purpose – words are meaning – craft them accordingly.

* What choice best develops the idea or theme present at this moment of the play?

* Do not reveal the world of the character to the audience; experience the world as truthfully as
possible.

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