Applying techniques

I have done some research into Stanislavsky's techniques to see the different types of techniques he has created and to find out How i could apply them to my character work, I discovered one of his techniques; Physical actions- it is said if it is arranged in a certain order (e.g the order could be building up tension) it can provoke the necessary emotions in the actors performance. 

Because I am playing the character of Thea and she is very "mouse" like i portray that in my body language, so i always make my self look small, I never open up my body in the scene. My hands are always together, fiddling with my fingers, My shoulders are never fully dropped low, there is always a form of tension in then, they are slightly perked up nearer to the middle of my neck. If I have to sit down in the scene I am very hesitant about it. Or if i choose to sit down I would never lounge out on the seat, my legs would always be very closely together. 

If I physically make my self look small this will have an effect on my emotions, I wouldn't feel comfortable or relaxed, which is definitely how Thea is feeling, she feels anxious that she is in the house of hedda and tesman, because she has some little secrets that she doesnt want to reveal such as how her husband didn't know that she was coming here; to heddas house. 

Again by me physically moving around the stage, taking small little steps in the space, makes me feel nervous, which is true. Normally when you are nervous you cant keep still, it is as if like you are trying to search for safety or reassurance. So because I know taking small steps around the space provokes these emotions I choose to move around the space when Hedda is confronting =/ integrating Thea about her relationship with Eilert and her husband. This is how I applied Stanislavsky's physical action technique to my rehearsal process. 


Emotional Memory requires that an actor recreate an event from the distant past in order to regenerate the ‘feelings’ experienced at that time. These feelings thus regenerated are then used in the current acting situation in order to fill out the role with ‘human depth and personal involvement’ (Benedetti 66). The necessity of the event being from the distant rather than recent past is because Stanislavski felt (at that time) that time distilled events and feelings, acting as a ‘splendid filter for remembered feelings.’ Stanislavski believed that the quality of the actor’s performance depended upon the sincerity of his experience. This sincere experience went through a ‘time filter’ that transformed the quality of the experience into a ‘poetic reflection of life’s experience’ (Stanislavski quoted. in Moore 42). On stage the actor lived, not a real life, but a true stage experience.

 From this, one can gather that stage emotion is not the same as emotion in life, because as Stanislavski put it, on stage it is a ‘repeated’ experience, not a ‘primary’ one. The actor can stir the needed emotion in him/ herself by remembering a parallel situation having a similar emotion. This emotion would then need to be brought out at the exact moment when called for on stage. This ‘evoking’ of past experience was called ‘Emotional Recall.’ Thus, through rehearsal and training techniques, the actor developed a conditioned reflex.

In the play, I find it hard to relate to some things and therefore if i cannot relate to them I cannot put my emotional memory into practice for example. asking someone to write a letter for me, however for the things I can relate to, emotional memory plays a big part in it. Especially when Hedda confront Thea and thea doesnt want hedda to know about eilert. When I act out this scene ,I remember times when My mum would ask me questions e.g where have I been, why are you home so late. And I didnt want her to know the truth. When this happened I felt very nervous and panicky, as if a  mouse was dodging around the room trying to avoid the answers. So when it comes to this part of my scene Emotional memory is constantly being used. Because I can incorporate this technique into my performance I feel like this is the part where it feels most realistic for me, as I can have a sort of connection with it