Theatre is a dramatic and performative art form where performers enact a story using words, voice, and body movement. This chapter focuses on performative body movement and the training and preparation of actors to give a “truthful” performance in body movement. While a dramatic performance enacts a make-believe world and imaginary situations, they have to feel real enough to the audience to immerse them in the constructed world and draw emotions and responses as if the world and situations were real. To achieve this, the actor must give a truthful performance. This chapter examines what that means and what it takes for an actor to give a truthful performance. The focus of the discussion is not on body movement techniques, but on the alignment of mental states and processes (mind), physical states/processes (body), and the emotion and soul (heart) in the quest for “truth”. The chapter examines what it means to seek truth in the body, how it must lead to trust and care, and the approaches taken by three theatre artist-educators to prepare aspiring actors for truthful performances. In the process, the chapter examines the deep structure of the signature pedagogy for acting and performative art forms—especially in the alignment and interaction of the habits of mind, hand/body, and heart/soul for giving a whole-heartedly truthful performance.

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Performative Movement in Actor’s Training: Seeking Truth in the Body to Build Trust

  • Grace Y. M. Leong,
  • Christopher S. G. Khoo

摘要

Theatre is a dramatic and performative art form where performers enact a story using words, voice, and body movement. This chapter focuses on performative body movement and the training and preparation of actors to give a “truthful” performance in body movement. While a dramatic performance enacts a make-believe world and imaginary situations, they have to feel real enough to the audience to immerse them in the constructed world and draw emotions and responses as if the world and situations were real. To achieve this, the actor must give a truthful performance. This chapter examines what that means and what it takes for an actor to give a truthful performance. The focus of the discussion is not on body movement techniques, but on the alignment of mental states and processes (mind), physical states/processes (body), and the emotion and soul (heart) in the quest for “truth”. The chapter examines what it means to seek truth in the body, how it must lead to trust and care, and the approaches taken by three theatre artist-educators to prepare aspiring actors for truthful performances. In the process, the chapter examines the deep structure of the signature pedagogy for acting and performative art forms—especially in the alignment and interaction of the habits of mind, hand/body, and heart/soul for giving a whole-heartedly truthful performance.