American RealismMajor Questions and Themes--How are the concerns of Early Realism and American Realism similar, and how are they different?--What issues seemed to concern the American Realists in the middle of the 20th century?American Realist Acting--Many different schools:--Earlier writings of Stanislavski, as interpreted by several individuals--“The method”--Emphasizes empathy with character, understanding of character as a full person--Continues as main approach even with non-realistic scripts--Contrast with British actor trainingScript Analysis for an American Realist Actor--What does the script say about my character?--Make specific choices about character’s history, feelings, etc.--What does the character want in each scene?--Key Terms:--Objective/motivation/action: what the character wants from the others--Tactic: how the character tries to accomplish this goal--Beat: a unit of text in which the objective remains the sameA Realist actor prepares…--In rehearsal--Emphasis on being “in the moment,” not planning too rigidly--Exploration--Before performance--Warm up, “getting into character”American Realist Playwriting--Emphasis on psychological experiences of characters and their relationships with each other--Tend to focus on working or middle class families--Design may be realistic or poetic--Major playwrights:--Eugene O’Neill--Tennessee Williams--Arthur MillerEugene O’Neill (1888-1953)--First major American Realist
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