Acting Techniques That Improve an Actor’s Performance

Acting techniques are an important and personal part of being an actor, something acting enthusiast and actor Othman Louanjli can attest to. There are many different acting techniques, all of which have been created with the aim of cultivating a more powerful acting performance.

Classical acting describes an acting philosophy that focuses on expression through the voice, body, external stimuli, imagination, improvisation, personalising and script analysis. Classical acting is a general term that includes the teachings and theories of classical directors and actors, such as Michel Saint-Denis and Konstantin Stanislavski.

The Life of Konstantin Stanislavski

Konstantin Stanislavski is also the creator of the Stanislavski method, where actors use their own personal experiences and emotions in order to find the ‘truth’ in the character that they are playing. Using Stanislavski’s system, actors must understand the thoughts, feelings and motivations of the character, putting themselves in their shoes, in order to find common ground and to perform in a genuine and naturalistic manner. For more information on Stanislavski, please refer to the embedded PDF.

Method acting is one of the most well known techniques in modern acting, and certain aspects are based on Stanislavski’s acting method. Founded by Lee Strasberg, method acting requires the actor to develop a deep and emotional understanding of their character, so that they can personally identify with them. The acting technique by Stella Adler is also based on Stanislavski’s work; however, unlike Strasberg’s technique, Adler believed that it was potentially damaging for actors to have to dig into their personal history in order to identify with their roles.

Other than method acting and the technique by Adler, the Meisner technique was also inspired by the work of Stanislavski. The Meisner technique asks the actor to focus all of their attention onto the other actor, to believe that their acting partner is the only thing to exist in that moment. The technique is based on the idea that genuine responses and reactions between the actors will result in a more authentic performance.

In opposition to the highly emotional and responsive technique by Meisner, the Brechtian Method, developed by Bertolt Brecht, is based on ‘epic drama’ that relies on the audience being detached and reflective rather than fully emotionally involved in the scene.

Bertold Brecht was born Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht in Germany in 1898. Brecht was a poet, playwright and theatre practitioner whose plays were influenced by Marxist ideologies. Brecht preferred to call his style ‘dialectical theatre’, as opposed to ‘epic theatre’, of which he was the main proponent.

In dialectical theatre the audience does not experience a climactic catharsis, as Brecht believed that this caused a sensation of complacency. Instead, Brecht wanted his audiences to watch with a critical perspective, recognising how the issues within the play corresponded to those in the outside world. In consuming dialectical theatre, Brecht hoped to inspire and empower the audience to effect changes in the society in which they lived.

Practical Aesthetics combines elements of the Meisner technique and the Stanislavski method, as well as taking inspiration from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Created by the playwright David Mamet and the actor William H. Macy, the method is based on an ability to adapt and develop, script analysis, and exercises in repetition.