Reconsidering Acting: a few improvised and provisory thoughts on acting today

Abstract

-Reconsidering Acting: a few improvised and provisory thoughts on acting today -This paper summarizes my thoughts during the presentation of the conference Acting reconsidered. The study of the actor in contemporary performances should be reevaluated in the light of the experiments of the last fifty years, particularly performance art, post-dramatic theatre, participative theatre and many political theatre. The new tasks and conceptions of the actor are introduced. Stanislavki's notion of psychological realism is questioned. The suggestion of de-dramatizing, delocalizing, de-training the actor might help the actor to orient oneself in the world. Keywords: Acting. Staging. Actor's Training. Post-dramatic. Theatre. RÉSUMÉ -Revoir le Jeu de l'Acteur: quelques remarques improvisées et provisoires sur le jeu de l'acteur aujourd'hui -Cet article résume mes idées présentées pendant la conférence intitulée Acting Reconsidered. L'étude de l'acteur dans les spectacles contemporains devrait être réévaluée à la lumière des expériences de ces cinquante dernières années, notamment le perfomance art, le théâtre postdramatique et les expériences du théâtre de participation et des nouvelles formes de théâtre politique. Il s'agit de présenter les tâches et les conceptions nouvelles de l'acteur. En particulier, d'aller au-delà de la conception du réalisme psychologique d'inspiration stanislavskienne. On propose donc de dédramatiser l'acteur, de le délocaliser, de le vider plus que de l'emplir, de le dés-entraîner, bref d'aider le spectateur à mieux s'orienter dans le monde. Mots-clés: Interprétation. Mise en Scène. Entraînement de l'Acteur. Postdramatique. Théâtre.RESUMO -Para Repensar o Trabalho do Ator: algumas considerações improvisadas e provisórias sobre a atuação hoje -Este artigo retoma algumas ideias apresentadas durante a conferência Acting Reconsidered. O estudo do ator em performances contemporâneas deveria ser reavaliado à luz de experiências dos últimos cinquenta anos, particularmente a arte da performance, o teatro pós-dramático, o teatro interativo e muitos teatros políticos. Apresentam-se novas tarefas e concepções de ator. Questiona-se a noção de realismo psicológico de Stanislavski. A sugestão de desdramatizar, deslocalizar, destreinar o ator pode ajudá-lo a orientar-se no mundo. Palavras-chave: Atuação. Encenação. Treinamento do Ator. Pós-dramático. Teatro. P a t r i c e P a v i s -R e c o n s i d e r i n g A c t i n g : a f e w i m p r o v i s e d a n d p r o v i s o r y t h o u g h t s o n a c t i n g t o d a y Rev. Bras. Estud. Presença, Porto Alegre, v. 6, n. 1, p. 173-182, Jan./Apr. 2016. A v a i l a b l e a t : < h t t p : / / w w w . s e e r . u f r g s . b r / p r e s e n c a > 174 E-ISSN 2237-2660One cannot speak in general about acting or about the actor 1 . My sole aim here is to provide an overview of current issues, with only a few hints at new fields of research. Has the identity and the function of the actor changed recently, and how? What are the main factors of change? What should we st...