Style for Actors

Ch.10. Personal Style

We use groups to define ourselves, but we are not just joiners of groups. Those who are forces to be reckoned with are more than their memberships. Those who possess, master, transcend, create or influence style, find a personal signature to autograph the world. Group style is shared. Characterization gives distinct inner life. But personal style is how you leave your mark.

An actor's challenge is to define their own style. Personal style will suit some periods and genres better than others, just as it suits some people and places better than others. To understand others, one must first know oneself. If you have experienced difficulty becoming Greek, Elizabethan or Molièrian, it may be that you are not clear about your own style habits. Look at your world-entering choices. Having studied style, has new information influenced how you see yourself? Remember that some of the most interesting style characteristics are those that fall short of perfection.

Resources

Style Signals

I have students fill out these analyses of the impressions they leave in the first week of the term and turn them in. Then someone reads the answers out loud for one or two actors at the beginning of class when we are doing announcements, and the class tries to guess who it is. If they do not guess easily, it is clear that the actor may not have an accurate perception of his own signals.

Download Style Signals

Quiz

Abstract Sheets

I assign these sheets for two actors at a time, deliberately selecting two whose styles are dissimilar in order to assist class members in making sharp distinctions between individuals. The more dissimilar the two classmates the better. A set is due each week and at the end of the term, a classmate is assigned to analyze the responses for each actor.

Download Abstract Sheets

Midterm Check-in

These self-analysis forms are a way for students to assess their progress halfway through. If you are too busy to actually have individual midterm conferences, they can serve as a reasonable substitute. If you do schedule meetings, these can be an effective set-up and way to start the conversation.

Download Midterm Check-in