Acting in Real Time

Introduction: Human Behavior Is the Core Business of Theater

Introduction: Human Behavior Is the Core Business of Theater Two acting styles and techniques dominated Western theater in the twentieth century. At the beginning of the century, the Russian actordirector Konstantin Stanislavski1 developed the convention of psychological realism (also referred to as naturalism, realism, or naturalistic realism2 ) based on the idea that actors,3 by accessing their own emotions, transform themselves into the characters they play: the actor identi‹es with his character by living through him. By applying the elements of the identi‹cation technique, the actor becomes the character he plays to create a psychologically based, truthful reality on the stage. In the 1930s, German playwright and director Bertolt Brecht4 developed the convention of the epic theater and the technique of the alienation effect, based on the idea that actors should approach their tasks in quite the opposite way: by keeping a distance from the character he plays, by looking at him in the same way the artist studies his model. Through imitation of social examples, using technical and physical skills, the actor gives shape to reality in a stylized form. By applying the elements of the alienation technique, the actor demonstrates the character he plays, instead of becoming him, and creates a no less truthful, purely theatrical reality. Theater is about human behavior, and human behavior was the main concern of both of these giants of the theater, but from different points of view. Stanislavski wanted to show the inner life of the characters in a play, their thoughts and feelings, and the motives for their actions. Brecht wanted to show how human behavior is in›uenced and sometimes even dictated by social and political circumstances. Stanislavski wanted to involve an audience emotionally, Brecht intellectually. Brecht did not originally conceive his epic theater in response to Stanislavski’s psychological realism, but it is often considered an alternative to realism. Although the two acting conventions are in many respects diametrically opposed, they have more in common than is generally assumed. The fact is that the theater communities in most Western countries have accepted Stanislavski’s psychological realism, which remains the most practiced theater and acting convention, whereas Brecht’s epic theater, since its inception, has been controversial and often misunderstood. The 1960s and 1970s brought a new wave of ideas, challenging the existing conventions in the arts in Western culture. Theater concepts were changing, particularly in English-speaking countries, but also in Holland, where I lived and worked. Through experimentation, new ideas were emerging, especially outside the world of traditional theaters with their tested production techniques. Some of these ideas crystallized into new ways and methods of acting. Real-time acting, as one of them, is the subject of this book. The Measures Taken When I began as a director, acting teacher, and playwright in 1971, I wanted to understand what “epic” theater and acting is, and more importantly , how one does it. I chose to work on one of Bertolt Brecht’s most controversial plays, The Measures Taken,5 with a small group of directing students at the Amsterdam Theater School. Composer Louis Andriessen wrote new music, replacing the original score by Hanns Eisler.6 I chose this play because in Brecht’s own assessment it was a prototype of epic theater. In the assessment of some critics, it is the only true communist tragedy ever written. Yet still others think the play is about blind obedience to a rigid Communist Party. The Measures Taken tells the story of a group of Communist Agitators who penetrate into China in order to “bring the revolution.” Their guide is a Young Comrade “whose heart beats for the revolution,” but who is so passionate about the cause of social justice that he makes a se2 ACTING IN REAL TIME ries of strategic and tactical blunders that threaten to jeopardize the entire secret undertaking. In vain the Agitators try to rein him in, so that when the Young Comrade wants to proclaim the revolution, they are forced to seize and kill him, throwing his body into a lime pit so that it will burn and all traces of him will be wiped out. In a heartbreaking scene, the Agitators, who have been patient with him but now see that their mission is imperiled, ask him if he agrees with this ultimate “measure .” The Young Comrade admits his fault and bows his head, preparing to be shot. But this is...