Welcome

Some of you are back for the second, third, fourth year, or more. Some of you for the first time. No matter how
long you’ve been here, there are two things I could bet you are looking for from this program:

1. The opportunity to perform alongside other people who will work as hard as you do on creating theatre
2. Transformation.

The first is pretty obvious, and judging by how the year started already, this is going to be a significant year, with
more performance opportunities than our program has ever had. The second is a bit harder to quantify. But I am
pretty confident that whether you are experienced, or a total novice, in some way you are seeking to be
changed, to become something different. Better maybe… play characters… experience life differently than you
have.

It’s important to note now, that if you want change and growth, you have to first accept that what you now
consider normal is, if you are changing, not going to feel normal anymore. There will be more on this as we
proceed, but for now, please consider that this just may be a course in accelerated discomfort. And discomfort is
ok. We will find our way through it.

Time Management
Hey… we get it. You are the among the most committed, talented humans in the city. That is why you are here.
You succeed on a regular basis, and in your insatiable thirst for experience, you are always getting into new and
exciting things to do. You’re busy. We want to help you with that.

Our intention is that you take this planner and use it to plan. Your weeks, your rehearsals, your progress, your
goals – its up to you to make things happen, especially if you are moving into one of the most difficult careers on
the planet. Be the person who has their stuff together and is always ready to go, and you will find people call
you more often.

We know you have to a certain number of things with it in order to get through school, contribute to home, and
still have time to spend on homework and whatnot, yet you still find the time, to perform, to rehearse, to find
your awesome and bring it to your work in class. It is your time. Nobody else’s. And you can choose how to
spend it. But studies have shown that when you take the time to envision how the day will function, your ability
to manage the day gets easier and the time you spend is more valuable. This planner can help you focus your
rehearsal days and keep you on track.
SMART Goals

Using time wisely also means getting the most of every minute we spend in rehearsal. To help you make more of
your time in our classes and rehearsals, take the time to make SMART goals for each rehearsal, class, and
performance. There are several definitions for smart goals, but I have found these to be the best for setting
goals for your rehearsals and classes:

STRATEGIC Your goal is designed to move you, your scene, and/or the ensemble forward.
MOTIVATING Your objectives for this rehearsal excite you.
ACTIONABLE You know exactly what to do in order to get where you are
going, even if that means asking questions.
RELEVANT What you most want to get out of the rehearsal should also be what the rehearsal process needs
most from you, that day.
TRACKABLE How will you know when you have achieved your goal? What will that look like. The more
specifically you can answer this, the greater your chances of success

Let’s say you have been cast as a TWIG in the cast of Wood Burning Fire 2: The Ember-fire Strikes Black. It’s
halfway through the rehearsal period and you are feeling really good about your work, but it’s not getting the
praise and feedback you are looking for. You set a goal:

GOAL: To get my director to give me positive feedback on the choices I are making.

STRATEGIC How will getting positive feedback move me forward? Maybe it would offer confirmation for my
work? A sense that I was doing things right?
MOTIVATING I know that I would feel good if my director told me I was doing a good job
ACTIONABLE I’m not clear exactly what my director is looking for from me, but I will ask and then try things
out
RELEVANT Is it important to the rest of the production and the rest of the cast that I get the feedback I am
looking for?
TRACKABLE Pretty clearly, I will know that I have achieved my goal when the director tells me something
positive

REMEMBER: If you cannot clearly answer the questions that make this a
SMART goal, your goal may need tweaking. Some goals are simply more
achievable than others.

REVISED GOALS:

To feel proud of the work I am doing.

To surprise myself with fresh and inspired choices
Uta Hagen - Respect for Acting
Andy Toth

On Acting Style:

One of the people whose training I closely followed when I was studying in NYC was Uta Hagen. Her writing was very
accessible, and she was very committed to her students.
In her book Respect for Acting, Uta suggested there are two kinds of actor: The presentational actor and the
representational actor. The representational actor imitates a characters behavior. They think of their physicality at all times,
they try to make the faces their character would make; they try to act like them, kind of like impersonation.
The presentational actor focuses less on how they are coming across, and believes that they will portray their character
correctly when they can find their character in themselves. Although it’s pretty clear that no single character consists of one
type or the other, it’s this second, more grounded and more truthful perspective that connects best with today’s modern
audience.
In life, we assign ourselves many adjectives. (I am talkative, ambitious, some might say intimidating... ) We assign our friends
many adjectives (She is quiet, sarcastic, and intelligent). Simple as it is to come up with these labels, we do these to our
characters, as well. This is wrong. This judgemental perspective automatically defines the character as something else,
something outside of who and what we are.

Uta suggests that actors, must develop a present, palpable sense of identity. Sure in some situations, I might be talkative,
but if you place me in a room full of cold strangers, I am not. And because we don’t control everything within the context of
the theatre, our greatest chance at inspiration comes from being fully grounded in who and what we are as actors AND as
characters at the same time.

On the 9 Questions:

Uta offers 9 questions that, when answered fully, give actors a terrific ground for a truthful, connected performance.

1. Who am I? (Character)
2. What time is it? (Context, year, day)
3. Where am I? (Country, neighborhood, room, etc.)
4. What surrounds me? (Animate and inanimate)
5. What are the given circumstances? (Past, present, future and events)
6. What is my relationship? (To objects, characters, and events)
7. What do I want? (Character’s immediate and superobjectives)
8. What’s in my way? (Obstacles to objectives)
9. What do I do to get what I want? (Actions, words)

What does “when answered fully mean”? Sorta simple: Answer the question until all possible answers are written down.
The more in depth you go, the richer the character. The more precise you are, the more solid your performance can be.
These 9 questions are as simple and useless as you say they are, and they are as powerful and enriching as you could ever
need them to be.

Uta Hagen (12 June 1919 – 14 January 2004) was an American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of
Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (who called her "a profoundly
truthful actress").
Robert Cohen – Acting One – The GOTE Method
Contemporary Acting scholar and theorist Robert Cohen in his textbook Acting One outlines a simple structure for readying
your characters for action in your scenes. His GOTE method, briefly stated, is as follows:

G oal refers to what a character desires—what drives their actions. Goals often involve specific details (e.g. "I
want to create peace in the West Bank") but the strong verb (in this case "to create") is the crucial part of
the goal because it impels actor and character to action. Beginners may use the verbs "to be," "to get," or a
verb in the negative form. These choices often muddy the acting. Teachers differ on using goals that attempt to
evoke specific emotions from other characters (e.g. "I want to make him cry.") Such phrasings may put one's scene
partner in a difficult position. At the same time characters do not always succeed and this may mitigate problems
while this usage may help create emotional vitality. Teachers also differ on using physically oriented goals. Some
find them petty while others find they help actors act more convincingly by lending a sense of physical truth in
addition to mental/willful truth.

O bstacle refers to what stops the character from achieving their goal. Drama needs (both in terms of
practice and the need for interest) conflicts, which arise not only from the goals but from fighting against
obstacles to achieve those goals. Obstacles will often define the possible range of tactics (see T), help an
actor define emotions, help integrate new information, clarify the drama and plot and many other vital elements.
The obstacle, however, should not be "played." In other words the actors should pursue their goals, rather than
looking whiny about their obstacle. Note: O can also stand for "Other" in which case it refers to the other
characters in the scene. Ideally, actors see other people in the play as the object of goals or tactics for good
interplay.

T actics refers to the methods used to achieve goals. Tactics can range from totally threatening to wholly
inducing, and usually actors should use a wide variety to create believable interactions. If an actor has, for
instance, the goal "to threaten" then various tactics might be used to threaten. One might threaten the
character, the character's family, livelihood, etc. If none of these tactics work the actor may try more inducing
tactics (in this case maybe implicit threats) or change their goal altogether to something more likely to achieve their
expectation (see E). If an actor follows Cohen completely, they find they should justify every word and gesture as a
tactic. Usually tactics color different attempts at the goal, but occasionally they themselves are verbs and are like
small, short goals. The difference between tactics and goals may become mainly a question of the length.

E xpectation refers to one's expectation of succeeding in achieving goals. If one did not expect to achieve one's
goals then one would not pursue them. Ultimately the script may have the character fail but the actor should
always act as if they believe they can succeed. Expectation can also involve the character's journey. In this
case goals cover anywhere from a "beat" to a scene. They become smaller units moving toward the expectation
and goal and expectation usually become related as a when/then statement (e.g. "when I convince (goal with a
strong verb) him (the other) of my plan then I can take over the company and be rich (expectation.)" The actor
using this fictional GOTE should also find various tactics, or ways of "convincing."

Any or all of these aspects can shift at any time during and there should probably be at the very least one goal per scene.
Many actors like to also use an overall character goal (or expectation) for the play or even for the character's life in addition
to getting a handle on smaller "beats" with a GOTE.
Once you have your GOTE set for your scene, the next step is to choose the verbs that make up your subtext – the unspoken
truths that drive your character’s words and actions.
The Ultimate List of Acting Verbs (Tactics)
from “Playing: An Introduction to Acting” by Paul Kuritz, Prentice-
Hall. 1982

A B cheer
chide
abase baby
clarify
abet badger
cloak
abolish baffle
coax
absolve bait
coddle
abuse bear
coerce
accept beckon
collude
acquaint befuddle
command
acquit beg
commend
addle beguile
con
address belittle
conceal
admonish berate
concern
affirm beseech
conciliate
afflict bewitch
condemn
affront bid
condescend
aid blame
confide
ail bless
confirm
alarm bluff
confound
alert boost
confuse
allow brainwash
consider
allure bribe
consign
amaze buck
contest
amend bushwhack
convince
amuse
correct
anger C corroborate
antagonize
cajole court
anticipate
calculate cover
ape appeal
call criticize
approach
catch crucify
arouse
caution crush
arrange
censure curse
assess
challenge
assist
astound
charge D
charm
attack damn
chastise
authenticate dare
cheat
deceive
check
declaim
deduce enlighten humour
defame enmesh hurt
defraud ensnare hush
defy entangle hypnotize
delight entertain
delude entice I
demean entrap
imitate
denigrate entreat
impair
deny entrust
implicate
detect eradicate
indict
deter eschew
indoctrinate
devastate estimate
induce
dictate evade
indulge
direct evaluate
insinuate
disconcert excuse
inspire
discourage execute
insult
discredit exploit
interview
disencumber
intrigue
disgrace F invite
disgust
facilitate
dishearten
dispirit
feed J
force
displease judge
frame
dissuade
free
distress
frighten
L
divert lambast
frustrate
divine lampoon
fuddle
dodge lead
dominate lecture
dramatize
G
libel
draw gag
liberate
duck gauge
lure
gladden
goad
E M
graf
ease magnetize
gull
educate malign
elevate maneuver
elicit
H
manipulate
elucidate hallow
marshall
embroil harangue
mask
enchant hassle
mend
endear help
mimic
endure henpeck
mislead
enflame hoodwink
misuse
engross humble
mobilize
enkindle humiliate
mortify
motivate propel scold
muffle propose scrutinize
muster propound sedate
mystify prosecute seduce
provoke settle
N purge shake
purify shame
nag
pursue shroud
nauseate
shun
negotiate
notify Q sicken
simplify
nullify quash
slander
quench
slur
O query
smother
obliterate snare
offend R sober
oppose rack somber
organize rally soothe
orient ratify spellbind
orientate ravage spoil
overlook rave spur
read spurn
P rebuke squash
recreate squelch
panic
rectify startle
parrot
reiterate still
patronize
reject stir
perform
rejoin stretch
perplex
release strike
persecute
relegate strip
peruse
remedy study
placate
renege stymie
plan
repel substantiate
please
reprehend suffer
pledge
repress suggest
pontificate
reprimand summon
pose
repulse supplicate
pray
resist support
preoccupy
retract suppress
press
revolt surprise
prevail
ridicule swindle
prick
prod
promise S T
promote sanctify tantalize
prompt satisfy tarnish
propagandize scheme tease
tempt
terrify
thwart
tickle
titillate
tolerate
torment
torture
trammel
trick
trouble
tyrannize

U
unburden
understand
uproot
urge

V
validate
verify
victimize
vilify
vindicate

W
warn
wheedle
woo
worry
worship
wrangle