Acting - Rise of Acting Techniques

A popular Italian comedy, "Troupes of the commediaDiderot, an 18th century French encyclopedist, became
dell'arte was very popular throughout Europe in thefascinated with Garrick who was on tour in Paris. The
early 1600s. They would work on makeshift stagesactor feeling less emotion is what Diderot believed
and without scripts. These companies, which includedcould achieve a more consistent and stronger
women actor's spread a new wave between theperformance.Diderot's essay "Le paradoxe sur le
actor's and audiences. Actor's improvised their owncomedien" (1773; translated as "The Paradox of the
words and comic actions using a basic plot andActor, "1883), compared to famous rivals who
character types, which created theatrical creativity andperformed at the Comedie Francaise, Marie-Francoise
would capture the interest of the audience as a wholeDumesnil and Hippolyte Clairon.Dumesnil believed it was
group. This was so unlike the opera or literary theater,an actor's responsibility to become the character and
where the emphasis from the audience concentratedrepresented the so-called emotional school. She was
on a playwright's speeches or individual. Scenicvery uneven as an actor and normally coasted
displays and literary concepts were not common, thusthrough a performance until a tragic point was
inspiring the art of acting.Theatergoers in England byreached. She had emotional depth and tremendous
the beginning of the 17th century learned how topower. She made claims she new the secrets of
distinguish Hamlet by actor-manager, Thomasgreat acting. To find out who she was as a character,
Betterton. This was accomplished by other productionswhere she was and what she had done, Dumesnil
of Shakespeare's plays. Using different staging ofwould use prayer. Alcohol stimulation was
familiar and classical plays sharpened spectator'sunfortunately a big part of her inspiration.Clarion claimed
senses. Good acoustics were designed into theatershe created her characters through movement and
halls to help performers to be heard differently and tospeech and not from becoming them or playing them.
have more subtle and natural reflections. Visual detailsBy rehearsing endlessly and perfecting the "look of
of a performance were easily perceived and critiquedemotions, she was able to develop a natural and
with the introduction of indoor stage lighting. Individualreliable character. She believed audiences applauded
actor's faces and hands were then displayed by thethe actor, not the characters.By these two actors'
indoor stage lighting.Charles Macklin and his studentcomparison's, Diderot uncovered polarities of inspiration
David Garrick became one of the first modern actorsand technique.Problems of inspiration and
on the British stage in the 18th century. Commedia-likeexpressiveness were not solved for other actors,
farces and pantomime was Charles Macklin'showever. For example, any schools or treatises that
background and why he was hired, based hiswere left behind seemed to be more philosophical than
character Shylock (a Jewish businessman intechnical. Actually with Garrick's natural school of
Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice") on Jews inacting disappeared after his death. It was more of a
London. Lifelike details of movement and speech werefad with British audiences that was associated with
added to written text. These details might not havethe actor. Basically, Garrick and the rest couldn't teach
been noticed 50 years earlier if not for the stagetheir techniques.In the 19th century emotional and
lighting, acoustic changes and other technologies.Underanti-emotional acting styles of the great actors ran in
better lighting conditions and more plausibility, Davidcycles. Actor's of one generation championed the first
Garrick continued natural acting. Mimicry was broughttechnique and then was replaced by a younger actor
to the stage through Garrick's practices of imitatingwho championed a different technique, which
facial expressions of actual people. In his performancehappened in every country. The romantic and emotive
of Shakespeare's King Lear, Garrick used a crazedEdmund Kean followed Sarah Siddons, who followed
neighbor to reenact the accidental killing of his infantGarrick and so on.The limelight gave way to the rise of
daughter. Garrick never dropped his character during agas lighting and then on to electricity. More and more
performance and he would listen and react inphysical detail appeared on stage and costumes and
character to all the dialogue around him. Because ofscenic displays grew in complexity and size, which
this, he was very popular with theatergoers.Denisdwarfed the actor.