Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Exploring the Physical Gesture
Ethel Waters: His Eye Is on the Sparrow
, Photo Courtesy of Florida Studio Theatre;
A Great Big Robot from Outer Space Ate My Homework
by Mark Shira
The psycho-physical technique: the body is the counterpart of the mind
. Whether we are
gently combing our hair or slamming a door, every physical gesture we express
refl ects
our
emotional state. For example, a fi rst-time offender on trial who is trying to appear calm but
nervously taps her pencil reveals the truth of how worried and anxious she is. Whereas the
physical expression of a hardened criminal who methodically taps his pencil, perhaps biding
time as he awaits his expected sentence, reveals a different emotional state. In turn, a fi rst-
time father who is trying to appear calm while nervously tapping his pencil in a hospital
waiting room, is also anxious but in a completely different way. Yet in all instances, the
physical gesture of tapping the pencil is colored by the emotional state of the character. The
great Charlie Chaplin knew and embodied this principle whether he was holding out a
fl ower for his love or stepping out of the way from being run over by a car. Emotion and
physicality are intertwined, for one cannot exist without the other.
Emotion, like a current of electricity, informs every gesture—every movement of the body.
Using what we have learned in “images,” you will now take part in exercises designed to
explore how emotion
infl uences
the body. You will need a chair and a topic.
Acting Technique
Element II: Exploring Physicality
Exercise A—Love
:
Sit in a chair and make yourself comfortable. Hold the topic. Using emo-
tional recall or empathy, select an image of someone you love. Again, think of her specifi -
cally: the color of her hair, the way her lip curves, something she has said to you, and when
