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Concentration One of the most important skills that an actor must possess is that of concentration. An actor must be able to reduce his world to that of the performance. He must live entirely within the space his imagination has created and be out of reach to any unwanted interference. On stage a performer can be subjected all manner of distractions. During a play I recently performed in a member of the audience on the second row decided to remove his training shoes during the leading roles most moving speech. This meant undoing the Velcro fastening on both shoes. This produced a loud noise that was a cross between tearing paper and a loud fart; fortunately the actor didn't miss a beat. Although he confessed afterwards he had teetered on the edge. His concentration got him through. Actors can reel off endless stories of this nature, I myself have had to battle with Coughing, talking, barracking, audience members having heart attacks, fire alarms and school children. That is indoors, performances outside can be even worse, Police cars, ambulances and Fire Engines have all tried to interrupt me, Bats, Birds, dogs, Cathedral bells and drills have also had their moments, then of course there is wind and rain to add to the list. Filming also has is distractions; the camera, sound boom, lights and crew all have to pushed out of the actors mind. One method of maintaining your attention is to use what Stanislavski called "Objects of attention". This method takes away any empty moments during a performance, which are the most dangerous in terms of concentration. During rehearsals make sure your character has an object of attention at all times, this can be a physical move or reaction, or simply the task of listening. The important point, is that at every moment of a performance, you know where and what you should be concentrating on, there are no free moments. This can be particularly useful when filming, you may have to repeat a scene many times for different camera positions, and it is important that your actions and movements stay the same for each take, these objects of attention can help keep your performance consistent. Along with 'Objects of attention' Stanislavski worked with a technique called "Circle of attention". Imagine yourself on a pitch-black stage; suddenly a spot light is turned on which creates a pool of light. Once you enter this light you are isolated, nothing exists outside of it except and empty blackness. In this situation anything that happens within this area will have your full attention. A space has been divided, in this case with light. When performing you must try and create your own mental circle of attention, which will only include the space in which you are performing, everything outside ceases to exist. Of course not all performances allow for this insular approach. A show may require you to acknowledge and connect with your audience. Many plays require speeches to be delivered directly to an audience. In this case an actor needs to engage with them, audiences are always aware of when they are being spoken 'at' rather than spoken 'too'. The actor may also be required to alter a performance to reflect the reactions the audience may give, and audiences can never be relied upon to give the same reaction every time. Here an actor must have a level of concentration, which is more like the concentration a musician requires. You must split your mind into two, part concentrating on the performance, the rest, free to take into account any exterior circumstances that may need to be addressed. This is something we do all the time in our every day lives, driving for instance takes this kind of duel thought. The only way to make it work though, is practice. A way of practicing this skill is to recite your line whilst juggling or doing some other activity that requires a level of independent concentration. One important point that needs to be addressed concerning concentration is the need for the performer to retain a level of relaxation. Concentration should not make you stiff or tense. |
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