Acting with Adverbs

Today in my regular Monday night Monologue class, we were discussing the notion of quality of tactic.  Sometimes when your monologue seems to be flat or all in one colour, changing the quality will make a big difference. When I’m directing, I like to work with qualities (that is if I need lines) or part of a chunk of a scene (you can call it a unit if you like, I prefer chunk) delivered in a different way. I offer the actor some adverbs, some descriptive qualities to try their choice of tactic.

Thanks to Ian Watt for pointing out the hard/soft or light/dark qualities that some actors need to get out of a rut. Rather than thinking in intangible forms like soft and hard, or light and dark, I offer these very tangible adverb qualities to use instead:

Acting with Adverbs/Qualities:

Suggestively 

Gently

Boldly 

Mischievously

Hesitantly 

Sincerely 

Confidently

Eagerly 

Scornfully 

Disgustedly 

Carefully

Shamefully 

Casually 

There are many more, please choose carefully as some move you too powerfully towards playing a state.