Acting Techniques You Should Know
"Practical Aesthetics is like having a very cool secret weapon as an actor. It is spontaneous and specific at the same time and can offer a terrifying but ultimately exhilarating experience for performance.” ROSE BYRNE (X-MEN)
Practical Aesthetics is a technique derived by Oscar winning writer David Mamet and Emmy winning actor William H Macy. They call it a ‘practical aesthetic on the work of Aristotle.’ But it might also be considered a practical contemporary approach to the Stanislavsky system.
Practical Aesthetics is based in the writing. Unlike Method acting, where the starting point is often the actor themselves, Practical Aesthetics is based in the writing and serving the intention of the writer.
Practical Aesthetics starts from the Greek Stoic philosophers, developing a very healthy mindset. It also has a basis in Aristotle’s Poetics, the basic ‘laws’ of dramatic writing. Furthermore, the philosophy is supported by the work of psychologist William James. From there, it takes influences from Stanislavsky’s Method of Physical Actions and some of Sanford Meisner’s core teachings, mainly his philosophy of acting, which seems to practitioners of Practical Aesthetics to be one of the most practical approaches to contemporary acting.
The basics of Practical Aesthetics, as it is taught by the Atlantic Theater Company’s Acting School, is broken down into Script Analysis, Repetition, and Performance Techniques.
The Script Analysis section, somewhat like Adler’s approach, really helps the actor to understand how the play is made. Then, they see a blueprint for performance. Script Analysis also helps the actor to turn their ideas into action. All elements of Script Analysis are designed to turn thought into action, to make them actable. Actors struggle very much with this, they have ideas, but they cannot make them visible and so they start over-acting.
The technique borrows the Repetition technique from Meisner, although it takes a different path. Repetition is designed to get the actor really listening. But not just to the words. They never change. But to the human subtext occurring under the surface of the words. It also teaches the Practical Aesthetic actor to get out of their head and make spontaneous, instinctive choices.
Finally, there is an element called As-If, related to Stanislavsky’s Magic If, but adopted differently. This helps the actor to find a connection between the action they need to do in the scene and themselves.
Using your imagination, you find a parallel, not to the imaginary circumstances like most acting techniques, but to the psychological action of the character, what they call an Essential Action, like Making a Truce, Bringing Someone Down a Peg, Getting Someone to Rescue You. Finding a connection to that gives the actor a reference point within their own behaviour.
Furthermore, Practical Aesthetics places its attention on the other actor, and the attempt to achieve something concrete from them. This focus on the other, helps self-consciousness to evaporate.
At present, there are relatively few places that you can study Practical Aesthetics. But that number is growing as the no-bullshit, common sense approach begins to appeal to people that do not want the agony of the dominant Methods.
READ: True and False by David Mamet / A Practical Handbook for the Actor, Bruder et al.