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COMMUNITY COLLEGE 
Perfonnina Arts Deoartment 

Fundamentals of Acting II 
Tinamarie Ivey 

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Class location: SSH-213 

Voice Mail: 541-917-4881 Cell: 707~601-1656 
E-mail iveyt@linnbenton.edu

Class Time: T, R 12:30-1 :50 
Office location: T -249 
Office Hrs: T, R 11:00am-12:00pm 

"Deep, deep within ourselves, within the treasure house of our souls are buried 
tremendous creative powers and abilities, but they remain unused as long as we do 
	not know about them or as long as we deny them. " 	'" Michael Chekhov 

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

This course is designed to move young actors beyond the immediate understanding of "voice, body and 
imagination," into exciting techniques to use these skill to create characters both similar and dissimilar to 
themselves. The concepts of Konstantine Stanislavski and two of his most influential followers Stella Adler 
and Michael Chekhov will be the basis for this work. 

THEATRICAL COLLABORATION 

In conjunction with the individual goals of each actor, this course is designed to demonstrate the vitality of 
theatre as a collaborative effort in which artists create in within a group. The overwhelming responsibility of 
each member of this class is to create a safe environment in which each actor can explore his or her own 
vocal concerns. This requires active participation, which involves concentration in group work and total 
attention on the subject of individual work. Much of the learning that will take place will be by observing 
your colleagues in action. 

OBJECTIVES 

Students will become highly aware of their voices, bodies and imaginations as they approach both 
improvisational and textually based work. 

•	Develop a sensory awareness of the world around them. Develop a keen awareness of their bodies and 
voice within the world around them. Experience acting styles from several different, well known 
approaches. 
•	Work with actions and physicality to approach emotion - not vice versa 
•	Analyze texts for circumstances and aspects of character in preparation for creating a role. 

TEXTS 
The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods 
By Richard Brestoff 
SPECIAL Notes 
Students are expected to be on time and ready to work. Recognizing that feedback and receiving 
critiques is a skill worth CUltivating, this class will provide a basis for such an exchange in a positive and 
supportive manner. I view my classroom as a "sanctuary" where students feel free to learn, explore and 
experience without fear of judgment. All members of the class will work towards creating an 
environment that is celebratory of each other's work. 
•	Please wear loose, comfortable clothing in which you can move freely. It is vital that we have access 
to your physical instrument: Please keep long hair back and out of the face, remove all hats and/or 
dangling jewelry. 
•	Please plan to work without shoes - socks or ballet slippers are okay. 
•	Water may be brought into the class in closed containers -- indeed water is recommended. No other 
food or drinks are allowed in the classroom. 
COURSEREQ~S 
1. Regular class attendance: 
Participation is the one overriding requirement of this course. As in any collaborative theater work, 
missing or tardy participants are highly disruptive. To accomplish the goals of this course, poor 
attendance and excessive tardiness will be cause for lowering participation points. But more than 
simply being in class, participation requires being part of the spirit of the class. As an actor, it is your 
job to behave in certain ways in certain experiences. In this case, your job is to behave as if you were an 
eager young performer, really desiring to improve vocal and speech quality -- whether this is ultimately 
the truth of your position or not. This is Stanislavski's MAGIC IF -- acting is behaving "as if .... " You 
will find that by behaving "as if' the work is vital to you, it will actually transform your vocal abilities in 
ways you might not have expected possible. 
2. Theater games and acting exercises: 
Most of the class time will be used to develop skills through theatre games, pantomime, and 
improvisation. 
3. Reading/Response Logs (10): 
The written responses to the book chapters as assigned. It is very important to keep up with the reading 
because course work will directly support the material covered. One-page (no more than 1 " margins, 
otherwise paper will not receive full credit), typed responses are required; late or emailed logs are not 
accepted. The text for this course is quite compact and therefore will not be difficult to complete the 
weekly reading. 
If for some reason you are absent when a log is due or assigned you will be responsible for contacting 
me via email for assignment information and only then can you email an assignment BUT you must 
bring a hard copy when you return to class so I can log and grade. 

4. Monologue and Scene: Fully memorized. Includes written character assessment. 
Rehearsal time will be given during class. Students are encouraged to schedule rehearsal time outside 
of class. 
Materials Needed: 
•	Text 
•	Three Ring Binder: All course materials including logs, and character assessments are to be in 
the binder at close of quarter and turned in as a component to the final grade. 
•	Pencils=-no pens, as an actor you will soon see the significance of this requirement. 
•	Highlighter 
Assessment Procedures 
Written and oral assignments including performance, attendance, reading/class discussion and projects. 
Students will receive a number score. 
Graded Assignments: 
1.	Participation of open content-less scenes and exercises. 300 pts 
2.	Reading Logs(lO): 1 page 'response' to chapter s (20pts ea) 200 pts 
3.	Monologue Preparation and Performance (Mid-Term) 250 pts 
Character Analysis 125pts, Performance/Memorization 125pts 
	4.	Scene Preparation and Performance (Final) 	250 pts 
Character Analysis 12Spts, Performance/Memorization 125pts 
Total Points 1000 
Grading scale 
There are 1000 pts possible throughout the course. Percentages and correlating letter grades are as 
	follows: 	A= 900-1000 B=800-899 C=700-799 D=600-699 F=599 or below 

Participation & Work Ethic 
Participation and work ethic points are earned by being an active contributor and an active listener. I will 
assess your participation and understanding in part by observing you individually and in groups. 
Students who have emergency medical information the instructor should know of, or who 
might need special arrangements in the event of an evacuation, or students with 
documented disabilities who have special needs, should make an appointment with the 
instructor no later than the first week of the term. If additional assistance is required, 
contact LBCC's Office of Disability Services at 917-4789. 

LBCC Comprehensive Statement of Nondiscrimination 
LBCC prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, use of native language, 
national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, age, or any other status 
protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. (For further information 
http://po.1innbenton.eduJBPsandARs/ ) 
Student Decorum Statement: Because college coursework and professional correspondence require 
focused study and open exchange of ideas, the Theater Department expects the classroom to be a place 
of courteous interaction, a forum for demonstrating mutual respect between teachers and students. 
Professional communication requires all of us to listen carefully to each other (whether we agree or not) 
and to state our positions with clarity and our disagreements with tact. Standards for academic courtesy 
apply to group work, on-line interaction, and student-teacher conferences as well. 
Course Policies: 
o	Email: DO NOT email assignments. I am available to you via email and during office hours. Send 
all correspondence to iveyt@lilmbenton.edu. Please do not submit assignments within Moodle. 
When you email.It is very important that you include your name, Acting and the topic of the 
message in the subject line. If you leave the subject line blank, your message may be recognized as 
spam and deleted! This information will also help me identify the nature of your request and reply 
more quickly. / will work to respond to emails within one to two BUS/NESS days (business days 
excludes the weekends), so plan accordinglv. 
o	Assignment Submission: All report drafts must follow work-place conventions and standards of 
professionalism. Please type all submissions and proofread carefully. 
o	Attendance: Please attend regularly to receive full participation credit. If you are absent due to 
illness or a verifiable emergency, you must contact me within 24 hours to make further 
arrangements. Those who miss more than four class periods in a twice a week class risk failing the 
course. 
o	Late Work: Our classroom standards reflect workplace standards; a due date is a deadline and you 
don't miss deadlines without informing your supervisor of your progress on the report in advance. If 
you feel circumstances are working against you, you may make arrangements for an extension 
PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE. It is entirely up to the instructor whether or not the assignment can 
be turned in late. 
All incomplete or late first versions will result in a deduction from the final report score. Late 
work will lose 10 automatically and may suffer additional penalties if incomplete. If any late 
assignments are turned in after Friday of Week 9, I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to read them for 
a grade before the end of the term. Please keep a copy of every paper you submit. 
o Plagiarism: Do your own work! Using someone else's work as your own or using information or 
ideas without proper citations can lead to your failing the assignment or the class. 

An Outline of the Stanislavski System 
1 . Relaxation. Learning to relax the muscles and eliminate physical tension while performing. 
2. Concentration. Learning to think like an actor and to respond to one's own imagination .. 
3 . Work with the senses. Discovering the sensory base of the work: learning to memorize and recall 
sensations, often called "sense memory" and lor "affective memory"; learning to work froma small 
sensation and expand it, a technique Stanislavski called "spheres of attention". 
4. Sense of truth. Learning to tell the difference between the organic and the artificiaL Stanislavski 
believed that there were natural laws of acting, which were to be obeyed. 
5. Given Circumstances. Developing the ability to use previous four skills to create the world of the play 
(the circumstances given in the text) through true and organic means. 
6. Contact and communication. Developing the ability to interact with other performers spontaneously, 
and with an audience, without violating the play's world. 
7. Units and objectives. Learning to divide the role into sensible units that can be worked on individually, 
and developing the ability to define each unit of the role by an active goal desired by the character rather 
than as an entirely literary idea 
8. Logic and believability. Discovering how to be certain that the sum of the combined objectives are 
consistent and coherent and that they are in line with the playas a whole. 
9. Work with the text .. Developing the ability to uncover the social, political, and artistic meaning of the 
text, and seeing that these ideas are contained within the performance. 
10. The creative state of mind An automatic culmination of all the previous steps. 

Konstantin Stanislavski (1863- 1938) As founder of the first acting "System", co- 
founder of the Moscow Art Theatre (1897-), and an eminent practitioner of the 
naturalist school of thought, Konstantin Stanislavski unequivocally challenged 
traditional notions of the dramatic process, establishing himself as one of the most 
pioneering thinkers in modem theatre. Stanislavski coined phrases such as "stage 
direction", laid the foundations of modem opera and gave instant renown to the 
works of such talented writers and playwrights as Maksim Gorki and Anton 
Chekhov. His process of character development, the "Stanislavski Method", was 
the catalyst for method acting- arguably the most influential acting system on the 
modem stage and screen. Such renowned schools of acting and directing as the 
Group Theatre (1931- 1941) and The Actors Studio (1947-) are a legacy of 
Stanislavski's ni 	. vision. 

ENERGY 
For an actor to have any effect on the audience the first prerequisite is that this actor 
be alive. This is a simple fact, a dead actor has absolutely no effect. What makes an 
actor alive? The first part of being alive is to really be alive, to have life within. If 
one were to compare a living body to a dead body one would become immediately 
aware of one thing. The living body is animated. Implicit in movement is a kind of 
life. Within the living body there appears to be a vital force which is clearly absent 
from the dead body. Nothing is effective without energy. Real energy is inexhaustible. 
Energy generates more energy. Everything radiant is energized. Energy is full oflife. 
Energy supports life. Energy moves life. Raw energy is formless. Energy that is given 
form is creative. The human body is a conduit for energy. 
FORM 
The body as a form brings form to impulses. Only through form can we or the 
audience understand anything. The form is first imagined and then the form is moved. 
CONCENTRATION 
Conscious movement involves much more than muscles and bones. With proper 
concentration we experience movements so as to reeducate ourselves. We exercise to 
become familiar with the actual movements which are continually surging through us. 
Our normal lives prevent us from recognizing them because of our habit of passing 
experiences by the intellect. Through conscious movement we become aware of clear 
	that lead us 	lives. 

Lenard Petit - 
The Michael 
Chekhov Acting 
Studio, NY: 

SANDY MEISNER'S MESSAGE: 
Always be specific 
Every little moment has a meaning all its own. 
Stay in the moment. 
Live fully - moment to moment - that is reality. 
Listen, observe, listen, really look, listen, concentrate, listen. 
Don't do anything until something happens to make you do it. 
Act before you think - your instincts are more honest than your thoughts. 
There is no such thing as genial charm. 
An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words. 
There is no such thing as nothing. 
Silence can say a lot, it can also cover up a magnitude of sins. 
Don't take anything for granted. 
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STElLA ADlER: 
The impulse to act was a sacred and important one; but she was not dogmatic 
about any singular approach or method. Rather, her "system" centered on 
providing budding actors with the tools, training, and discipline to grow and to 
employ the limitless human imagination in their task of studying and bringing a 
script to life. 
The development of independent actors: "Your talent is in your choice." 
The power of the imagination: Actors' imaginations are the most powerful 
source for them to draw on - an actor must be able to create not just a 
replication of the actual, but a transforming, living experience. Actors are asked 
to use their imagination to locate the fullest range of motivational force, rather 
than depending solely on observation and emotional memory. 
The importance of action. Drama depends on doing, not feeling; feeling is a 
by-product of doing. These actions include the subtle, creative, onstage choices to 
which actors commit. 

"Growth as an actor and 
as a human being are 
synonymous" 
~ Stella Adler