Practical Aesthetics
Encyclopedia
Practical Aesthetics is an acting technique originally conceived by David Mamet
and William H. Macy
, based on the teachings of Stanislavsky, Sanford Meisner
, and the Stoic
Philosopher Epictetus
. An in-depth description of the technique may be found in A Practical Handbook for the Actor and also addressed in David Mamet
's True and False
. Practical Aesthetics is taught by the Atlantic Theater Company
's acting school in New York City. The Atlantic Acting School also offers classes in Los Angeles. Other schools offering Practical Aesthetics includes PAA - Practical Aesthetics Australia and ACS - Acting Coach Scotland.
Practical Aesthetics is based in the practice of breaking down a scene using a three step analysis that entails the following:
1) THE LITERAL: The essential and most basic description of what is taking place.
2) THE ESSENTIAL ACTION: An evocative and relevant description of what the actor wants within the scene. It is essential to understand that what the character is doing and what the actor is doing are separate.
3) THE AS IF: The "as if" relates the "essential action" to the actors own life. for example: ESSENTIAL ACTION: To retrieve what is rightfully mine. AS IF: it's as if my girlfriend has taken away my favorite album that i was going to give as a gift. I need to retrieve it as it is mine.
This step is a memory device. A spark to involve the actor in the scene. It helps the actor escape the fiction. Find the truth and apply it elsewhere.
This technique is aimed to make the experience of acting entirely based in the will of the actor. It is in response to the more introverted and self-based practices of "The Method"
. The Practical Aesthetic asks an actor only to commit his will to the pursuit of an action based in the other actor.
Famous Practitioners of Practical Aesthetics include: William H Macy, Felicity Huffman, Scott Parker
, Christopher Carley, Jessica Alba, Zosia Mamet, Kristin Johnson, Camryn Mannheim, Clark Gregg and Eddie Cahill.
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
and William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
, based on the teachings of Stanislavsky, Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner , also known as Sandy, was an American actor and acting teacher who developed a form of Method acting that is now known as the Meisner technique....
, and the Stoic
STOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
Philosopher Epictetus
Epictetus
Epictetus was a Greek sage and Stoic philosopher. He was born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia , and lived in Rome until banishment when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece where he lived the rest of his life. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses...
. An in-depth description of the technique may be found in A Practical Handbook for the Actor and also addressed in David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
's True and False
True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor
True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor by David Mamet is an instructional book on acting, and the life and habits of the successful actor...
. Practical Aesthetics is taught by the Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
's acting school in New York City. The Atlantic Acting School also offers classes in Los Angeles. Other schools offering Practical Aesthetics includes PAA - Practical Aesthetics Australia and ACS - Acting Coach Scotland.
Practical Aesthetics is based in the practice of breaking down a scene using a three step analysis that entails the following:
1) THE LITERAL: The essential and most basic description of what is taking place.
2) THE ESSENTIAL ACTION: An evocative and relevant description of what the actor wants within the scene. It is essential to understand that what the character is doing and what the actor is doing are separate.
3) THE AS IF: The "as if" relates the "essential action" to the actors own life. for example: ESSENTIAL ACTION: To retrieve what is rightfully mine. AS IF: it's as if my girlfriend has taken away my favorite album that i was going to give as a gift. I need to retrieve it as it is mine.
This step is a memory device. A spark to involve the actor in the scene. It helps the actor escape the fiction. Find the truth and apply it elsewhere.
This technique is aimed to make the experience of acting entirely based in the will of the actor. It is in response to the more introverted and self-based practices of "The Method"
Method acting
Method acting is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances...
. The Practical Aesthetic asks an actor only to commit his will to the pursuit of an action based in the other actor.
Famous Practitioners of Practical Aesthetics include: William H Macy, Felicity Huffman, Scott Parker
Scott Parker (actor)
W. Scott Parker III is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. Parker's film career has been built mostly on his appearances in independent films. He has worked with directors Tim Hall, George Clooney , and Rick Bieber...
, Christopher Carley, Jessica Alba, Zosia Mamet, Kristin Johnson, Camryn Mannheim, Clark Gregg and Eddie Cahill.
See also
- GOTEGOTEGOTE, which stands for "Goal, Obstacle, Tactics, and Expectation", is an acronym devised by Robert Cohen to remind actors of four basic elements to consider while preparing a character for the theater....
: This acronym (Goal, Obstacle, Tactics and Expectation) was devised by Robert CohenRobert Cohen (acting theorist)Robert Cohen is an American university professor, theatre director, playwright, and drama critic. He has written many books on theatre, two dramatic anthologies and many plays, among other works. Cohen has conducted advanced teaching residencies in numerous countries and much of the United States...
to remind his students of his acting "method" - a method often linked with practical aesthetics.