Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Storytelling is the ancient art of conveying events in Words Images and Sounds often by Improvisation or embellishment Speech refers to the processes associated with the production and perception of Sounds used in Spoken language. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters

Definition and history

The word acting is derived from the Latin word pretentious meaning "to speak with an accent. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. " However, it literally comes from the verb "to act" which means "take action", this is the central basis of any drama and the essence of an actors job. i. e an actor must act, note this is does not mean pretend it means do, an actor is always doing something, or acting on something, this is where the word actor comes from, as it summarises an actors job. In acting, an actor suppresses or augments aspects of their personality in order to reveal the actions and motivations of the character for particular moments in time. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works The actor is said to be "assuming the role" of another, usually for the benefit of an audience, but also because it can bring one a sense of artistic satisfaction. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A role (sometimes spelled rôle) or a social role is a set of connected Behaviors Rights and Obligations as conceptualized by actors Brooklyn Book Festival crowd by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|An audience at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York City. Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual The first actor is believed to be Thespis of Icaria, a man of ancient Greece. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Thespis of Icaria (present-day Icaria) (6th century BC is claimed to be the first person ever to appear on stage as an Actor in a play, although "Plays" of this time, called choric dithyrambs, involved a chorus of 50 who sang the story to the audience. The possibly apocryphal story says that Thespis stepped out of the chorus and spoke to them as a separate character in the story. Before Thespis, the chorus in all plays would sing in a narrative way, "Dionysus did this, Dionysus said that. " When Thespis stepped out from the chorus, he said "I am Dionysus. I did this. " From Thespis' name derives the word thespian, meaning any sort of performer but chiefly an actor. The International Thespian to possess a number of skills, including good vocal projection, clarity of speech, physical expressiveness, a good sense of perspective, emotional availability, a well developed imagination, the ability to analyze and understand dramatic text, and the ability to emulate or generate emotional and physical conditions. Speech refers to the processes associated with the production and perception of Sounds used in Spoken language. Perspective in theory of Cognition is the choice of a context or a Reference (or the result of this choice from which to Sense, Categorize Imagination is the ability to form Mental images/sounds/feelings or the ability to Spontaneously Generate images/sounds/feelings within one's own Mind An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings thoughts and behaviours Well-rounded actors are often also skilled in singing, dancing, emotional expressiveness, imitating dialects and accents, improvisation, observation and emulation, mime, stage combat, and performing classical texts such as Shakespeare. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of In Linguistics, an accent is a manner of Pronunciation of a language Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques Stage combat is a specialized technique in Theatre designed to create the Illusion of physical Combat without causing harm to the performers William Shakespeare ( baptised Many actors train at length in special programs or colleges to develop these skills, which have a wide range of different artistic philosophies and processes. Philosophies: particular schools of thought styles of philosophy or descriptions of philosophical ideas attributed to a particular group or culture - listed in alphabetical

See also actor, thespian, or Thespis. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Thespis of Icaria (present-day Icaria) (6th century BC is claimed to be the first person ever to appear on stage as an Actor in a play, although

Theories

See also the Acting theorists category

Professional actors

Main article: Actor

Not all people working as actors in film, television or theatre are professionally trained. Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud ( September 4, 1896, in Marseille – March 4, 1948 in Eugenio Barba (born in Brindisi, Italy, on October 29 1936) is an Italian author and authority on theatre Augusto Boal (born April 16, 1931 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is an innovative and influential theatrical director, Writer Anne Bogart (born 1951 is an American theatre director. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College in 1974 followed by a Master of Arts degree from (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar ( Māni Mādhava Chākyār Devanāgarī: माणि माधव चाक्यार् മാണി മാധവ ചാക്യാര്‍ Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chekhov (Russian Михаил Александрович Чехов August 29 1891 in Moscow &ndash September 30 Jacques Copeau ( February 4 1879 &ndash October 20 1949) was an influential French theatre director producer actor and Dramatist Dario Fo (born March 24, 1926) is an Italian satirist, Playwright, Theater director, Actor, and Composer Jerzy Grotowski (11 August 1933 Rzeszów, Poland - 14 January 1999 Pontedera, Italy) was a Polish theatre director who developed Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on Improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation Joan Maud Littlewood ( 6 October, 1914 - 20 September, 2002) was a British theatrical director famous for her work in developing the left-wing David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American Author, Essayist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Method acting is an Acting technique in which Actors try to replicate real life emotional conditions under which the character operates in an effort to create a life-like Stella Adler ( February 10, 1901 * – December 21, 1992) was an American actress. Lee Strasberg ( November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an Academy Award -nominated Austro-Hungarian - American Sanford Meisner (b August 31, 1905, Brooklyn New York – February 2, 1997, Sherman Oaks California was an American Vsevolod Emilevich Meyerhold (Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд born Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold ( &mdash 2 February 1940 ? was a Bharata was an ancient Indian Musicologist who authored the Natya Shastra, a Theoretical Treatise on ancient Viola Spolin ( November 7, 1906 - November 22, 1994) was an American drama teacher and author Constantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski (Константин An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one This article is about people called professionals For the Movie, see The Professional or Leon. Chances of succeeding as an actor are greatly enhanced by studying drama at a university or college, or attending an acting conservatory. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Conservatories typically offer two to four year training on all aspects of acting. Universities will offer three to four year programs, where a student can choose to focus on acting, while still learning about other aspects of theatre. Schools will vary in their approach, but in North America the most popular method taught is the 'inside out' technique, developed by Stanislavski in his early years and popularized in America by Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. Lee Strasberg ( November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an Academy Award -nominated Austro-Hungarian - American Stella Adler ( February 10, 1901 * – December 21, 1992) was an American actress. Others may include a more physical approach, following the teachings of Jerzy Grotowski and others. Regardless of a school's approach, students should expect intensive training in textual interpretation, voice and movement. Applications to drama programs and conservatories are through auditions in the United States. An audition is a sample performance by an Actor, Singer, Musician, Dancer or other performer Anybody over the age of 18 can usually apply to drama school. A Drama School is a higher education College which specialises in the vocational teaching of Drama (i

A list of drama schools in Britain, North America and Australia can be found on the drama school article. A Drama School is a higher education College which specialises in the vocational teaching of Drama (i

Bibliography

External links

• Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U. S. theatre actors and stage managers.
• Actors' Inequity A website supporting non-union and non-paid performers (i. e. community theatre actors)
• Screen Actors Guild. (SAG) Screen Actor's Union.