Quick Answer
At its core, captivating acting relies on truthfully portraying human experience. Great actors disappear fully into roles using observation, imagination, vocal mastery, and empathy to create authentic characters. Specific training equips them with technical skills while vulnerability and courage allow emotional access. They actively listen and respond instinctively in scenes, balancing preparation with spontaneity. Clear motivations and objectives shape each moment. Raw instincts combine with precise control of voice and body. The most compelling performances synthesize masterful technique with an actor’s unique sensibilities. Overall, excellence in acting means transcending performance to inhabit characters so believably that audiences lose themselves in the storytelling.
Introduction
Acting is part craft, part art form. From melodramas to Shakespearean tragedies, iconic performances captivate audiences and bring fictional stories vividly to life. Throughout theatre history, viewers have been moved to tears, laughter, and revelation by the emotional honesty and human truths conveyed through the actor's art. But what separates great acting from the mediocre? What are the qualities and skills that allow certain performers to so powerfully embody characters that we forget they are acting at all?
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the core components of compelling acting technique for both the stage and screen. We will examine the important technical skills actors need to develop, as well as the more intangible actor "instincts" that make for dynamic, relatable performances. You will learn helpful exercises to strengthen your acting instrument and methods used by masters of the craft. We will also outline best practices to hone your abilities whether you aspire to tread the boards on Broadway or become a screen star. If you have felt the call to bring stories to life through performance, keep reading to unlock what lies at the heart of the mysterious craft of great acting.
Understanding the Craft of Acting
Acting is much more than just getting up on stage or in front of a camera and reciting lines. Great acting is about fully embodying a character and connecting with the audience. Some of the key skills great actors possess include:
Emotional Depth and Honesty
Truly great actors access real emotion and bring an honesty to their performances. They draw upon their own experiences and empathy to connect with the psychology of a character. Even in fantastical stories and settings, great acting comes from a place of emotional truth.
Listening and Reacting
Acting is relational - it's about the give and take between actors on stage or screen. Great actors understand the importance of listening and reacting. They stay fully engaged with the other actors and respond authentically in the moment.
Voice and Body Control
Great actors have trained and exercised mastery over their physical instruments. This includes modulation and projection of voice along with intentional movement and gestures. Good actors utilize their voice and body effectively as part of their performance.
Relatability
While playing a character in an imaginative setting, truly great acting still establishes a human relatability with the audience. There is an authenticity and vulnerability to performances that allow viewers to connect with roles on a deeper emotional level.
The Key Components of Great Acting
While technical skills are important, there are some additional core components that take acting to that next level. Here are some of the key intangibles that make up great acting:
Presence
Great actors have a centering presence. They remain fully in the moment, listening and responding. Their focus and concentration enables them to deliver performances that feel completely in the now.
Vulnerability
Allowing oneself to be vulnerable is scary yet critical for compelling acting. Great performances are often built upon taking risks and exposing the messy, conflicted inner lives of characters. Acting with an open heart is a courageous act.
Specificity
Vague, general acting can leave an audience cold. Great actors understand that nuanced choices and specificity are key. Small, thoughtful decisions around a gesture, line reading, or interaction bring acting vividly to life.
Imagination
Great acting requires a robust imagination to envision fictional circumstances as real and fully commit emotionally. The creativity and invention great actors bring makes the unbelievable believable. Their imagination fuels the emotional reality.
Dynamism
Great acting is anything but static. It is an ever-evolving, living thing from moment to moment. Great actors understand each scene has an arc and energetically build dynamics through highs and lows. Their performances unfold organically.
Discipline
As artful as acting may be, it also takes great discipline. Learning lines, memorizing blocking, taking direction - all of this requires immense focus and dedication. Great actors have devoted work ethics matched with their passion.
Key Technical Skills All Great Actors Need
In addition to the intangible qualities listed above, all great actors require technical skills built up over time. These are the nuts and bolts of performing that provide a foundation for their craft.
Vocal Technique
Projection - ability to use proper breath support and resonance to be heard
Articulation - clear, crisp enunciation and pronunciation
Vocal dynamics - controlling pace, volume, tone to enhance performance
Accents/dialects - ability to authentically reproduce different modes of speech
Physical Technique
Spatial awareness - understanding body positioning in relation to environment
Economical movement - intentional, purposeful gestures and blocking
Expressiveness - using the body as an instrument to reveal character/emotion
Coordination - learning fight choreography, dance steps, or other physical disciplines
Text Analysis
Understanding context - analyzing the language and world of the text
Breaking down scenes - examining the beats, actions, and motivations
Finding subtext - assessing the underlying meaning beneath the words
Determining objectives - establishing concrete goals for a character in each scene
Performance Skills
Playing actions - acting with strong objectives and varied tactics
Ensemble work - listening, responding, and working cohesively with other actors
Emotional preparation - using sense memory, substitution, or other techniques
Taking adjustments - incorporating director notes and feedback into performance
Best Practices for Aspiring Actors
All great actors had to start somewhere. For those looking to improve their acting abilities, here are some top practices to focus on:
Take Classes
Look for scene study, improv, voice, and movement classes to build your skills. Training expands your range and versatility. Be a lifelong learner.
Do Your Homework
Prepare thoroughly for each role. Research the time period, characters, and context. Analyze each scene and make bold choices. Come ready to play.
Watch Great Performances
Study actors you admire. Watch how they listen, move, speak, and emotionally connect. Strive to incorporate aspects of their techniques into your work.
Perform Whenever Possible
Whether community theatre, student films, live performance art - seek out opportunities to get stage experience. With each project, build your confidence.
Get a Coach
Consider private coaching to sharpen your acting instruments. A teacher can provide objective feedback and specialized training to take you to the next level.
Take Care of Yourself
Proper self-care prevents burnout. Make time for rest, healthy living and activities outside acting. Bringing balance to your life will enhance your creative work.
Build a Community
Surround yourself with supportive, creative people who nurture your goals and push you to improve. Have others you can learn from and lean on throughout your journey.
Do the Work
Acting is a craft that requires continuous practice and honing. Set concrete goals for yourself. Develop daily disciplines to grow stronger in each aspect of your technique.
Acting Techniques and Methods
There are many renowned acting techniques actors study to develop their approach and hone their skills. Here are some of the most impactful methods of actor training:
Stanislavski Method
Pioneered by Constantin Stanislavski, this technique focuses on internal emotional authenticity. Using sense and emotional memory, actors strive for truthful identification with a role.
Meisner Technique
Sanford Meisner's repetitions exercise fosters listening and reacting instinctively in the moment. Actors train to respond with their true impulses.
Method Acting
Building on Stanislavski's work, Lee Strasburg's method acting drives actors to draw upon personal experiences and employ affective memory to fully embody a character.
Chekhov Technique
Using the imagination and incorporating psychology, Michael Chekhov's technique trains actors to create the inner life of a character through archetypes and transformation.
Uta Hagen's Technique
Uta Hagen developed tools for actors like substitution and character mapping to explore a role's depth and humanity. Her training focused on truthfulness and humanity.
Suzuki Method
Tadashi Suzuki's physical training pushes technical mastery and discipline using movement sequences and vocal exercises inspired by Kabuki.
Viewpoints
Mary Overlie's six Viewpoints training heightens actors' spatial and ensemble awareness through improvisational exercises in tempo, shape, and architecture.
Practical Aesthetics
David Mamet's method trains actors in concrete moment-to-moment techniques, informed by Stanislavski but tailored for American realism.
Acting for Stage vs. Screen
While universal performance skills apply, there are some variations between techniques for the stage compared to those used for the camera:
Vocal:
Stage acting requires projection, while subtlety is key for the camera. Film actors focus on naturalism and understated delivery.
Physicality:
Stage acting is more presentational, using broad gestures and blocking. Subtler gestures read on camera, so film acting demands more nuanced movement.
Energy:
The stage demands high energy performance to reach the back row. Acting for camera is much more intimate and contained. Less is often more.
Spatial Awareness:
On stage, actors must play out and cheat out for audience visibility. Actors on film can trust close-ups to capture small expressions and moments.
Exercises to Improve Acting Skills
Dedicated practice is required for growth as an actor. Here are some beneficial exercises actors can incorporate into their training:
Vocal Warm-Ups
Get your voice ready to perform with breathing, resonance, range, and articulation exercises. Vocal work strengthens stage voice and naturalism for camera.
Observation Exercises
To build character awareness and human psychology, observe strangers in public places. Analyze their physicality, behavior and imagine their inner lives.
Sense Memory Exercises
Work on recalling and immerging yourself in sensory experiences tied to emotions. Use visual, aural, tactile and olfactory memory to tap into a role's psychology.
Improv Scenes
Sharpen innate responding skills, listening, and thinking on your feet through unscripted improvisation scenes with partners. Say yes to find the flow.
Animal Work
Explore the primal physicality and psychology of different animals. Move, vocalize and embody their essential nature to unlock new facets of your own stage presence.
Moment to Moment Exercises
Practice staying rooted in the present by focusing only on the immediate moment. Let go of anticipating the future or recalling the past in a scene.
Maintaining a Performance Over Time
For stage productions or ongoing television and movie roles, an actor must find ways to keep their performance fresh over an extended run. Strategies actors use include:
Avoid Going on Autopilot
Don't allow familiarity to lead to complacency. Stay focused and in the moment. Resist the urge to go through rote motions.
Recharge Between Shows
Make time to rest and disconnect from the role between performances. Off stage life balance re-energizes you.
Find New Discoveries
Mine the script for subtle new choices around blocking, business, or line readings. Experiment to keep it exciting.
Adjust to Scene Partners
Every person you act with will provide different energy. Let their interpretations inspire you to tailor your reactions.
Make Active Choices
Don't settle into passivity. Motivate movement and responses with clear actionable objectives from beat to beat.
Vary Delivery Dynamically
Alter your vocal dynamics from show to show. Change up the pace, pitch, volume, and inflection.
Stay In Character
As much as possible given circumstances, maintain the physicality and voice of your character when interacting with castmates or crew off stage.
Acting Challenges and How to Overcome Them
A career in acting comes with many challenges. With practice and application of techniques, actors can confront common issues:
Memorizing Lines
Revision, repetition, associating lines with actions, recording and listening back are all useful strategies to master memorization.
Nerves and Anxiety
Breathing techniques, physical and vocal warmups, meditation, positive self-talk and full preparation can help calm nerves before curtains up.
Auditioning/Rejection
Remembering it's not personal, building resilience, focusing on the work, taping mock auditions and learning to self-direct empowers actors to handle constant rejection.
Distraction
Maintaining strong focus and concentration on stage can be difficult. Entering the moment fully, listening intently to scene partners and keeping grounded helps minimize distraction.
Lack of Energy
Combat low energy by taking care of your body's needs. Proper rest, nutrition and exercising will fuel lively performances. Passion for the work also energizes.
Directors' Notes
Be open to feedback and choose to view notes not as criticism but helpful adjustment to enhance the role. Notes are the director's contribution to collaboration.
Typecasting
Work to showcase your range in class, workshops, and other projects. Or boldly reinvent an archetype with novelty and humanity that allows rediscovery.
Acting Resources
For those wishing to pursue acting professionally or grow as amateurs, these valuable resources provide training, opportunities, and community:
Reputable MFA/BFA Programs - Study under masters at institutions like Yale, Juilliard, NYU, RADA, or the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Regional Theatres - Build credits and hone your craft working at established theatre companies across the country like The Public, Goodman Theatre, Berkley Rep, OSF or La Jolla Playhouse.
Community Theatres - Get experience on stage through local Theatre companies. Volunteer and work your way up from the ensemble.
YouTube Channels - Free acting classes from experts are available online from channels like Lesly Kahn, Larry Moss, Uta Hagen Institute for Acting.
Actor Training Groups - Study and perform with collectives focused on specific acting techniques like the Meisner Extension, Atlantic Acting School, or Ivana Chubbuck Studio.
Backstage.com - Leading site for auditions, job postings, casting director workshops and classes.
Staffing Agencies - Representation through talent agencies that submit their roster for television, film, commercial, voiceover, and theatre opportunities.
Actor's Fund - Non-profit that supports performers throughout their career with services and a supportive community.
Experimental Theatre - Push boundaries and develop new skills through avant-garde, ensemble based theatre companies.
| Key Elements of Great Acting |
|---|
| Understanding the Craft - Emotional depth/honesty - access real emotion, truthful identification - Listening/reacting - stay engaged, respond authentically - Voice/body control - trained mastery of physical instruments - Relatability - establish authenticity and vulnerability |
| Intangible Components - Presence - centering, staying fully in the moment - Vulnerability - willingness to take risks - Specificity - nuanced, thoughtful choices - Imagination - envision circumstances as real - Dynamism - performances build organically - Discipline - immense focus, dedication |
| Technical Skills - Vocal technique - projection, articulation, dialect training - Physical technique - spatial awareness, expressive movement - Text analysis - understand language, objectives, subtext - Performance skills - actions, ensemble work, emotional preparation |
| Best Practices for Aspiring Actors - Take classes - expand range with scene study, improv, voice, movement - Do your homework - research characters, time periods, analyze scenes - Watch great performances - study techniques of actors you admire - Perform whenever possible - community theatre, student films for experience - Get a coach - private teaching for objective feedback, specialized training - Take care of yourself - prevent burnout through rest, healthy living - Build a community - surround yourself with supportive, creative people - Do the work - set goals, develop daily practice disciplines |
| Acting Techniques/Methods - Stanislavski Method - emotional memory, truthful identification - Meisner Technique - repetitions exercise, instinctive responding - Method Acting - affective memory, fully embody characters - Chekhov Technique - imagination, archetypes, transformation - Uta Hagen's Technique - substitution, character mapping - Suzuki Method - physical mastery inspired by Kabuki - Viewpoints - improv exercises for spatial/ensemble awareness - Practical Aesthetics - moment-to-moment techniques for American realism |
| Exercises to Improve Acting - Vocal warm-ups - prepare voice to perform - Observation exercises - analyze strangers to build character awareness - Sense memory exercises - recall sensory experiences tied to emotions - Improv scenes - sharpen responding skills, listening, thinking on feet - Animal work - embody primal physicality/psychology of different animals - Moment to moment exercises - stay rooted in the present |
| Additional Key Acting Concepts |
|---|
| Acting for Stage vs. Screen - Vocal projection vs subtlety - stage requires projection, film focuses on naturalism - Broad gestures vs nuanced movement - stage acting is presentational, film demands subtlety - High energy vs intimacy - stage needs high energy for back row, film is more contained - Spatial awareness differences - stage actors cheat out, film actors trust close-ups |
| Maintaining a Performance - Avoid autopilot - stay focused, don't go through rote motions - Recharge between shows - make time to rest and disconnect - Find new discoveries - experiment with subtle new choices - Adjust to scene partners - let their interpretations inspire tailored reactions - Make active choices - motivate movement/responses with objectives - Vary vocal dynamics - change pace, pitch, volume, inflection - Stay in character - maintain physicality/voice of role when off stage |
| Acting Challenges - Memorizing lines - use revision, repetition, recording/listening back - Nerves and anxiety - use breathing, warmups, meditation, positive self-talk - Auditioning/rejection - build resilience, focus on the work, self-direct - Distraction - enter the moment fully, listen intently to partners - Lack of energy - take care of body needs for rest, nutrition, exercise - Directors' notes - view as collaboration, not criticism - Typecasting - showcase range in other projects, reinvent archetype |
| Acting Resources - MFA/BFA Programs - study under masters at top institutions - Regional theatres - build credits and hone craft at established companies - Community theatres - gain experience starting in ensemble roles - YouTube channels - free online acting classes with experts - Training groups - study/perform with collectives focused on techniques - Backstage.com - leading site for auditions, jobs, workshops - Staffing agencies - representation and submission for opportunities - Actor's Fund - non-profit with services/community for performers - Experimental theatre - develop skills through avant-garde, ensemble companies |
Conclusion
Great acting requires skill, imagination, technique and commitment. While subjective, the qualities that define compelling performances remain timeless across history and mediums. A passion for the art form, dedication to continuous improvement, and courage to be vulnerable are the hallmarks of truly transcendent acting. There are many paths into the profession, but those willing to put in the hard work can aspire to move audiences everywhere their gifts may take them. What makes great acting is an age old question, but one that promises exciting discoveries for the actors and audiences of tomorrow.