Credit Points: 30
Study Time: 300

The approach to Psychological Realism places the emphasis on the inner workings of the character: their motives (wants and needs). The unit is based on the research and teachings of Stanislavski: the praxis of theory and practice in organic unity. The unit will introduce you to theatre that is text based and the plays/scenes chosen will be from the genre of Realism. You will be introduced to methods of script analysis with specific reference to breaking the script down into manageable units, and within those units analysing a character‟s objectives/actions/tactics.

The Psychological Realism unit offers you the opportunity to create and sustain a character in a play which is naturalistic in style but which comes from another period (e.g. Chekhov‟s The Seagull, or Ibsen‟s The Wild Duck, etc.)

With the tutor/director assigned, you will enter into a rehearsal process in which the group will research the world of the play, analyse the play‟s dramatic action, and identify events and character intention‟s in order to develop and realise your character in performance. Throughout this process you will keep a process log-book both as a record of your research and process and a creative resource.

The performance point towards the end of this project will take place in rehearsal conditions for an internal/invited audience. You will be expected to sustain the characterisation throughout the performance, to form and sustain convincing relationships with the other characters as required by the text, to maintain all elements of spontaneity throughout the performance, and to carry this out in the presence of the invited audience without losing any element of psycho-physical truth.

Outline Syllabus
An indicative guide to the content covered by this unit.

• Reading and analysing the play
• Identifying the world of the play 
• Researching the world of the play 
• Exploration of the rehearsal process 
• Given Circumstances, Units/Actions/Objective and Tactics 
• Sense Memory/Emotional Memory
• Use of Obstacles, Substitution and Justification 
• Subtext 
• Performance and Performance Evaluation

Method of Delivery
Studio practice, seminars, independent learning, group learning, individual tutorials, peer and self evaluation, performance point.

Aims

A1 To enable you to further develop the foundation work in psycho-physical acting.
A2 To introduce you to the dynamic of performance and to the potential problems of the actor/audience relationship
A3 To extend your understanding of: (a) the creative conditions for acting (b) the tools of the Stanislavski System.
A4 To enable you to develop a dramatic performance with truth.
A5 To introduce you to the demands of working truthfully within a play from another historical period.
A6 To develop your awareness of working methodologies and ability to apply research to practice.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this unit you will be able to:

LO1 Demonstrate your understanding of psycho-physical acting in a performance of an assigned character.
LO2 Know how to approach a play and a character from another time and place.
LO3 Sustain psychophysically truthful work in the presence of an audience.
LO4 Utilise appropriately creative tools from the Stanislavski System in order to analyse a play and to create and sustain a character in performance.
LO5 Articulate your understanding of the background of the play and of the playwright.
LO6 Demonstrate the ways in which your working methodology has developed through practice and research evidenced in your log-book.

Reference Material

Key
Houseman, B. (2008) Tackling Text (and Sub-text) A Step by Step Guide for Actors. London: Nic Hearn Books
Merlin, B. (2007). The Complete Stanislavski Toolkit. London: Nick Hearn Books.
Thomas, J. (1992). Script Analysis. USA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Recommended
Benedetti, J. (1990). Stanislavski: a biography. London: Methuen
Benedetti, J. (1998) Stanislavski and the actor. London: Methuen
Chekhov, A. (1999). Twelve plays. Oxford World Classics.
Hapgood, E. (ed). (1990). Stanislavski: An Actor‟s Handbook. London: Methuen.
Hodge, A. (ed). (2000). Twentieth Century Actor Training. London: Routledge