Recognition of Habit “The first step in the process of change is the recognition of what it is you are doing” (McEvenue 12). Initially, the student actor needs to pay attention to what it is they are doing when they are working and in their everyday life. They need to examine their habits and be able to recognize when their habits are limiting their creative work. Recognizing habits are important to the actor. When an actor is playing a character they need to be able to differentiate their own habits from the characters. The person that the actor is playing is not going to have the same characteristics as the actor themselves. Therefore, being able to identify your own habits allows you to be aware of them, so when you are performing as a character
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(14) The actor must use inhibition to break their bad habits once their able to recognize them. Alexander says “Once the actor takes responsibility for recognizing his habit and then consciously says ‘no’ or consents not to repeat it, he proceeds into the unknown” (14). Being able to pinpoint your habits is not enough, an actor must be able to break out of their habits by consciously saying to themselves that I notice my habit and I will not repeat the same habit again. The actor for example, should keep their hands by their side when doing a monologue rather than moving their hands in the air when speaking. Changing your habits allows you to experience something new that might get your imagination flowing and allows you to experiment with your work. In relation to acting, Inhibition lets you break out of your habits. Alexander explained “Breaking a habitual pattern by pausing and allowing a subtle and momentary change in the body may alter the actor’s perception of how the character is experiencing the action in a scene” (15). In the process of creating a character, the actor can disrupt their normal pattern by using inhibition and allowing new choices to develop. By doing so, their character becomes more interesting and three dimensional. In class, we explored inhibition through flowing. When flowing you have to follow your impulses in Starting and Stopping, Tempo, Direction, Open Gate and Following. In …show more content…
Once the actor acknowledges their habits and inhibits them, they must then consciously think of what you can do to redirect their bad habits. This step is crucial for the actor because it allows them to be constantly aware of what they are doing with their bodies and how they can make choices that enliven the body and makes the body less restricted. In the text it reads, “Alexander described the human being’s ability to apply his thinking to redirect the body as ‘conscious constructive control of the use of the self’” (20). Being able to apply thought to your body allows the actor to exercise different choices and be able to scrutinize themselves. Having the ability of self-scrutinization lets you deepen your work and be able to be independent in the rehearsal process, so that you are ready to work. In class, when doing the down the wall exercise, I have the habit of leaning forward. In order to redirect my habit, I consciously thought of a pole running down from my head down to my buttocks. This idea of a pole helped me keep my back straight when going
(14) The actor must use inhibition to break their bad habits once their able to recognize them. Alexander says “Once the actor takes responsibility for recognizing his habit and then consciously says ‘no’ or consents not to repeat it, he proceeds into the unknown” (14). Being able to pinpoint your habits is not enough, an actor must be able to break out of their habits by consciously saying to themselves that I notice my habit and I will not repeat the same habit again. The actor for example, should keep their hands by their side when doing a monologue rather than moving their hands in the air when speaking. Changing your habits allows you to experience something new that might get your imagination flowing and allows you to experiment with your work. In relation to acting, Inhibition lets you break out of your habits. Alexander explained “Breaking a habitual pattern by pausing and allowing a subtle and momentary change in the body may alter the actor’s perception of how the character is experiencing the action in a scene” (15). In the process of creating a character, the actor can disrupt their normal pattern by using inhibition and allowing new choices to develop. By doing so, their character becomes more interesting and three dimensional. In class, we explored inhibition through flowing. When flowing you have to follow your impulses in Starting and Stopping, Tempo, Direction, Open Gate and Following. In …show more content…
Once the actor acknowledges their habits and inhibits them, they must then consciously think of what you can do to redirect their bad habits. This step is crucial for the actor because it allows them to be constantly aware of what they are doing with their bodies and how they can make choices that enliven the body and makes the body less restricted. In the text it reads, “Alexander described the human being’s ability to apply his thinking to redirect the body as ‘conscious constructive control of the use of the self’” (20). Being able to apply thought to your body allows the actor to exercise different choices and be able to scrutinize themselves. Having the ability of self-scrutinization lets you deepen your work and be able to be independent in the rehearsal process, so that you are ready to work. In class, when doing the down the wall exercise, I have the habit of leaning forward. In order to redirect my habit, I consciously thought of a pole running down from my head down to my buttocks. This idea of a pole helped me keep my back straight when going