Lessons For Child Actors: How To Deliver An Honest Performance
As a young actor stepping into the world of performance, it's crucial to understand that great acting isn't just about memorizing lines and hitting your marks. It's about becoming the character and reacting truthfully to the world around you. In this post, we'll explore some key concepts from two influential acting methods that can help child actors develop their craft: the Meisner Technique and Stella Adler's approach.
Getting Out of Your Head: The Meisner Technique
Sanford Meisner, a renowned acting teacher, developed a technique that focuses on behavioral aspects of acting.
His approach emphasizes:
a) Reacting in the Moment:
Meisner believed that true acting comes from your gut reactions to what's happening around you. Instead of planning your performance, focus on listening and responding honestly to your scene partners.
Exercise: Try the famous Meisner Repetition Exercise. With a partner, repeat a simple phrase back and forth, allowing your delivery to change based on how you perceive your partner's emotions and intentions.
b) Active Listening:
Pay close attention to your scene partners. Really hear what they're saying and how they're saying it. Your reactions should come from what you observe, not from a pre-planned idea of how the scene should go.
c) Trusting Your Instincts:
Meisner encouraged actors to act on impulse rather than overthinking. As a child actor, this means allowing yourself to play and react naturally, just as you would in real life.
Exercise: Try performing a simple task (like tying your shoes or building with blocks) while in character. Don't plan how you'll do it – just let your character's personality influence your actions naturally.
Using Your Imagination: Stella Adler's Approach
Stella Adler, another influential acting teacher, emphasized the importance of imagination and understanding the text.
Her methods can be particularly helpful for child actors:
a) Understanding the Character's World:
Adler stressed the importance of knowing your character's background and the world they live in. For child actors, this means using your imagination to really picture your character's life.
Exercise: Create a detailed backstory for your character. What's their family like? What's their favorite food? What do they do for fun? The more you can imagine, the more real your character becomes.
b) Finding Objectives:
In every scene, your character wants something. Adler taught actors to focus on these objectives – what does your character want to achieve, and what actions will they take to get it?
Exercise: For each scene you're in, write down your character's main goal. Then, think about how that goal influences everything you say and do in the scene.
c) Script Analysis:
Adler emphasized the importance of really understanding the script. As a child actor, this means not just memorizing your lines, but thinking about why your character says them and what they really mean.
Exercise: Read through your script and try to find the "subtext" – what your character is really thinking or feeling beneath their words.
Bringing It All Together: Authentic Performance
The goal of both Meisner and Adler's teachings is to help actors create authentic, natural performances. As a child actor, here are some key takeaways:
React truthfully to what's happening around you, just as you would in real life.
Use your imagination to fully understand your character and their world.
Don't overthink or plan your performance – trust your instincts and let your reactions come naturally.
Really listen to your scene partners and respond to what they're giving you.
Understand what your character wants in each scene and let that drive your performance..
Remember, great acting isn't about pretending – it's about being real in imaginary circumstances. By focusing on honest reactions, using your imagination, and truly understanding your character, you'll be well on your way to delivering powerful, natural performances.
As you continue to grow as an actor, keep exploring these techniques and others. Every actor finds their own unique approach, so don't be afraid to experiment and discover what works best for you. With practice and dedication, you'll develop the skills to bring any character to life on stage or screen
Child Actor 101 uses Meisner and Adler techniques in most of their oncamera youth acting classes in scene study, character development and audition technique. Look for upcoming classes HERE.
