How I Use Method Acting

The way method acting has changed the way I think about my approach to acting and has made me change the way I think about myself.

Unfortunately I almost stop living in the moment and I rethink how I reacted to something, or the face I pulled at a situation, right after I have done it.

I think about what I did; why I did it and how would I do it again?

Method acting is a lot about personalisation.  

I have learnt an Ophillia monologue from Hamlet, for a 'just in case' time where I just need to pull something out of the bag. This is from act 3 scene 5, where hamlet has just shouted at her and walked off.

'Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!—

The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword,

Th' expectancy and rose of the fair state,

The glass of fashion and the mould of form,

Th' observed of all observers, quite, quite down!

And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,

That sucked the honey of his music vows,

Now see that noble and most sovereign reason

Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;

That unmatched form and feature of blown youth

Blasted with ecstasy. Oh, woe is me,

T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see!'

I personalise this monologue in a number of different ways; I use a place.

- Somewhere I that I know and have been, that I associate with sadness;

I personalise who I'm talking to.

- A lover which has hurt me and had his own down fall;

Use a personal object

- using something that i know very well. (Anything can be a personal object, a shoe, a phone, a bracelet, a coat. Anything you can pick up and hold) Just simply touching it, or stroking it (mentally) during a scene can bring back a huge range of emotions. However you must do a lot of work on each item as it requires practise to perfect;

I then think about the words effect both me and the personalisation exercises that I have used. 

But I could have used a lot more. In Lee Strasberg's technique you are supposed to use all of them. 

I only spent one semester at Lee Strasberg, so only had time to learn a number of exercises. 

I could have used; An over all sensation. 

- this could be weather, the feeling of sun, rain, wind, snow, hale. Etc etc

It can be anything that happens around you. So being in the shower is an overall sensation;

Using a song.

- Remembering a song brings emotions; 

I could use a person.

- this is very similar to a personal object, you work with it in the same way. But these are not the same things;

And more. 

Practising these exercises during the monologue brings me a lot of emotional pain. But it's good, because you have think that for Ophillia, what Hamlet has said to her, drives her to kill herself. 

What I could do now is to continue to work on the monologue and add in the other exercises.