Acting Basics

Inspiration & Exploration

Acting is the art of truthfully living in imaginary circumstances. Start by watching performances with fresh eyes — not just for story, but to study the actor's body, voice, and choices. Stream a stage production on BroadwayHD (free trial available) or watch the National Theatre's free YouTube recordings. In Salt Lake City, Pioneer Theatre Company and Plan-B Theatre both produce excellent work — check their schedules for student rush tickets. Watch a scene twice: first for the story, then just watching one actor's face and hands. Read the Wikipedia overview of Konstantin Stanislavski to understand where modern acting began. You're ready for the next step when you can describe two specific choices you noticed an actor make and explain why those choices worked.

Tools & Techniques

Acting has real tools, just like painting or music. The three foundations are voice (breath, projection, articulation), body (posture, gesture, stillness), and imagination (belief, given circumstances, objectives). Watch the free YouTube series by the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on vocal warm-ups. Practice the "tongue twisters for actors" videos on the Drama Teacher Academy YouTube channel. Stand in front of a mirror and practice changing your posture: slouch versus confident versus nervous. Read the first two chapters of "A Practical Handbook for the Actor" by Melissa Bruder — available cheaply used online. You're ready for the next step when you can do a 3-minute vocal warm-up from memory and notice a difference in how your voice sounds afterward.

First Creations

Now try acting something. Find a monologue of 1–2 minutes from a play or movie — websites like Monologue Archive (free) or the book "The Ultimate Audition Book" have hundreds of options. Pick a character whose situation you find genuinely interesting, not just easy. Read the monologue aloud three times: first for meaning, then for feeling, then from memory if possible. Record yourself on your phone and watch it back — notice your hands, your pacing, your eye contact with the imaginary scene partner. Do it again and change one thing. You're ready for the next step when you can perform your monologue twice in a row with different emotional choices and explain what you changed between the two.

Style Development

Explore different acting methods and find what resonates with your instincts. The main approaches include Stanislavski (emotional truth and objectives), Meisner (living truthfully under imaginary circumstances), and Practical Aesthetics (as developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy). Watch the free "Meisner Technique Explained" video on YouTube by the Brando Studio. Try a Meisner repetition exercise with a friend: sit facing each other and simply repeat an observation back and forth ("You're smiling." / "I'm smiling." / "You're smiling.") until something real happens. If you're in Salt Lake, check out the Salt Lake Acting Company's education programs for drop-in workshops. You're ready for the next step when you've tried one scene or exercise from at least two different methods and can describe how they felt different.

Refine Your Craft

Deepen your craft by working with text more rigorously. Choose a scene from a published play (not a movie script) and analyze it using the "beat" method: break it into units of action where one character's objective shifts. Read "The Viewpoints Book" by Anne Bogart for a physical approach to performance. Practice cold reading — pick up any script you've never seen and read it aloud immediately, making active choices. If possible, find a scene partner through SLCTrips, a local community theater audition, or the University of Utah's open acting workshops. Video yourself performing the same scene two weeks apart and compare the recordings. You're ready for the next step when you can identify your character's objective and obstacle in every beat of your chosen scene.

Portfolio Piece

Perform your best monologue or scene for a real audience — even one person counts. Arrange a performance for a friend, family member, or SLCTrips community member. Before you perform, write out your character's full backstory in one paragraph and know your objective for every moment. After the performance, ask your audience one specific question: "Was there a moment where you stopped believing me?" Use their answer to run the piece one more time with an adjustment. Record the final version. You're ready for the next step when you have a recorded performance you'd be comfortable sharing, and you can name one specific adjustment you made based on audience feedback.