Stella Adler Acting Technique: Exciting 8-Lesson Unit for Students and Teachers

Lesson 5: Social and Cultural Context

Objective

• To provide an understanding of Stella Adler’s emphasis on the importance of social and cultural context in acting, thereby equipping students to incorporate these elements in an informed manner in their performances.

Duration

• 50 minutes

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Audio-visual equipment for displaying slides or showing clips
• Handouts detailing Adler’s views on the role of social and cultural context in acting
• Props or costumes that could be used to represent different social and cultural settings

Activities

Warm-Up and Recap (10 minutes)

1. Physical and Mental Warm-Up Activities (5 minutes)
   • Activity Example: “Role Carousel”
     • Students move around the room as different characters from various social backgrounds. At the instructor’s signal, they interact with each other in character, aiming to use body language and speech that reflect their assumed social contexts.
2. Extended Recap of Previous Lessons (5 minutes)
   • Offer a detailed recap that interconnects previous topics such as the “reality of doing,” imagination, emotional recall, and the “As If” technique. Emphasise how an understanding of social and cultural context can enhance these techniques.

Lecture (20 minutes)

1. Introduction to Social and Cultural Context in Adler’s Technique (6 minutes)
   • Discuss Stella Adler’s viewpoint on the indispensability of understanding the social and cultural background of a play and its characters. Mention her emphasis on the actor as an interpreter of social realities.
2. Role of Research in Contextual Understanding (7 minutes)
   • Highlight the importance of research in grasping the social and cultural context. Use real-life examples of actors who went to great lengths to research their roles (e.g Daniel Day-Lewis)
3. The Intersection of Context and Acting Choices (7 minutes)
   • Explain how understanding the social and cultural milieu can affect acting choices, from vocal tone to body language. Show clips or cite examples from both theatre and cinema to illustrate this.

Contextual Scene Work (20 minutes)

1. Introduction and Setup (3 minutes)
   • Brief the students on the day’s practical activity, which will involve performing scenes emphasising social and cultural context.
2. Scene Performances (14 minutes)
   • Students perform the scenes they have been working on, focusing on integrating an understanding of social and cultural factors into their portrayal. Each performance should last around 3–4 minutes.
3. Peer and Instructor Feedback (3 minutes)
   • Following each performance, allocate time for targeted feedback, focusing on how effectively the social and cultural context has been integrated.

Homework

• Assign students the task of choosing a historical figure and preparing a short performance that emulates this figure. The performance should consider various elements, including the individual’s social, cultural, and political context. Ask students to prepare a brief background of the figure to share before their performance. Examples could include:
  • Alexander the Great – Ancient Macedonian king and conqueror.
  • Leonardo da Vinci – Italian polymath, artist, and inventor.
  • Abraham Lincoln – 16th President of the United States.
  • Mahatma Gandhi – Leader of India’s non-violent independence movement against British rule.
  • Albert Einstein – German-born theoretical physicist.
  • Nelson Mandela – Anti-apartheid revolutionary and President of South Africa.
  • Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II.
  • Charles Darwin – English naturalist, author of “On the Origin of Species.”
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. – Leader of the American civil rights movement.
  • William Shakespeare – English playwright and poet.
  • Napoleon Bonaparte – French military and political leader.
  • Julius Caesar – Roman general and statesman.
  • Thomas Edison – American inventor and businessman.
  • Socrates – Ancient Greek philosopher.
  • Marco Polo – Venetian explorer and merchant.
  • Cleopatra – Queen of Ancient Egypt.
  • Marie Curie – Polish-born physicist and chemist, two-time Nobel laureate.
  • Joan of Arc – French military leader and Catholic saint.
  • Rosa Parks – African-American civil rights activist.
  • Mother Teresa – Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt – Former First Lady of the United States and human rights activist.
  • Queen Victoria – Queen of the United Kingdom, 1837-1901.
  • Frida Kahlo – Mexican artist known for her surrealist and symbolic work.
  • Florence Nightingale – Founder of modern nursing.
  • Ada Lovelace – English mathematician and writer.
  • Virginia Woolf – English writer and modernist.
  • Harriet Tubman – African-American abolitionist.
  • Amelia Earhart – American aviator.
  • Elizabeth I – Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until 1603.
  • Malala Yousafzai – Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Lesson 6: Physical Actions and Physicality

Objective

• To furnish students with an intricate understanding of Stella Adler’s teaching on the role of physical actions and physicality in acting, facilitating an informed approach to incorporating physicality into their performances.

Duration

• 50 minutes

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Audio-visual equipment for showing video examples
• Handouts detailing Adler’s perspectives on physical actions and physicality
• Props that might facilitate physical expression, such as a chair, walking stick, or handkerchief

Activities

Warm-Up and Recap (10 minutes)

1. Multi-Level Physical Warm-Up (5 minutes)
   • Activity Example: “Animal Study”
     • Instruct students to choose an animal and move around the space, imitating its movements. This encourages observation and specificity in physical actions.
2. In-Depth Recap of Previous Lesson on Social and Cultural Context (5 minutes)
   • Engage students in a discourse that integrates the previous focus on social and cultural context with today’s focus on physicality. Discuss how cultural norms can also dictate physical behaviour and movement.

Lecture (20 minutes)

1. Introduction to Physical Actions in Adler’s Technique (6 minutes)
   • Introduce Adler’s views on the crucial role of physical actions in conveying emotional and psychological states. Establish the concept as fundamental to her acting methodology.
2. Distinction Between Physicality and Gestures (7 minutes)
   • Differentiate between superficial gestures and meaningful physical actions that emanate from an internal emotional state or a situational demand. Use illustrative examples from theatre or film.
3. Intersection of Physical Actions and Other Adler Concepts (7 minutes)
   • Discuss concepts like the ‘reality of doing,’ emotional recall, and social context, and how they are interrelated with physical actions. Elucidate this through the use of case studies or video examples.

Physicality Exercise (20 minutes)

1. Introduction and Setup (3 minutes)
   • Briefly introduce the exercises that will be conducted. Make clear that the focus should be on using physical actions to manifest the emotional and psychological states or intentions of the characters.
2. Individual and Group Exercises (15 minutes)
   • Activity Example 1: “Action Verbs”
     • Assign students action verbs. Ask them to perform a simple scene using physical actions that embody these verbs. Examples could include:
       • To persuade
       • To seduce
       • To intimidate
       • To enlighten
       • To deceive
       • To provoke
       • To comfort
       • To chastise
       • To inspire
       • To betray
       • To lament
       • To investigate
       • To challenge
       • To protect
       • To coerce
       • To negotiate
       • To confess
       • To enthrall
       • To ridicule
       • To console
       • To compete
       • To celebrate
       • To manipulate
       • To dismiss
       • To rebel
       • To endure
       • To mesmerise
       • To confront
       • To mourn
   • Activity Example 2: “Object Work”
     • Students interact with objects like chairs or scarves, imbuing them with symbolic or situational significance through physical actions.
3. Feedback and Discussion (2 minutes)
   • Allow short moments for feedback between exercises, focusing on the effectiveness of physical actions in conveying the intended emotion or objective.

Homework

• Ask students to apply the principle of physical actions to a monologue they have previously studied. In the next class, they should be prepared to perform it, paying meticulous attention to the physical actions they use to manifest the monologue’s emotional or psychological states.

Lesson 7: Advanced Script Work

Objective

• To provide students with an understanding of the challenges and intricacies involved in applying Stella Adler’s techniques to complex scripts and to develop students’ aptitude for insightful and skilful interpretation of such scripts.

Duration

• 50 minutes

Materials Required

• Whiteboard and markers
• Audio-visual equipment for presentations and video examples
• Handouts that outline the complexities of applying Adler’s techniques to challenging scripts
• Copies of selected scenes from complex scripts, preferably those that include multiple layers of subtext, historical context, or intricate character relationships

Activities

Warm-Up and Recap (10 minutes)

1. Complex Emotion Warm-Up (4 minutes)
   • Activity Example: “Emotional Layering”
     • Ask students to move about the space while layering different emotions on top of one another (e.g., happiness over sadness). This helps students warm up to the idea of complexity in scripts.
2. Integrated Recap of Adler’s Techniques (6 minutes)
   • Reiterate Adler’s techniques learned so far, emphasising their interdependence and cumulative utility, especially in tackling complex scripts.

Lecture and Discussion (20 minutes)

1. Challenges in Complex Script Work (8 minutes)
   • Discuss specific challenges in applying Adler’s techniques to complex scripts, such as scripts with intricate subtext, changing power dynamics, or layered character histories.
2. Adler’s Solutions to Script Complexities (7 minutes)
   • Present Adler’s suggestions for overcoming these challenges, such as her emphasis on thorough script analysis, understanding of given circumstances, and emotional preparation.
3. Interactive Discussion on Script Challenges (5 minutes)
   • Open the floor for students to discuss their experiences or difficulties with complex script work and how they have attempted to apply Adler’s principles to solve them.

Advanced Script Exercise (20 minutes)

1. Introduction and Selection (3 minutes)
   • Briefly introduce the scenes that have been chosen for the day’s exercise. Clarify that the aim is to apply Adler’s techniques in a way that addresses the intricacies and challenges of each script.
2. Scene Work with Adlerian Techniques (14 minutes)
   • Activity Example: “Subtext Analysis”
     • Divide students into pairs and assign them scenes with multiple layers of subtext. Ask them to identify the subtext and then perform the scene focusing on the “reality of doing” and given circumstances.
3. Feedback and Shared Insights (3 minutes)
   • After each scene, encourage feedback from peers and the instructor. List instances where Adler’s techniques were effectively applied to navigate the script’s complexities.

Homework

• Students should finalise and rehearse a scene or monologue to prepare for the final assessment. They must incorporate all of Stella Adler’s techniques learned to date, paying special attention to the complexities and challenges presented by their chosen piece.

Lesson 8: Synthesis and Final Assessment

Objective

• To facilitate the integration and application of all Stella Adler’s techniques studied throughout this unit in a final performance assessment, gauging the students’ comprehensive understanding and skill level.

Duration

• 50 minutes

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Audio-visual equipment for recording performances, if desired
• A designated space for performances
• Copies of the assessment rubric outlining the criteria for evaluating the application of Adler’s techniques

Activities

Warm-Up and Recap (10 minutes)

1. Holistic Warm-Up (4 minutes)
   • Activity Example: “The Adlerian Roundabout”
     • Have students stand in a circle. Each student enters the centre, performs a physical action, and names an Adlerian technique it represents (e.g., “This is the ‘reality of doing'”). The rest of the group repeats the action and phrase, embedding a recap into the warm-up.
2. Final Recap and Q&A (6 minutes)
   • Summarise key takeaways from all previous lessons, emphasising the interrelatedness of Adler’s principles. Open the floor for last-minute questions and clarifications.

Final Performance Assessment (30 minutes)

1. Introduction and Guidelines (3 minutes)
   • Clearly state the assessment criteria, which should be rooted in applying Adler’s techniques like the “reality of doing,” emotional recall, given circumstances, and so forth.
2. Individual Performances (20 minutes)
   • Students perform their chosen scene or monologue that they’ve been rehearsing as homework. Each student has approximately 4 minutes for their performance and immediate feedback.
3. Feedback Session (7 minutes)
   • Post-performance, the instructor and peers offer feedback on the effective or ineffective application of Adler’s techniques.

Reflection and Forward-Looking Discussion (10 minutes)

1. Collective Reflection (4 minutes)
   • Invite students to reflect on their journey through the course, asking them to share one key Adlerian technique that significantly impacted their acting.
2. Future Application (3 minutes)
   • Discuss the relevance and applicability of Adler’s techniques in their future endeavours, whether in further education, professional theatre, or other forms of acting.
3. Closing Remarks (3 minutes)
   • Provide final thoughts on the importance of continuous learning and application in acting. Encourage students to see this course as a foundation for deeper understanding and skills.