4.5 Movement and physicality

Movement and physicality are crucial elements in theater production. Actors use their bodies as expressive instruments, developing awareness, alignment, breath support, and core strength to move with intention and power on stage. These foundations enable them to explore a wide range of techniques and embody characters effectively.

Expressive movement techniques provide actors with tools to create compelling performances. Laban effort actions, Viewpoints, and improvisation help actors physicalize characters' inner lives, build relationships, and respond spontaneously. Mastering these techniques allows actors to adapt to different theatrical styles and genres, creating nuanced, authentic portrayals.

Foundations of movement

• Understanding the foundational elements of movement is essential for actors to effectively use their bodies as expressive instruments on stage
• Developing body awareness, proper alignment, breath support, core strength and stability allows actors to move with intention, clarity and power in their performances
• Mastering these foundations enables actors to safely and effectively explore a wide range of expressive movement techniques and physically embody their characters

Body awareness and alignment

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• Proprioception, the sense of the relative position of one's body parts in space, is crucial for actors to move with precision and control
• Maintaining proper alignment, with the head, shoulders, hips and feet stacked vertically, promotes efficient movement and prevents injury
• Releasing excess tension and cultivating a neutral body allows actors to respond organically to impulses and emotions in their performances
• Practicing somatic techniques like Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method can heighten body awareness and improve alignment

Breath support for movement

• Connecting breath to movement energizes physical actions and infuses them with life and intention
• Diaphragmatic breathing, which engages the lower abdominals and expands the ribcage, provides the necessary breath support for projecting the voice and sustaining physically demanding movements
• Coordinating breath with movement enhances the flow and phrasing of physical actions (inhaling on preparatory movements and exhaling on the execution)
• Breath can also be used to convey a character's emotional state (short, shallow breaths for anxiety or long, deep breaths for calm)

Core strength and stability

• The core muscles, including the abdominals, lower back, and pelvic floor, are the powerhouse of all movement, providing the necessary support and stability for the limbs to move freely
• Engaging the core helps maintain proper alignment and prevents injury during physically demanding movements (lifting scene partners, falling, stage combat)
• A strong core allows for greater control and specificity in movement, enabling actors to make clearer physical choices in their characterizations
• Pilates, yoga, and targeted core conditioning exercises can help actors develop the strength and stability needed for dynamic stage movement

Expressive movement techniques

• Expressive movement techniques provide actors with a toolbox of physical vocabularies to create compelling, nuanced performances that communicate character, emotion and story
• Incorporating these techniques into actor training cultivates creativity, expands physical range, and develops the ability to make specific, intentional movement choices
• Proficiency in a variety of expressive movement techniques allows actors to adapt to the demands of different theatrical styles, genres and characters

Laban effort actions

• Rudolf Laban's effort actions (thrust, slash, dab, flick, press, wring, glide, float) describe the dynamic qualities of movement based on the interplay of space, time, weight and flow
• Each effort action has a distinct energy and can evoke different emotions or character qualities (a punching thrust conveys aggression while a floating drift suggests lightness and ease)
• Actors can use effort actions to physicalize a character's inner life and create expressive, emotionally resonant movement
• Combining and sequencing effort actions allows for complex, layered physical characterizations

Viewpoints for actors

• The Viewpoints, originally developed by choreographer Mary Overlie and adapted for actors by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, offer a framework for generating movement based on time and space
• The temporal viewpoints (tempo, duration, kinesthetic response, repetition) and the spatial viewpoints (shape, gesture, architecture, spatial relationship, topography) provide a vocabulary for creating dynamic, expressive stage pictures
• Viewpoints training cultivates ensemble awareness, immediacy and spontaneity in movement
• Actors can use viewpoints to discover compelling blocking, build physical relationships between characters, and create arresting stage compositions

Improvisation and spontaneity

• Improvisation exercises, such as contact improv and authentic movement, tap into the body's innate wisdom and allow for spontaneous, organic physical expression
• Improvisation helps actors get out of their heads, relinquish control, and respond instinctively to their scene partners and the present moment
• Spontaneity in movement reads as authentic and alive, capturing the unpredictable nature of human behavior
• Improvisation skills are essential for dealing with the unexpected in live performance (dropped lines, missed entrances, technical mishaps) with grace and quick thinking

Physicality in characterization

• Grounding character choices in the body through specific physicality allows actors to fully transform and lends authenticity and believability to their portrayals
• Physicality reflects a character's inner life, including their motivations, desires, fears and emotional states
• Carefully chosen physical traits, mannerisms and behaviors can convey key information about a character's age, health, status, occupation and personality
• Actors must strike a balance between internalizing a character's psychology and motivations and externalizing them through the body to create cohesive, compelling characterizations

Physical traits vs internal motivations

• While certain physical traits (a limp, a nervous tic, a distinctive gait) can be useful in establishing a character, they must be grounded in the character's internal reality to avoid becoming mere caricature
• Actors should root physical choices in their character's experiences, emotional landscape and objectives within the given circumstances of the play
• Physicalizing internal motivations and subtext allows actors to create multi-dimensional characters with rich inner lives
• A character's internal state can influence their physicality in the moment (hunched shoulders and a bowed head can reflect insecurity while an expansive, upright posture suggests confidence)

Embodying character through posture

• A character's posture and how they carry themselves can reveal their self-image, emotional state, and way of moving through the world
• Posture can reflect a character's age, health, and energy level (an elderly character may hunch forward with a shuffling gate while a young, vital character stands tall with an easy, loping stride)
• Status and power dynamics between characters can be established through contrasting postures (a servant may bow their head and clasp their hands submissively while a king stands erect with head high and chest out)
• Changes in posture can signal character development and shifts in emotional state throughout the story arc (a character starting out slouched and guarded may stand taller and more open by the end of their journey)

Gestures and mannerisms

• Gestures, or movements of the hands and arms, can punctuate, contradict or support the text, adding subtext and specificity to a character's words and thoughts
• Habitual gestures and mannerisms (smoothing one's tie, twirling hair, cracking knuckles) can provide clues to a character's inner workings and help distinguish them from other characters
• Gestures can reveal a character's cultural background, time period and social class (a courtly bow, a military salute, a gang sign)
• Actors must be judicious in their use of gesture, selecting only those that serve the character and avoiding superfluous movement that distracts from the story

Stage combat essentials

• Stage combat, the illusion of violence for entertainment, is a crucial skill for actors to safely and effectively portray conflict on stage
• Actors must be trained in the techniques of selling the impact of blows, masking pulled punches, and creating the sound of strikes to convince the audience of the reality of the fight while keeping themselves and their partners safe
• Stage combat training covers hand-to-hand combat, swordplay, and use of found objects as weapons, equipping actors to handle choreography in a wide range of styles and genres
• Emotional and character preparation are just as important as physical technique in stage combat, as the story and stakes of the scene must be honestly portrayed to make the violence dramatically justified and impactful

Safety and consent in combat

• Safety is the top priority in stage combat, and actors must adhere to strict protocols and techniques to prevent injury
• Combat choreography must be carefully planned, rehearsed and executed with precision timing and control to maintain safety
• Actors must establish trust and open communication with their fight partners, discussing boundaries and consent throughout the rehearsal process
• A fight call before each performance allows actors to physically review choreography at a slower speed to ensure mastery and safety of the techniques

Hand-to-hand combat choreography

• Hand-to-hand combat, or unarmed stage combat, can include punches, kicks, grappling, throws and falls
• Actors must learn to sell the intention and impact of blows without making contact, safely creating the illusion of violence
• Masking is used to obscure the distance between combatants from the audience (a thrown punch passes behind the receiver's head while they react as if struck)
• Knaps, or claps made by the receiving actor, create the sound effect of impact to heighten the reality of the blow

Weapons training for stage

• Actors must be trained in the safe handling of prop weapons, including swords, knives, firearms and found objects
• Each weapon has specific safety protocols and techniques for creating the illusion of violence without causing harm
• Swordplay requires mastery of stances, cuts, thrusts and parries, as well as footwork and distancing to keep the blades from touching the body
• Firearms on stage use blanks or dummy rounds and must never be fired directly at actors, but rather at an agreed upon safe target

Movement in various genres

• Different theatrical genres and styles make distinct demands on the actor's physicality, requiring adaptability and range in movement
• Realism calls for authentic, believable physicality rooted in character psychology, while non-realism may demand abstract, stylized or heightened movement
• Farce requires bold, exaggerated physical choices to land the humor and create clear, recognizable character types
• Actor training should encompass a variety of genres to build the physical versatility to tackle any style of play

Physicality in realism

• Realism, which aims to truthfully depict everyday life on stage, demands natural, authentic movement that reflects the way real people carry themselves
• Realistic physicality is subtle, detailed and grounded in character psychology and the given circumstances of the scene
• Method acting techniques, such as affective memory and sensory work, can help actors make embodied, truthful physical choices
• Realistic movement is often more understated than in other genres, with small, specific gestures and behaviors revealing character

Exaggerated movement in farce

• Farce, a style of high-energy comedy based on exaggeration and absurdity, requires bold, physical characterizations to match the outsized humor
• Actors must commit fully to the physical reality of the world, unafraid to make big choices and engage in slapstick, pratfalls and physical gags
• Stock character types in farce, such as the drunk, the cad, the ingenue, and the battle-axe, each have signature postures, gaits and gestures that must be amplified to reach the back of the house
• Precision in timing and choreography is essential for the complex, fast-paced physical humor of farce (slamming doors, near misses, mistaken identities)

Stylized movement in non-realism

• Non-realistic genres, such as expressionism, absurdism, and epic theatre, often employ stylized, abstract or symbolic movement to convey theme and metaphor
• Stylized movement may exaggerate, distort or break from natural human behavior to create a heightened theatrical reality
• Choreography in non-realism may incorporate dance, mime, slow motion, or freeze frames to create arresting stage pictures and convey inner states
• Masks, puppetry and object manipulation are common in non-realistic plays, requiring specialized movement training for actors to animate these forms

Adapting to performance spaces

• Actors must be able to adapt their movement and physicality to the unique demands and possibilities of different performance spaces
• Proscenium stages, the most common configuration with the audience facing the stage directly, allow for greater illusion and fourth-wall realism, while thrust and arena stages surrounded by the audience on three or four sides require more dynamic, three-dimensional blocking
• Alley stages, with the audience on two sides, create an intimate, cinematic playing space that demands subtle, film-style acting
• Found spaces, such as site-specific productions in non-traditional venues, provide opportunities for immersive, environmental storytelling that breaks the boundaries between actors and audience and requires adaptable physicality

Scaling movement for prosceniums

• On a proscenium stage, actors must scale their movement and gestures to read to the back row of the house, which may be a considerable distance from the stage
• Sightlines are a key consideration in proscenium blocking, as actors must cheat out to the audience to keep their faces and bodies visible when in profile
• The fourth wall convention of proscenium realism requires actors to move as if unaware of the audience, maintaining the illusion of a self-contained world on stage
• Entrances and exits must be timed and choreographed to maintain the realism of the world, with actors entering before they begin speaking and continuing their action as they leave the stage

Engaging audiences in thrust stages

• Thrust stages, with the audience on three sides, require actors to think in 360 degrees, creating dynamic, sculptural movement that engages the whole house
• Blocking on a thrust must be carefully choreographed to avoid upstaging and to ensure that each section of the audience regularly gets a frontal view of the actors
• The proximity of the audience to the stage in a thrust configuration creates an intimacy that requires detailed, nuanced acting and the ability to subtly direct focus and attention
• Actors on a thrust can interact more directly with the audience, breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge their presence and even move among them, requiring adaptability and comfort with audience contact

Modifying blocking for found spaces

• Found spaces, such as warehouses, parks, or historic sites, offer unique opportunities and challenges for staging and movement
• Actors may need to modify their blocking and physicality to navigate obstacles, architectural features, and environmental hazards in the space
• Sightlines may be obstructed or audience configuration may shift in a found space, requiring actors to continually adjust their movement and orientation to ensure visibility and audibility
• Entrances and exits may occur through the audience or from unexpected directions in immersive stagings, requiring actors to improvise and adapt to maintain the flow of the story
• Audience proximity and interaction may be heightened in a found space, demanding a level of comfort and ease from actors in intimate, improvisational encounters

Choreography and direction

• Directors and choreographers shape and structure the movement of a production to create dynamic, engaging staging that serves the story
• Actors must be able to take direction and implement choreography, while also offering their own ideas and impulses in a collaborative rehearsal process
• Documenting and notating choreography and blocking allows it to be recreated consistently in each performance and taught to replacement actors
• Effective direction and choreography tailor movement to the unique abilities and limitations of the cast, modifying and adapting to showcase each performer to their best advantage

Collaborating with choreographers

• Actors must be open and receptive to choreographers' direction, trusting their expertise and vision for the movement of a production
• Choreographers may work in a variety of styles, from strict, precise counts and positions to looser, more organic gestural languages, requiring actors to adapt to their process and vocabulary
• Collaboration between actors and choreographers should be a dialogue, with performers offering their own ideas, questions and concerns to co-create movement that feels authentic to their characters
• Actors should be proactive in seeking feedback and guidance from choreographers to ensure they are executing the movement cleanly and effectively

Notating and documenting movement

• Blocking notation allows directors and stage managers to document the movement of a production, providing a record for future revivals or transfers
• Labanotation and Benesh Movement Notation are two common systems for scoring choreography that capture the timing, direction, and quality of each movement
• Blocking shorthand may include abbreviations for stage areas (CS for center stage, DSR for downstage right), numbered positions for each actor, and symbols for actions (X for cross, K for kneel)
• Video recording can also be a useful tool for documenting movement, allowing actors to review their blocking and execution

Adapting choreography for cast

• Directors and choreographers must be flexible in adapting movement to suit the unique physicality, abilities and limitations of each cast member
• Choreography may need to be modified to accommodate physical differences in height, weight, flexibility or mobility between actors
• Replacement actors and understudies must be taught the blocking and choreography, requiring clear notation and the ability to translate and coach the movement
• Actors should communicate openly with the director and choreographer about any physical challenges, injuries or discomfort to allow for accommodations and modifications in the movement