Experiencing Circumstances

Module Fifteen , Experiencing Circumstances presents acting vocabulary and precepts as a springboard to determining and analyzing speech choices in performance. Throughout the module, readers are introduced to new techniques that apply speechwork to acting work. Readers explore the concept of circumstance, which can be considered the foundation that informs all acting and speech choices. Circumstances are explored as both acoustic circumstances and character circumstances. Acoustic circumstances refer to the technical speech requirements necessary to be heard and understood in a variety of environments. Character circumstances refer to the essential story details that inform every aspect of an actor’s’s performance. Readers test the effects of these circumstances separately, then experience what may emerge when they combine circumstances. Readers are then guided through a detailed discussion and analysis of how speechwork informs acting work, as well as the converse.