Good acting is creative, artistic acting. The acting moment cannot be duplicated by anyone else, including the actor who created the moment in the first place.   Let's call that UNDUPLICATABLE ACTING.
    Even though the actors know what words they are going to say, and they know the moves they're going to make, and they know on which line they are going to make the move, they still don't know exactly when and how they are going to do it.
    They are surprised by how it happens tonight versus last night versus next week.
Stanislawski talked about his system guiding the actor each night up to the threshold of creativity, and sometimes you step through the threshold into the magical moment of creativity, and surprise yourself.
    "Creativity is that which is not yet".  If something already exists, you can't then create it.  It was created earlier.  If an actor plans his performance well, and I believe totally in rehearsing and getting lines and movement down thoroughly, then the actor can relax and  produce the lines and movement, in a way that's new to them that night,---in a state of artistry.  That's also called being in the moment,  or being in the now.
    Most actors will say that being in the moment is hard to try to do directly.  Some of the techniques we'll be talking about are such that if you do concentrate on the technique, and take your mind off trying  to be in the moment, then all of a sudden you are in the moment.  And then a second later you're NOT in the moment, and then you ARE, and then you're NOT
    Many actors  talk about their experience of being in the moment. They say it's chancy, they don't know in which scene it's going to occur, or if it will happen at all that night.  They're happy if it does happen for a minute or two or three or four.  Then they feel they've achieved something important.
    It's relaxing to let go and allow your creative self to produce the words and the movement.  You allow yourself to be surprised by HOW and WHEN you do the movement
    If you are required to make the movement sspecifiically between two words, you'll do so.   But at the same time you're surprised by exactly how, and exactly when between the two words you make the movement.  i..e. "Wow, I've never done it that way before.

Part One of Acting Seminar given by Ted Sarantos on NOV 12, 2007      CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO.

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