Knowing the words to a tune

[mr. beaumont]

As someone who spent half a lifetime in the theatre, I can assure you that this very rarely happens.

Also, for a couple of years "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" was "Never No Lament" with no lyrics.

Perhaps then, knowing the history of a tune is just as important...

Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count" doesn't have or need any words. It conveys it's feeling perfectly just with the melody...but once you know the story of that title, boy...then it'll GUT you.

[emanresu]

Perhaps then, knowing the history of a tune is just as important...

Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count" doesn't have or need any words. It conveys it's feeling perfectly just with the melody...but once you know the story of that title, boy...then it'll GUT you.

She guts it too!

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

That is a popularly held but hugely distorted view of "method" acting, which by the way was how a number of Americans and directors teachers like Lee Strasberg interpreted the "system" of the Russian director Konstantin Stanislavski. The Actors Studio, which was founded by Strasberg and some other contemporaries, along with Stella Adler, Herbert Berghof, and other influential teachers in New York City, promulgated various interpretations of this "method."

IIRC, Stanislavski never specifically called any of his teachings “method acting”. This was an outgrowth of the NY group to whom you refer. A (and maybe the key) component of Stanislavski’s systems approach to acting was based on what he perceived as a clear dichotomy between experiencing or feeling a role and simply playing it.

I think there’s validity to this. It’s the difference between having your own musical style arising from your knowledge, feelings, and experience vs trying to emulate the playing styles and sounds of others. Were I Dustin Hoffman, my response to Sir Larry would have been “I would have resorted to that if I couldn’t get tired enough, but it would have been sloppy seconds”.

[emanresu]

That’s called method acting. It was developed by Lee Strasberg and a few directors who taught acting in New York about 100 years ago. But I don’t think going crazy was an integral tenet. They only went crazy when the characters they were playing went crazy.

When back in school, we had musicians, dancers, actors and some other people studying there.
There was a smoking room where all the people met all the time.
I did ask one acting student "when you constantly behave as an another person, could it be dangerous in long term, could it make you crazy?"
And he said, "yes, it is a problem, this can happen and has happened". But then the cigarette was done and we didn't discuss it further.