Page 120 - Theatre_Arts_Form_5

Theatre Arts for Advanced Secondary Schools

Body: The body of a performer is used to move around the space, shape character,
and perform a myriad of skills. For example, performers may use their faces to
express emotions that the character is feeling. A performer uses the body as carrier
of costumes, masks, props and makeup. Body pauses and movement patterns,
styles, paces and directions communicate to the audience important information
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about character used effectively by a performer. Performer’s body is an arsenal
of signs and communication codes. The performer works intensively to explore
the range their bodies reach when used as a tool to express artistically intended
messages during performances. A performer may opt to use body aspects such
as gestures, facial expressions and other mimetic actions simultaneously or
separately to stress the action and characterisation.

Imagination: One of the key tools of performers is imagination. It normally
brings the body and the voice together. A performing artist is limited to
imagination that essentially turns the performer to a character. Imagination
creates worlds, takes body and voice and combines or eliminates the one that is
not needed to create different kinds of theatrical, audio or screen experiences.
When imagination opts for voice only it creates sound scape; when utilizes only
the body it creates tableau scene or mime; and when the complete set is used the
result is a thorough performance rich enough to realize the character out of the
performer. Imagination is vital for every performer who wishes for success in
any performing career. Performers should develop imaginative intellect to excel
in creative thinking. It is the duty of the performers to tune their minds to capture
details of everyday life and adopt them for suitable use in performances. In this
case, the minds of performers must continuously be sharp to pick up and gauge
facts and then apply effectively in their performing duties. Performers are agents
of characters. They should be thoroughly involved in the emotional world of
their characters without compromising the technical needs of articulation and
projection of the performance.

Activity 4.9

Conduct an interview with actors for screen to investigate their experiences
of using their body, voice and imagination during their performance.

Form Five 110

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