Actors Acting Featured Article: About actors and acting... plus a brief history about actors and acting. An actor or actress is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. The term commonly refers to someone working in movies, television, live theatre, or radio, and can occasionally denote a street entertainer. Besides playing dramatic roles, actors may also sing and dance or work only on radio or as a voice artist. The word actor may be used to refer to a male or female performer; this was the original use of the term. Some modern style guides recommend using actor as a gender-neutral term for both male and females, regarding actress as sexist, although this may lead to confusion because of the long-established use of actress. Some female performers prefer the term actress, while others prefer actor. An actor usually plays a fictional character. In the case of a true story (or a fictional story that portrays real people) an actor may play a real person (or a fictional version of the same). Occasionally, actors appear as themselves, as in John Malkovich's performance in the film Being John Malkovich. Actors and actresses employ a variety of techniques that are learned through training and experience. Some of these are: The rigorous use of the voice to communicate a character's lines and express emotion. This is achieved through attention to diction and projection through correct breathing and articulation. It is also achieved through the tone and emphasis that an actor puts on words. Physicalisation of a role in order to create a believable character for the audience and to use the acting space appropriately and correctly. Use of gesture to complement the voice, interact with other actors and to bring emphasis to the words in a play, as well as having symbolic meaning. The first recorded case of an actor performing took place in 534 BC when the Greek performer Thespis stepped on to the stage at the Theatre Dionysus and became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play. Prior to Thespis' act, stories were told in song and dance and in third person narrative, but no one had assumed the role of a character in a story. In honour of Thespis, actors are commonly called "Thespians". Theatrical legend to this day maintains that Thespis exists as a mischievous spirit, and disasters in the theatre are sometimes blamed on his ghostly intervention - and all along we thought it was the Phantom! ;) In the past, only men could become actors in many societies. In ancient Greece, Rome and the medieval world, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on the stage, and this belief continued up until the 17th century, when in Venice the trend was broken. In the time of William Shakespeare, women's roles were generally played by men or boys and the British prohibition against women becoming actors ended in the reign of Charles II who enjoyed watching female actors (actresses) on stage. Actors were traditionally not people of high status, and in the Early Middle Ages travelling acting troupes were often viewed with distrust. In many parts of Europe, actors could not even receive a Christian burial, and traditional beliefs of the region and time period held that this left any actor forever condemned. However, this negative perception was largely reversed in the 19th and 20th centuries as acting has become an honored and popular profession and art. Part of the cause was attributed to the easier and popular access to dramatic film entertainment, resulting in the rise of the movie star — as regards both their social status, their huge trailers and the salaries they command. The combination of public presence, popularity, entertainment value and wealth has profoundly rehabilitated the actors image... and as they say in the classics "...and the rest is history!" With the brief history lesson out of the way, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... ...presenting Actors Acting, an online amateur performer and patron community for those amongst us who live for the shimmering spotlight, for those who are addicted to the accolades and the applause, for those that crave the colourful charismatic costumes, for those exploding with excitement and anticipation of a new live production, and for all those within our ranks who dread the forthcoming crit, the Actors Acting web site is just what the director ordered! Break a leg! http://www.actorsacting.com.au/

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