What is Blocking?
“Hit your mark and say your lines.” So goes the world’s shortest piece of acting advice. And while it’s a little bit reductive, there’s truth to the importance of knowing where to stand and why....
Acting Dictionary
Ever wondered what a director means when they talk about stakes, images, an objective, sides or any other acting terminology? We have put together a collection of articles that unpacks the most common acting terminology. Don’t be embarrassed. Most of these terms are misused and can be hard to get your head around!
Acting Glossary of Terms
For a quick overview of acting terms, click here to read our actor’s glossary!
What is Subtext in Acting?
Words unspoken. Meaningful silences. Talking around the subject. In all of human interaction, subtext can be found wherever we need to convey our thoughts and feelings but don’t want to come right out and say...
What is a Radio Play?
An often forgotten realm of drama is the humble but powerful radio play or radio drama. Back in the day the radio was one of the most popular ways to pass the time. There was...
How to Become a Dramaturg
There is no more mysterious figure in contemporary film and theatre than that of the dramaturg. They lurk in the shadows of the set or rehearsal room, muttering with the director and taking notes. One...
Punctuation for Actors
Punctuation. Oh, man. Punctuation is absolutely vital to an actor’s performance, it is the writer communicating with you the actor about who this character is, how they relate to the world around them and the...
What is an Inner Monologue?
You may have read some alarming news recently that not everyone has an inner monologue, an internal thought process that is constantly ticking over that if you were to print it out would read like...
What are ‘Beats’?
Beats. One of the most common terms in acting training and also one of the most amorphic. It seems like every acting teacher you speak too will have a slightly different interpretation of what exactly...
What is a ‘Side’?
‘Sides’ refers to the selections from a script that an actor is provided as material for an audition. The term ‘sides’ dates all the way back to our friend Will Shakespeare’s day, where actors were...
Images: The Actor’s Hidden Power
I’ve started teaching a beginners acting class recently, and the one thing that has really made a difference between those actors who are struggling in the class and those who are starting to find some...
What are Given Circumstances?
Given Circumstances explained...