Acting is the art (1971)

so you'll gather you concentrate disease God give you my know what you're doing it was one word remember once already talked about for you this is a dramatic workshop conducted at James Weldon Johnson school on the west side of Chicago involves children from the court and fifth grade we attempted in a nine-week period to give them some of the tools of acting the basic concept that we use is that acting is the art of making an audience believe that real things are happening to real people acting is the are you that much is right making an audience real thing my name is Jonathan life and I like real real good okay here we have the introductory game it's used to start the children communicating with each other we start from the inside we start with believing we start the feeling we do not teach the child to act we allow the child to feel and to think if the feelings and the thoughts are there the reactions are true and we can make the audience feeling that a real thing we are happening to real people basic in all art the sensitivity we define sensitivity as the capacity to feel passionately about our surroundings if we feel strongly about anything we react and the reaction of the artists can be in the form of a poem story a dance or any art together with sensitivity we use imagination imagination is the capacity to project past the noun the capacity to create pictures in the mind with sensitivity and imagination we create these are the basis of crea tivity creativity is to bring into being that which is not on never was the children use their feelings use their thoughts use their imagination to create and to community we use communicating to mean transferring a thought from one mine to another but the actor not only transfers thoughts he also transfers feelings the children are taught to communicate their feelings to an audience and now that's great this letter lovely he like less delivered waiting like Jonah his name is Tyrone you like to make to never Japanese like just sitting there is my games are used because children like games children become involved in games without being inhibited by their surroundings or past experience how anything you are before you know there's nothing here pick up the morning where the game of the hot potato merck throwing is used to begin communicating a child must communicate directly one person to another transferring thought we use the mud as if it were thought but it must be transferred directly from one person to another the children in the circle must know from whom the mud is coming and to whom it is going the children are encouraged to deal with imaginary objects as if they are really to get the child used to creating the illusion of reality we must learn the properties of real objects if we are to deal with the imaginary objects as if they are real things do not know about an object if you're going to handle it just like you do in real life who knows one of them all right Joe wait wait all objects have wait feathers have with a paper have we preach their fries another shape the shape of all right you must know the shape of object the object that you have all right sides we must know sighs s3 we have great shape and size let's take a girl okay so that's holy the pill hi location that's right all objects are somewhere has one more and that is thickness now who would like to show me an object in such a way that we will know what it is just by the way you handle it all right but I don't ever read when you are pick it up and show it to me what it is so how big it is weight of it and okay and she's also shown what you do with it what is that object everybody of all all right well now okay sure you show us one watch it what will she do it very good all right excellent who knows what it is an apple was it an apple very good okay ronalyn joshua watch your little fish where is the thickness of that receiver or I'll give it away what is everybody knew this time I want you to find out where that weight affects you what part of the body image issues it is in your junk in your arms Justin your legs just in this water body Justin you're plating and that now try things we do now come on the field everywhere and way is pushing against you let in your face in the bar is it in your arm push up with it push up feel it feel it sharp with come on up push push against it push against and push on all the way it hasn't given up so you can't give up keep pushing keep pushing so you get up there all right now yes do you bringing they haven't given up you're still holding it very good Mickey move and audience real thing okay show me what a sweetie all right I want the girls read this legal now so everybody of the girls were threatening while the boys pitch the ball okay using imaginary objects help to stimulate the imagination of the child children love to imagine if we can free that imagination from inhibitions the child is free to create know how big is no other doubt how big it is okay and creating the illusion of reality not only the hands or the mind but the total body must be involved if we are going to make an audience believe that real things are happening to do a count how many nobody's how so always how we of employers know where you up this video call we try to get the children to involve themselves totally to concentrate and bring their muscles their bodies their mind and their feelings into place concentration is one of the best methods of preventing or overcoming inhibitions if we concentrate on what we're doing we do not have time to be afraid we're not distract it because our mind is totally focused take your time gerald and do it right and let me get you all right do you believe those who looks more like they're so do you believe oh you got to make them believe it you've got them and make them believe it I want no girl what's wrong you believe the most which one do you believe whether that's in the chair with one of your children as audience grow to respect each other as performers to respect each other's art and each other's creativity funny arrival okay after you I is the heart aggregate that I are making it obvious make sure you have a children are encouraged to utilize their own experience as a frame of reference we do not try to superimpose and experience upon them they are encouraged to create the games the plots the stories themselves it carries about whether we feel they are right whether we feel they are complete the important fact is it's theirs is their experience is their background these are eating with make sure you show the objects that you're having I want to need it I want to believe it I don't believe you you're giggling Albany your body is not serious stop stop instead of look at you go until you get Siri in exploring the basic ingredients of a scene or a story we use the concept of the three C's conflict climax and conclusion conflict is normally defined as a problem which the children must solve and bring to a logical conclusion in so doing we must bring the story to a climax the turning point at which you find out how the story is coming out once the children understand the basic ingredients conflict climax and conclusion they then can go ahead to put together their own plays and own stories they become more readily involved because they are dealing with it from their own frame of reference to get the children further involved we use the game of charades whereby a child rights the name of a story or a plate and the opposing team has to act it out so that his team knows the name of that face book or story all right what is your argument against that many of our classes are out of doors natural environment broadens the scope of the plot and it stimulates that imagination you must have an argument against everything she said until one person convinces the other you might trip and fall out too deeply all right get out in deep all right let's let's hear that now you girls created the story of one of the girls wanting to swim and wanting the other girl to go with them the other girl did not know how the swim will endless order a problem of one person convincing another which is very important in creating dialogue my file out there deep in the one might throw me all the way you can get on my back women that can put a little heavy to get on your bag buffers might go down ok I'll go soon but I'll go too far ok ok acting is the art of making that audience believe are real things are happening to real people one of the most exciting stories that the children originated was ten thousand dollars for the birds an old huncles was died calls his two nephews to his side and tells him that he has ten thousand dollars in the bank which he is going to leave to them for their education and to make their life better don't go however there's one stipulation part of the money is to be used to buy food to feed the pigeons as he is accustomed to doing in his lifetime the conflict comes when one of the boys wants to take the money and use it for his own enjoyment and he says forget about the pigeons because the old uncle will not know anyway however the other boy wants to carry out his uncle's wishes one of the boys tells the other that if he does not do what his uncle wished that his uncle will return and fought him as a ghost the ghost really comes back to haunt him an excellent use of the children's imagination background and experience yeah they created the TV burglar we're a group of youngsters are watching TV and a burglar in her to the house acting is the other mechanisms for me there were things that happen it's a real people and the faces and actions of the children you can see that they are totally involved in what they're doing this involvement will make an audience believe that real things are happening to real people when using the children as audience we asked them do you believe it if we don't believe it then we cannot make an audience believe it acting is the art of making an audience believe that real things are happening making it important to be there visiting too happy to be a theme acting as the art of making that audience believe our real things are happening to real people acting is the artifact of the hoarders the good things that happen yeah accident auto makers of morning with things that happen to you acting is the auto making it audience believe they're beauties that happen in real people