Introduction to the A.R.T. Acting System: Acting with Precision

By Rory Feeney

The A.R.T. System represents a major step forward in the clarity of Actor Training. At its heart lies the Action-Response-Thought cycle, a sequence of three distinct modes of activity that are fundamental to all human interaction. With detailed examples and exercises throughout, this book utilises a step-by-step process to introduce the reader t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rory Feeney Actor Training
• Release date: May 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781739347314

Rory Feeney

Rory Feeney has been training actors at some of the world's top Drama Schools and independently for over 20 years; many have gone on to achieve major success in Hollywood, Broadway, London's West End and celebrated TV productions.

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Rory Feeney

Introduction to the A.R.T. Acting System

First published by Rory Feeney Actor Training April 2023

Second edition May 2023

ISBNs pbk 978-1-7393473-2-1

ebk 978-1-7393473-1-4

Copyright © 2023 Rory Feeney

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher; nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The right of Rory Feeney to be identified as the author of the work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Cover design Dominic Brighton

Typesetting www.ShakspeareEditorial.org

Excerpts from A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen are reproduced with the kind permission of Project Gutenberg.

Foreword

This book was originally written as a set of modules to accompany a course composed of eight sections; it was then edited to serve as a guide for tutors and course leaders and is now being made available to experienced and novice actors as an introduction to the A.R.T. system.

Although it is divided into chapters, these sections would best be viewed as modules to be worked on using the exercises provided, and the concepts applied to text and improvised situations, before moving on to the next section. To aid the reader’s understanding, important words and concepts are capitalised. For the experienced actor or course leader it may be read from cover to cover in one sitting and be clearly understood, but it is intended to accompany a steady process of application and development.

There are many different approaches to actor training. Few if any are regarded as complete and nearly all contain conflicts with other systems.

Within each school of thought there are differing degrees of haziness or lack of precision, which can lead even the most diligent student to feel lost or at best unclear on how to apply the ideas presented.

The A.R.T. System is an attempt to formulate a clear and precise framework for dealing with many of the fundamental parameters that exist within the wide field of actor training. It is by no means intended to be complete as it merely touches on the parameters of movement and voice, doesn’t mention previous circumstances or a character’s past life and makes no attempt to cover the complex area of character development.

What this book does attempt to do is to open the door to clear and precise control of many aspects of an actor’s range and allow dynamic control of the parameters of drama within scenes. Although its application will be useful in improvised work, the primary intention for its use is acting with dialogue.

Introduction

Acting is often described as an art, sometimes a craft and very occasionally a science. This may be because the skills or tools required to be a good actor are extremely varied and as a complete set are very difficult, if not impossible, to list or define. While there are elements in which certainty can be found, much of the terrain that actor and director negotiate is hazy and vague.

The A.R.T. System is an attempt to clearly define parameters which will accurately describe and control the many intangible forces at play within human interaction. The mechanisms used are directly based on what actually happens in real life, and as a consequence the results attain new levels of naturalism.

This is a nuts-and-bolts system, and actors working with the system will train each parameter separately, learning how to manipulate dynamics clearly and efficiently. Once rudimentary training has been covered, the actor will be able to make small and precise changes which will in turn produce startlingly powerful effects.

Although the A.R.T. System initially seems to be highly technical in nature, well-trained actors who have been introduced to the system have praised the freedom and clarity which it allows. As with many detailed approaches to all sorts of skills, the learner must fully embrace basic training before they can harvest the fruits of their early labour.

1: Playing Objectives

All dialogue can be linked to at least one Objective, in that the speaker is using words in an attempt to achieve something, primarily from the person or persons being addressed.

Humans developed speech as a means to help satisfy needs, and these needs will differ greatly in their level of importance and urgency. A need for food may be ranked higher than a need for love, and a need for love may rank higher than a need for reassurance. Sometimes the Objective will be explicitly stated in the line, but often there will be other Objectives being pursued.

One of the simplest and most common phrases is ‘Hello’, but what might the Objective be? At first one might decide that it is ‘to let the other person know I’m here’, but unless they can’t see or hear you, the Objective must be something more than simply alerting them to your presence.

If there’s a possibility that they don’t know you’re there (perhaps you’ve entered a shop and it appears to be empty), then your Objective may be ‘to let the other person know that I’m not a thief’ or ‘to reassure the other person that I’m polite, friendly and honest’. If you compare these two Objectives you may conclude that the second encompasses the first, i.e. a thief is not usually deemed to be polite, friendly and honest. In fact, in this kind of situation the Objective will actually cover more than this, as we shall see.

What will determine whether we say hello to somebody or not? It will usually be because we already have, or we expect to have, some kind of relationship with that person.

The best way to discover the Objective is to ask ‘What Response do I want from the person I’m talking to?’ With a greeting such as ‘Hello’ we usually want the other person to acknowledge our presence, or our worth and value, either generally or in the context of that specific location, so the person may nod or smile and offer a similar greeting.

If we look at unsatisfactory Responses they will usually be the opposite of this: a look of disapproval or unfriendliness, or perhaps even a Response such as ‘What are you doing here?’, will usually be unsatisfactory.

By looking at unsatisfactory outcomes we will often discover that the Objective is the opposite of that outcome. A good way to discover an obscure Objective is to imagine the worst outcome and then determine the exact opposite. For example, the worst outcome from the phrase ‘I like your new hat’ may be a Response such as ‘I don’t care what you think!’; this suggests that the Objective may be the opposite, something like ‘to get the other person to acknowledge the value of my opinion’ or, if the speaker is relatively unacquainted with the person, ‘to make the other person see the value of becoming my friend’.

So we can see that the Objective of a greeting such as ‘Hello’ will often be something like ‘to make the other person acknowledge the value of my presence’.

This will of course vary according to character and situation.

The Objective of saying ‘Hello’ at