Exercise 7 Doing Vs. Being (0pts)

Have students in groups of five or six do the following commands for thirty seconds on stage.

1. Stand in front of the class. Don’t move.

2. Be dignified. Have the students hold a dignified state.

3. Look sexy.

4. Relax. (Don’t let them lie on the floor.)

5. Count the # of men in the room.

6. Count the # of women in the room.

(Ask the students on stage how activities 1-4 made them feel. Then ask them about 5-6.)

I’m sure the first few minutes were agonizing with the 1-4 activities- It’s hard to look sexy, appear dignified or just know that you are being stared at. This puts the focus on the self. But, with the last two activities, the students on stage were doing something. The focus moves away from the self and onto the physical activity. An actor can’t simply “Be” something or somebody without being acutely self-conscious. Thus, the only way for an actor to truly relax is to do something. It takes their mind off themselves!