Skådespelarens praktiska kunskap

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155 Skådespelarens praktiska kunskap – Maria Johansson one that in the end will stand on stage representing the collective work process. This creates a desire for concrete workable images rather than theories for their own sake. If it works, use it. If it doesn’t work, use something else. During my research for the dissertation I found the term “Lesbian rule” in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. A mason’s ruler made of lead so that it is adjustable when measuring an uneven surface. The idea that “an unspecified phenomenon demands a flexible rule”, is appealing to me since it in many ways explains the actors’ relation to theory and method. In the chapter entitled Intuition, the actors discuss the meaning and use of this term. Intuition proves to be difficult to communicate in the work process. Since the actor always has to show the results physically, intuition is important but often seems to get lost due to its abstract nature. Some of the actors felt that they allowed themselves to trust their intuition more when they were younger: “Nowadays I think too much!” While some of the actors feel the opposite, the ability of trusting their intuition has gained with age and experience. Instead of using the terms “concentration” or “presence” (närvaro), I prefer “what-is- currently-going-on” (det som-för-närvarande-försiggår). In my personal experience, rather than just concentrating on my lines or colleagues I have to allow myself to be aware of everything that passes through my mind. Working with my intuition is fruitful here. It helps me sense what is needed in the moment, in what-is-currently-going-on. But actors don’t seem to discuss intuition while working. It is sometimes referred to as a daft thing to do. It seems as if intuition works on an individual level and that the actors prefer to keep it that way, rather than communicating it. For the actor, intuition is only one of the parameters active in the process of creating and performing a role, and it has to work within the context. Based on Aristotle’s thoughts on experience and the Swedish philosopher Hans Larsson’s view on intuition, I have found a key perspective on intuition; the use of experience in focusing on the current situation, will allow you to feel the freedom to act intuitively. “Agile attentiveness”. In the next chapter, courage is discussed. Largely the actors avoid the word courage. They tend to use more common expressions, dare or venture (att våga), to describe their struggle. At the same time it seems as if some sort of courage is needed just becoming an actor, and to accept and survive in the uncertain social and economic environment that the world of theatre implies. The exposure of yourself and your feelings in front of other people also takes its toll. The toughest part is in many ways that the actor in every moment is publically exposed and judged. For every new production the actor has to ask her- or himself if the choices made for
156 Skådespelarens praktiska kunskap – Maria Johansson the representation of this character are possible to reproduce over and over again. The desire to create a complex character can sometimes put the actor in uncomfortable situations on stage, and the actor is the one left to pay the price. Your personal wellbeing has to be carefully balanced with your high artistic ambitions. Being an actor means taking part in a collective process. This means following your own personal path in searching for your characterization and, at the same time, adjusting to your colleagues’ choices and the overall vision of the production. Sometimes this equation does not work, and the actor stands before the choice of continuing to act in a production s/he does no longer believe in, or even sympathize with, and leaving the production. The actors describe this as the most difficult and at the same time most courageous thing to do; to leave. You leave colleagues and friends it a rough situation, something that is never easy to do. It also means you walk out into an uncertain future, “Have I burned all bridges behind me now? Will I be forever regarded as a troublesome actor?” For the actor an anecdote about acting means more than just a funny story. It is also a way of practicing and showing your skills as an actor and often relate to the harsh life of acting. A central part in an actor’s life is facing new work situations, different ensembles and people you’ve never worked with or even met before. The anecdote then tells who you are, where and with whom you’ve worked before. You explain yourself in a context of your own choice. With an anecdote you can share former experiences of difficult situations, explain a theory through a concrete example or just lighten up the mood when needed. It gives the feel of not being alone, of tradition and possibilities. What does the creative process mean to the actor? In some ways the art of acting is also the art of forgetting. Acting on stage means performing the same play again and again, saying the same lines in the same situation. At the same time I must react as if it was the first time I was in this specific situation. Here I have to balance doing as we’ve decided in rehearsals, with being open and receiving impulses from fellow actors. It is vital that everyone in the production can reach some sort of agreement of how and why the play is performed in the way it is performed. The actors can then rely on the hermeneutical principle that the performance as a whole is built through individual parts that in their turn are understood in relation to the whole. In the meeting with the audience the play is lived over and over again as if for the first time. This is in many ways a phenomenological process of observing the phenomenon as it occurs,
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SENTER FOR PRAKTISK KUNNSKAP Skåde
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John: Men det beror ju också på v
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ANEKDOTER En invigningsrit 84 Skåd
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Page 125 and 126: Lisen: Ja, som det blir något kons
Page 155: Summary 154 Skådespelarens praktis
Page 163 and 164: Luterkort, Ingrid, Skådespelarens
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Skådespelarens praktiska kunskap

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