Acting role - what is it?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Many, thinking about acting talent, thought about such a definition as the role of an artist. Today we will talk about this and try to understand: a role is a sentence, a cliche, which, according to K. S. Stanislavsky, does not allow the actor to develop his individuality, or still the opportunity to understand in which roles the talent will manifest itself most clearly.

So, what is the role?

The word "role" came to us from the French language, where it means "place, position, method of application." In theatrical art, this word defines the roles in which the actor is mainly occupied, depending on his psychological and physical characteristics, while not forgetting his level of skill and playing technique.

How did the concept of "role" appear in theatrical art? What did this word mean in the 15th century?

In the European theater in the second half of the 15th century, there is a division of actors by type. The first and most ancient, as you understand, were the roles of the tragedian and comedian, which appeared in ancient Greece, and then tohe was joined by such allegorical images as Good, Envy, Reason, as well as a fool (jester), demon, etc.

Later, already in the 17th century, kings, tyrants, beauties, heroes, villains appear among theatrical images. Interest in the individual is growing, and with it the roles of the actors playing them are expanding.

At the Catherine's Theater in Russia, by decree of the Empress, the troupe was recruited strictly according to their characters: hero, simpleton (comic role), noble father, phat, heroine, comic old woman, travesty, ingenue, soubrette. Such a selection of actors allowed the theater to perform both tragedies and comic performances.

How acting roles expanded

The actors' clear roles helped them get deeply into the character, choosing techniques that accurately and vividly portray the hero. But with the development of theatrical art and dramaturgy, they could no longer be within the same mask-image, and therefore there was a tendency among actors to break it, playing both comic and tragic roles. This led to a more subtle and ambiguous performance, as well as a deep and comprehensive perception of the viewer of the situation shown on the stage.

Has acting disappeared? What does this concept mean now?

Development in the 20th century. avant-garde forms of theatrical art has again returned to us "masks" - the role of the actor. An example is the Raikin Theatre, which actively uses this technique.

But the rest of the actors of the theater and cinema, too, sometimes cannot get rid of their role completely. After all, we allwe understand that often the type, features of appearance or the manner of playing predetermine for the artist those roles to which he will be invited most often. And it is almost impossible to break this stereotype.

And once again about the role

So, acting role - what is it? Is it good or bad to get bogged down in a type, in a limited idea of \u200b\u200bits capabilities? Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question. Diversity is the unique ability of an actor to shine equally brightly in any image. But, choosing a performer for the role, the director will still rely on his external data, because it is difficult to imagine a freckled girl playing the role of Katerina in The Thunderstorm. So as long as the acting profession exists, the role of the actor will exist.