Presentational or Representational Acting

Two different approaches to acting, used and debated by many, are known as Presentational and Representational acting. Actors of each method are highly respected for their work, but their approaches are very different, and so they are praised for very different reasons. Representational actors are very colorful, loud, external based, and formalistic in their approach. However, Presentational actors are very emotional and inwardly drawn as if straight from the soul of a real human being. To this day, people continue to debate over which approach is the “right” approach, but after studying both, it can be said that a healthy dose of each would suffice.

The Presentational actor seeks to expose truthful human behavior by using his or her own personal way of understanding or feeling in order to communicate what the character is trying to reveal to the audience. Within this approach, the actor tries to “live the part” or “truly experience the role.” Actors that apply Presentational acting believe that naturally, as they connect their emotions with that of the characters, they will encounter the characters actions, and experience their emotions each moment. When Eleanora Duses’ role required her to swear to her husband she was innocent of unfaithfulness, she chose to speak the words sincerely and calmly. Instead of repeating herself three times, (as the script required), she spoke her innocence twice and used the third beat to place her hand on her son’s head while gazing at her husband. This approach brought forth more of a truthful, intimate, emotional expression, and her performance brought the audience to tears.

The Representational actor, like Sarah Bernhardt, purposely prefers to “imitate” or “present the character’s behavior” while not allowing any of his or her true self or emotions to interfere. For example, if an actor that follows a Representational approach begins to cry real tears during a scene, they would be guilty of letting their personal emotions interfere with the characters, which can endanger or blur the story. Representational acting is “playing the part” or “pretending.” The actor will try to convince the audience that they are the character. They look at the outcome of the character’s objective and observe how he or she obtained it. When Bernhardt played the similar role to Duse, where she also had to convince her husband she was innocent of adultery, her Representational approach caused her to build and vocalize her thoughts, while shouting her last line. Bernhardt’s audience stood in fiery admiration.

These two approaches to acting have both shaped some amazing actors. Become Amazing.-Actors Nook Team