Word: actor
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Johnston not only disapproves of realism but also lashes out against the Stanislavsky method of acting. "The illusion of realism in the theatre is one of the biggest illusions of all. The slice of life is no more real than melodrama, which is considered outdated. To tell the actor to go out on the stage and imagine he's wrestling with an alligator is useless except in a play such as Peter Pan, which is not in the Stanislavsky tradition...
...actually better for an actor not to feel his part. The best people to convey love-making on the stage are those who don't feel...
...Most of the business performed on the stage, too, is illusion. The art of creating a play is the art of creating illusion, and acting is the ability to convey the illusion of emotion. Any actor who believes he can improve his performance by carrying on stage the actual ashes of his grandmother is simply daffy...
Johnston defends the repertory theatre vigorously. "The repertory side of the theatre is the most interesting side, because it is the only place where the actor can play a great many roles and where the author can see his plays tried out without their having to be rewritten...
Having perfomed so well as the wastrel Prince, Gervasi showed remarkable change-of-pace in the ensuing excerpt, the abdication scene from Richard II. Richard so completely dominates this section that its success rests solely on the ability of the actor portraying him. Gervasi met all the requirements...