An Actor Prepares

At the beginning of class, the students once again play the game in which they imagine that a madman is hiding behind the door. They are playing with confidence and are thus surprised when Tortsov and Rakhmanov declare their acting to be “false, insincere and affective” (163). Although they managed to recreate their original staging perfectly, their performance focused on the external, without motivating their actions internally. When the exercise was fresh, they were surprised, as things occurred naturally; this time, they anticipated them. Tortsov reassures them that this is normal in their training, adding, “the unexpected is often a most effective lever in creative work. […] A ready-made external form is a terrible temptation to an actor” (165-66). Although they remembered their actions, they did not demonstrate “emotion memory” (166): the ability to remember how they felt in the moment. Tortsov tells them that they must use the method they have been practicing to “introduce new imaginative elements that will arouse [their] dormant feelings” (167). Tortsov promises to test their emotion memory at the next class.

Kostya is called up first in order to test his emotion memory. Tortsov asks him to recall moments that were particularly emotional in his life and whether he can bring back emotion that is just as powerful.