INTRODUCTION

Acting from the Ultimate Consciousness is the fourth in a series of books on acting—a particular system of acting. The approach is based on the Stanislavsky Method, but only in terms of the basic theories. The process explored in my books is a complete one, It addresses the actor’s instrumental needs as well as providing him with a specific craft. In my other books, No Acting Please, Being & Doing, and Irreverent Acting, I deal with the elimination of acting obstacles and with a specific craft process for fulfilling material. While the first two books mainly address themselves to the actor’s instrument, exploring hundreds of exercises and techniques designed to free that instrument of blocks and obstacles, the third book, Irreverent Acting, devotes itself entirely to the process—the craft of acting—discussing, exploring, experimenting with the specific techniques and approaches that take the actor to the fulfillment of the obligations of material.

In this book, I have attempted to explore and document work that I have been experimenting with for many years, in my classes and as a director. These areas are seldom, if ever, confronted in the actor’s training or in acting texts. The book starts with consciousness—what it is and how to elevate it. Consciousness is the prerequisite to the ultimate consciousness, an incredible state, which when attained by an actor is electrifying both to him and the audience. Since the unconscious is where the greatest part of all talent lives, the process of reaching and communicating with it is totally explored through techniques that create a liaison between consciousness and the unconscious.

In addition to taking this esoteric journey, the book deals with ensemble, the highest state of creative relating on the stage, a place most actors strive to reach. Ensemble is explored pragmatically through exercises and approaches which take the actor to the threshold of incredible involvement experiences. Characterization, a process that has become as complex as the structure of the brain, is demystified and put into a perspective that any actor can understand and apply. The text continues into unexplored areas, teaching the actor how to chart and keep journals, so that he can document the process of his craft and have a blueprint to follow from scene to scene. In the final sections, rehearsing is explored. How to rehearse in the different mediums, film and theater, is explained, and an example is given of ten complete rehearsals between two actors who are building the realities that will fulfill the obligations of a specific scene. For years, I have heard actors and directors complain that they did not know specifically what to do in a rehearsal. These ten samples take them step by step from one rehearsal to the next.

This book stands entirely on its own and can be used separately from the others. However, it can best be realized, particularly in specific craft areas such as obligations, choices and choice approaches, when used in tandem with Irreverent Acting. All four books complement each other and comprise a compendium of acting that will serve the serious actor for a lifetime.