The Evolution of Acting Techniques

Who is considered the first actor?

Which civilization created the first system of emotional sign language?

Who developed the method of psycho-physical actions?

Which theater critic believed that accepting fake emotions in entertainment would affect every area of our lives, including politics?

Who eliminated the fourth wall and used constructivism, scenery scaffold, and ranges to identify character action types?

Which acting teacher wrote The Art of Acting An Essay, which included using different poses and a mirror to rehearse?

Which acting technique emphasized purposeful doing and free creativity?

A Brief History of Acting Techniques

The Greeks believed that strong emotions caused illness and created the first system of emotional sign language.
Thespis was considered the first actor and Quintilian trained orators for the judicial system.
Romans believed that fake emotion was more artistic than actual emotion and created the first "safe" way to portray emotions.
Salon was the first theater critic who believed that accepting fake emotions in entertainment would affect every area of our lives, including politics.
Aaron Hill became the first acting teacher in 1753 and wrote The Art of Acting An Essay, which included using different poses and a mirror to rehearse.
Delsarte in France developed decomposing exercises, which led to the creation of artificial, melodramatic, and dramatic poses.
Steel MacKaye took Delsarte's ideas to America and created Delsarte Mania, which included corsets and wooden legs.
Stanislavski in Russia developed the method of psycho-physical actions and emphasized internal technique with outer technique.
Meyerhold in Russia eliminated the fourth wall and used constructivism, scenery scaffold, and ranges to identify character action types.
Strasburg in America continued to develop Method Acting and emphasized purposeful doing and free creativity.
Each acting technique developed as a reaction to the previous one, with a focus on realism, emotional expression, or social commentary.
The history of acting techniques shows the evolution of how actors approach their craft, from external focus to internal focus, from artificial to realistic, and from one-dimensional to complex.

Think you know the history of acting? Test your knowledge with our quiz on the evolution of acting techniques! From the Greeks' emotional sign language to Stanislavski's method of psycho-physical actions, this quiz will take you on a journey through the development of acting approaches. Discover how each technique built upon the previous one, and how the focus shifted from external to internal, from artificial to realistic, and from one-dimensional to complex. Don't miss the chance to learn about the fascinating history of