What Makes a Good Actor?: Concentration of Attention

It is important for actors to be able to concentrate on their performance. But because there are many people around actors (film crews or live audiences), this can be very tricky. Stanislavski notes the importance of not blocking out the audience completely. They are an integral part to character acting.

In order to best maintain concentration, Stanislavski stresses the importance of achieving what he terms public solitude. We learned about emotional memory, physical actions, and imagination in our previous series and all of those concepts will play an important part in concentration of attention.

Actors must maximize the available attention placed on physical action and imagination. Rather than merely pretend to see, think, or hear while performing, using physical actions and imagination will enable an actor's concentration to be brought to the next level.

In order to use all of the tools to the best of an actor's ability, Stanislavski developed a system of circles of attention. As these circles increase in size, it becomes more and more difficult to concentration and be attentive to the objects located therein.

• Small circle of attention -- This is the area immediately surrounding an actor and includes the actor himself along with any closely nearby object.
  

• Medium circle of attention -- An expanded area that could include a group of actors and nearby objects.
  

• Large circle of attention -- The largest area of concentration, this includes everything seen on stage or set.
  

Because it is difficult to maintain focus on something such as an entire stage, actors must work inwardly between the circles to gather focus and outwardly between the circles once their attention is centered.

Exercises

To practice using circles of attention, an object is necessary for a prop. Give yourself a certain period of time to study every possible detail of the object in depth. Once you have finished, recall the object.

Then, study an object that is a little farther away and after that study one that is even farther. Give yourself less and less time to look at the object and take in its details. Remember to alter your senses. Don't just look, but fell, listen, smell, and taste.

This will help you when you are performing and must see something in character. Rather than just looking at the object, your character will begin to see it and take in its features. When audiences can tell that a character is really looking (or hearing, smelling, etc.), they will be more inclined to absorb the action and object as well.

It's all about believing. Actors must be attentive in order to fully believe (imagine) circumstances and to physically act according to those circumstances. Only then will the audience begin to believe.