The Total Actor

What makes the total actor?

• Having the ability to command the space. 
• Having the ability to command and control their own voice and vocal qualities. 
• Having the ability to command their own body in a physically precise way.
• Having the ability to allow their instincts to take over and control their action. 
• Having the ability to commit to really becoming a character.
• Having the ability to adapt themselves to different situations. 
• Having the ability to think on their feet. 
• Having the ability to command the audience's interest and to consistently engage the audience.

When the actor “commits an act of sincerity, when he unveils himself, opens and gives himself, in an extreme, solemn gesture and does not hold back”(Grotowski, 124), one knows that this actor has achieved the “total act”(Grotowski, 125).

Grotowski, Jerzy. Towards A Poor Theatre. Routledge, 2002.