The following survey is being conducted as part of a PhD research project through the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. You must be 18 or older to participate.
This survey explores how actor/performers describe what it is like to perform. It asks quesions about your training and acting background in addition to getting your thoughts about auditioning, rehearsing, and performing. If there are any questions that you feel you cannot answer, feel free to skip them. Any comments you can provide to expand on your answers will be very helpful.
The purpose of this survey is to get a better sense of who actors are and what they think about these various aspects of the profession. In the end, it is hoped that the data will provide valuable insight into what actors think and feel about the work they do.
While this survey is primarily concerned with stage performance rather than film or television, there may be some questions that can be answered about performing in general rather than specific to your stage work. Please feel free to answer from whichever experience is most useful. Remember, this is an opportunity for your thoughts and beliefs about acting and performing to be heard.
Some respondents may be asked to participate in follow-up interviews designed to allow the respondents to elaborate further on their answers. If you are interested in participating, you will have the opportunity to be included at the end of the questionnaire. By selecting the "yes" box and submitting your e-mail address you can agree to become a further part of this study. If you prefer to remain anonymous, please select "no".
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and anonymous. There are no foreseeable risks associated with this project. However, if you feel uncomfortable answering any questions, you can withdraw from the survey at any point. It is very important for us to learn your opinions.
The University of Exeter is a data collector and is registered with the
Office of the Information Commissioner as required under the Data Protection
Act 1998. The information collected here is required for the purposes
outlined above. Your personal data will only be processed in accordance with
the University's registration and current data protection legislation.
All responses are confidential. No answer will be sold or used for work other than the stated purpose. Any respondent agreeing to participate in further interviews will have their identity kept confidential unless expressly allowed by the respondent.
If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures or to request a hard copy of the survey, you may contact Eric Hetzler by email at the email address specified below.
Thank you very much for your time and support. Please start with the survey now by clicking on the Continue button below.
The next few sections ask for information about you and your acting background. Questions marked with a red * are required. Place of Residence (City/Town, Country) Which category best describes your current performer status? Do you currently or have you taken acting classes? Which category best describes the classes you have taken or are currently taking? (choose all that apply) If you have a degree in theatre/performance, what level have you attained? If you have finished your formal education, do you continue to take acting classes? In total, how many years of formal training would you say you have? Choose the range that best describes this. Which/Whose acting/performing technique or techniques/forms have you trained in over a sustained period of 2 months or more? Choose all that apply. Which/Whose acting/performing technique or techniques/forms have you studied in short-term workshops of 1 day or more? Choose all that apply. Are there any training methods you have purposely avoided? What methods have you avoided and why? How long, in years, have you considered yourself to be an actor? (choose the range that best describes this) If you are a paid professional, how long have you considered yourself to be professional? (choose the range that best describes this) In how many stage productions have you participated? What is the longest performance run (in weeks) that you have participated in? Of the following types, what kinds of roles do you prefer to play? Choose all that apply. Which/Whose acting/performing technique or techniques/forms do you use in your current acting practice? Choose all that apply. What sorts of things about acting do you read? Choose all that apply. Please list the titles of up to 5 of the most important texts about acting that you have read. If an acting teacher asked you to read specific books, what titles were they? This section deals with auditioning and being cast in roles. If you feel you cannot answer a question, feel free to leave it blank. Do you consider your work to be primarily devised/collaborative? Have you ever auditioned for a role? Choose the statement that best describes your current position as a performer. (Choose all that apply) How did you become a member of the group with whom you work? What kind of work do you devise? Choose all that apply. What determines the form of your performance? Choose all that apply. What or who is your intended audience? I consider my work to be text based. What skills do you use in your work? Choose all that apply. Do you work exclusively in devised work? When deciding to accept a role, what factors do you consider? Choose all that apply. When cast in a role, do you assume that this was based on a physical similarity between yourself and the character? Feel free to expand on your answer. When auditioning, it is important to look and behave as much like the character as you can. Have you ever taken a class in how to audition? Do you read books on how to audition? Do feel that these have helped to become a better auditioner? This section deals with the time before you perform for an audience. It covers rehearsals and asks about how you approach a role. It might help to think of a particular role when answering these questions. If you do not feel you can answer a question, feel free to leave it blank. When approaching a role, do you look for similarities with yourself? What challenges/obstacles do you feel you need to overcome in order to be successful in the performance for which you are rehearsing? It is important for you to create the history of the character outside what the playwright has written. Which processes best describe the work you do to create a character? Choose all that apply. It is important for you to use your own life experiences in creating a role. Please explain your answer. It is important to link the character's emotions with your own. 47.In dealing with the emotional content of a scene, what is more important to you? Rank the following in order of importance. You ranked "Other" above 3rd. Please explain how you deal with the emotional content of a scene It is important that you like the character you are playing. Feel free to elaborate on your answer. During the performance, it is important for you to believe what is happening to your character in order to properly portray it. Feel free to elaborate on your answer. How does feedback from the director affect the development of your character? When playing a character falling in love, it is important to fall in love with the other actor so that it is real. Feel free to elaborate on your answer. How much of your "self" do you think makes up your character? Feel free to explain your answer. 58.Please rank the following in terms of their importance to you in creating a successful character. As you develop a character in rehearsal, choose one of the following that is the most important aspect for you. Have you ever played more than one character in the same production? Did this affect your experience of the production? How important to you are the given circumstances as provided by the playwright to performing a character?
1 = My body is a neutral puppet operated from a conscious distance. I have no emotional engagement with my character.
5 = Depending on the circumstances, I step in and out of complete emotional engagement with my character.
10 = I have full engagement of emotion with my character. I feel what my character is feeling.
Please feel free to explain your opinion. If your character is supposed to be angry, where does the anger come from? (choose the answer that best applies) Feel free to explain your answer. If my character is supposed to be angry, then I will be angry at the moment my character is angry. The questions in this section refer to your time on stage in front of an audience. If you don't think you can answer a question, please leave it blank. Immediately prior to an opening night performance, how do you feel? Choose all that apply. Immediately prior to entering into a scene, do you do anything to prepare? Choose all that apply. Does the role you are about to perform affect how you feel before the performance? Please explain how you are affected. Has your offstage mood ever affected your performance? Please describe what happened. How aware of your lines are you while you are on stage? When you are performing, which of the following are you aware of? Choose one. During a performance, I see around me... (choose the one that best fits) Which of the following choices best describes your relation to your role? How aware of the audience are you while performing? In a performance where you interact with the audience, which statement best reflects how you feel? Do the reactions of the audience affect your performance? Describe how you are affected. Describe your relationship with the audience. How aware are you of your own performance? Can you describe this awareness? Immediately prior to a performance mid-way through a run, how do you feel? Choose all that apply. Do your feelings prior to performance change if a run is going particularly poorly (for instance due to small audiences or bad reviews)? How do your feelings change? When performing, some actors have described finding themselves"in the moment", or "in the zone", or some other kind of alternate or alternative mental state. Have you ever felt something like this? Please describe this feeling. When performing with others, you are... (choose all that apply) Feel free to elaborate on your answer. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
"The emotions I portray onstage are not truly felt. They only need to look real." Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
"When performing an emotion, it must be truly felt. If my character is angry, then I must be angry." If your character is supposed to be angry, the anger present is... Please explain your answer. Choose the words or phrases that best describe how you feel when a performance is going well. Choose the words or phrases that best describe how you feel when a performance is going poorly. Can you tell if another actor on stage with you is having an off night? If so, please describe how you can tell. Are you affected by other cast members while performing? If so, please describe how you are affected. If another performer gives the wrong cue, it is important to respond as if he/she had given the right cue. When performing in a scripted work, it is okay to improvise a response in order to keep things fresh. Do accidents on stage (missed entrances, missing or broken props, etc.) help you? Please explain why or why not. Immediately prior to a closing night performance, how do you feel? Choose all that apply. It is important to be the same in every performance. How important is it to become your character? When performing, do ever forget why you are there, becoming completely immersed in the performance? Where do you believe emotions presented on stage come from? (choose all that apply) When performing, do you experience the same emotions as your character is experiencing during the action? Please explain your answer. While performing, do you believe that what is happening to your character is happening to you? Which of the following best describes how you relate to the emotions of your character?
In performance, which statement best desribes your relationship to your character?
This final section deals with the time after you have performed. Which of the following best descibes how you feel immediately after you exit the stage following a particularly emotional scene? Have you ever felt that the emotions of the character were your own? Please explain your answer. Immediately after a performance how do you generally feel? Choose the words that best describe this. Does the audience reaction affect your opinion of your performance? What kinds of things do you do after a performance? Choose all that apply. How important is it to reflect on the success or failure of a performance? Feel free to elaborate on your answer. Do reviews or the comments of others cause you to alter your performance? At the end of a run, when the show has been struck and you leave the theatre for the last time, how do you feel? Choose all that apply. Please add any additional comments about any of the questions you've answered. Follow-up interviews will take place in the next few months. In an interview you will be asked to elaborate further on the answers you provided on the questionnaire. This will give you the opportunity to provide deeper levels of insight into the thoughts and opinions you have about acting and performing. Please note that no further personal details will be requested during the interviews. Depending upon the physical location of the interviews, some respondents might be interviewed via telephone. Are you willing to take part in follow-up interviews? Please enter your e-mail address so that you can be contacted regarding a follow-up interview. |
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