LAURENCE OLIVIER1907 –1989

On ActingDane Ralph

Shonagh SmithDiana Goshorn

Christian Haddad

THE BEGINNINGLaurence Olivier was born and

died in England.

Fell in love with theatre at age 9 when he portrayed Brutus in a

school production.

When he was 19 he began to work for the Birmingham

Repertory Theatre Company and at age 22 began working at The

Old Vic.

THE OLD VICThe Old Vic was established in 1818 under the title of ‘The

Royal Coburg Theatre.’

In 1880 it was taken over by Emma Cons, a leading British

theater manager and re-named the ‘Royal Victoria

Hall.’

Laurence Olivier worked for many years at the Old Vic as a

Shakespearean actor with roles including: Hamlet, Macbeth, and Henry V.

From 1962-1973 the directorial reigns were handed over to Sir

Laurence Olivier himself.An 1822 print depicting London's Royal Coburg Theatre (later known as “The Old Vic”).

OUR FIRST ACTING EXPERIENCE

“Surely we have always acted; it is an instinct inherent in all of us.”

“The child plays games. The child cries when tears are the order of the day, endears himself to avoid criticism, smiles when necessary; he

predicts what reactions we require.”

Exercise #1

Observing People“Try traveling on the London Circle Line underground. Get on, let’s say, at King’s Cross, and spend an hour returning to King’s Cross and observe. You’ll observe more characters than you’ve ever dreamed of.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO4OSzBLEwg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfaW46vUI8

Exercise #2

BEFORE HIS TIME“’Mr. Olivier can play many parts; Romeo is not one of them. His blank verse is the

blankest I’ve ever heard.’” “It was laughable from my point of view. I couldn’t speak? I was brought up speaking; I’d been speaking verse since I was eight years old. But I didn’t sing it, you see, and the fashion was perhaps to sing it.” – Olivier, in response to criticism

CHANGE IT UP & GROW

Exercise #3http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ks-NbCHUns 1:00- end.

“To be or not to be: that is the question.”

STAGE TO SCREEN: HAMLET

He won Best Film and Best Actor for Hamlet at the 1949Academy Awards.

IMPROVISING & WORKING TOGETHER•“Somehow every performance seems to be

enhanced in times of unexpected difficulties.”

• Improvisation takes actors to new levels.

• The release of adrenaline creates an excitement that runs through everyone in

the company and the audience.

Exercise #4

USING YOUR VOICE

• “First I exercise my vocal chords and my chord muscles by shouting full out to extend my vocal range and make sure I can manage 8 or more lines without pausing for breath. Then I practice the role in detail myself.”

“JACK AND JILL”

Jack and Jill went up the hillTo fetch a pail of waterJack fell down and broke his crownAnd Jill came tumbling after!

(2x)

Exercise #5

FILM:THE ENTERTAINER (1960)

“I learned to dance. I learned to

sing the way I thought [my

character] would…It was a very

exciting period and a difficult one. Very exciting.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QOnruGEB04 1:00-3:00

FILM:THE MARATHON MAN (1976)

A NEW FACE

• “Makeup is a strange thing.”

• Important in creating a character.

THEORISTS & THEIR STUDENTS

•“I went to one of Strasburg’s classes once and saw him bullying a boy who I saw had a good feel for character. ‘He’s got so many

faults.’ ‘The only fault he’s got is the confidence you are draining from him.”

• “My feathers were considerably ruffled by Marilyn’s erratic behavior on and around the set. Half the time, her head was so full of the rigmarole of ‘method’, her natural talent was suppressed.”

•Olivier read all of Stanislavsky's books, but thought the Method wasn’t meant to brought ‘onto the film set, where the schedule is

typed.’

LETTERS TO ACTORSAlways be confident

Be slightly different in every performanceDon’t go to India if you should be going to

the stage.“An actor, above all, must be a great

understander, either by intuition, observation or both… If I can get more from him than just belief, than I feel fortunate and

overjoyed.”Prep Yourself

Acting's Reward to Olivier “[Acting] has taken me to places that otherwise I

would not have seen. It has given me the world and great happiness. It has taught me self-discipline and given me the retentive eye of an observer. It has enabled me love my fellow men. It has clothed me, watered me, fed me… It has given me cars, houses and holidays, bright days and cloudy ones. It has introduced me to kings and queens, presidents and princes. It has no barriers; it has no class. Whatever your background, if it decides to embrace and take you to its heart, it will hurl you up there amongst the gods. It will change your wooden clogs overnight and replace them with glass slippers.”

INTERVIEW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKx3nfS9HWI2:30 - End