什麼是表演

在舞台上或攝影機前，藉由動作、姿勢和聲調來扮演某一角色的藝術。西方傳統戲劇源於西元前6世紀的希臘；悲劇作家泰斯庇斯（thespis）被認為是在戲劇中首創演員角色的先驅。亞里斯多德認為表演是：以正確的語調來詮釋不同情感；並認為這種才能是天生的，且懷疑表演是可傳授的。表演這門藝術在中世紀時已逐漸式微，當時由職業工會和業餘者演出的基督教禮拜式戲劇（liturgical drama）盛行。現代的職業表演隨着16世紀時，義大利的即興喜劇劇團的演出而浮現；至莎士比亞（William Shakespeare）時代達於鼎盛。直到18世紀，經由英國的演員兼經理加立克（David Garrick）、演員席登斯（Sarah Siddons）、基恩（Edmund Kean）、歐文（Henry Zrving）等人的努力，表演才被正視為一項專業。現代表演風格受俄國導演史坦尼斯拉夫斯基（Konstantin Stanislavsky）影響，他強調演員對角色的認知。而德國戲劇家布萊希特（Bertolt Brecht）則堅持演員的客觀性和訓練的重要性。在美國，史坦尼斯拉夫斯基表演法（Stanislavsky method）被史特拉斯伯格（Lee Strasberg）和阿德勒（S. Adler, 1901～1992）採用，這是目前最基本的表演訓練，着重在情緒的培養、記憶的感覺、臉部和聲音的訓練、即興表演等。

acting

Art of representing a character on a stage or before a camera by means of movement, gesture, and intonation. Acting in the Western tradition originated in Greece in the 6th century BC; the tragedian Thespis is traditionally regarded as founder of the profession. Aristotle defined acting as “the right management of the voice to express various emotions” and declared it a natural gift that he doubted could be taught. Acting declined as an art in the Middle Ages, when Christian liturgical drama was performed by craft guilds and amateurs. Modern professional acting emerged in the 16th century with Italy's commedia dell'arte troupes. It flourished during the era of William Shakespeare. Not until the 18th century, however, was acting considered a profession to be taken seriously, through the efforts in England of the actor-manager David Garrick and the talents of such actors as Sarah Siddons, Edmund Kean, and Henry Irving. Modern acting styles have been influenced by Konstantin Stanislavsky's emphasis on the actor's identification with his role and by Bertolt Brecht's insistence on the objectivity and discipline of the actor. The Stanislavsky method was adapted in the U.S. by Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler (1901-1992) and is the basis of most contemporary training, which features the cultivation of emotional and sense memory, physical and vocal training, and improvisation.