What can an image make available that an abstract instruction does not?
Acting, Imaging and the Unconscious, by Eric Morris.
What the book addresses
A study of imaging in acting, including its timing and uses, dreams, subpersonalities and applications to dramatic material.
How to read it
An image has particulars: distance, texture, temperature, movement, sound, relationship. Read the book with attention to how an imaginative experience serves the material. Collecting vivid images is a different activity from choosing one that helps fulfill the circumstances of a role. Keep Morris's account of the unconscious attributed to his system.
An original rehearsal investigation
Choose a place that matters to your character and establish three sensory particulars from the script or a clearly labeled imaginative choice. Speak a short passage with those particulars available. Then let your attention return fully to the partner. Note whether the image sharpened the relationship, altered your listening or merely occupied you.
Connections and distinctions
Imaging is one of the six craft tools. Compare its function with Sensory Work and Externals: each may supply a different route into the same material. The useful choice depends on the actor, role and day.
Instrumental work and acting craft
Instrumental work develops the actor’s expressive resources; craft applies those resources to the demands of a role. At JBAS, the six craft tools are Sensory Work, Improvisation, Archetype Work, Externals, Imaging and deep Script and Character Analysis, with voice supporting the work throughout. Morris’s work informs the distinction between instrument and craft. Roy Hart voice work and the Stones’ Psychology of Selves contribute further resources for vocal expression, awareness and imaginative exploration.
This is an original JBAS reading guide with an attributed overview and study questions. Read the complete book for the author's developed argument and exercise instructions.
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