Acting techniques from the masters: Tom McNally

The Importance of Being Honest: Acting Techniques from the Masters

The following are excerpts from Dr. Mary Schuttler's class on the masters of acting technique.

Summary of Tom McNally's contributions

 (MONOLOGUE/DIALOGUE): Divide monologue into beats.  Determine a through-line statement.  Create questions between beats for “the other” to ask.  Attach an active verb to each beat response.  Create a subtext line for each beat.  The verbs/subtext must help support the through-line and must be a direct tactic to the conflict/obstacle that the question/comment has produced.

1. Your Purpose.  What do I want?  Purpose Statement Chart: Play, Part, Purpose Statement (ex. Persuading a skeptical loved one to marry me), Key Line (from script).  Dream Endings – what your character REALLY wants the ending to be.
2. The Obstacle.  What’s in my way?  Physical props, place, weather, costumes, people?  Create obstacles, don’t play them.
3. The Tactic.  What do I do to get what I want?  Express with an active verb.
4. Circumstances and Relationships. Details.
5. Character.  Internal builds external or vice versa – integrate both.

• Orchestration.  Tempo of the play.  Find changes, ebb and flow, vocal, internal.

Biography of Tom McNally

Web Bio: Equity actor Tom McNally is Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Northern Colorado where he serves as artistic director of The Little Theatre of the Rockies and coordinator of the Acting Program. In 1994, Professor McNally was named National Theatre Arts Teacher of the Year by the Educational Theatre Association. The following year, he was named Higher Education Educator of the Year by the Alliance for Colorado Theatre. He serves on the board of the Higher Education Council of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Alliance for Colorado Theatre. He has directed and acted in more than 120 productions, including off-Broadway, repertory and university theatre. His direction of the Odd Couple at the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities earned the show "one of the ten best

productions of the year" by Rocky Mountain News. He received a Denver Drama Critics Award nomination for his direction of Oleanna and won a Rocky Mountain Theatre Association Award for Best Play with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He has appeared as a guest artist for The Little Theatre of the Rockies productions, playing Herbie in Gypsy opposite Mary Jo Catlett and Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman opposite Ann Ducati. Tom McNally has been a workshop presenter or keynote speaker for more than 50 conferences in 16 states. He was the only six-time thespian presenter at the National Theatre Education Association Conferences throughout the US. He is the author of the textbook Acting: The Active Process. His articles--"Getting Ready: College Scholarships" and "Audition Techniques"--have appeared in Dramatics magazine. The latter is used as part of the suggested audition preparations for applicants to the Juilliard School in New York. Tom McNally came to UNC from Pennsylvania State University where he was director of undergraduate studies and co-coordinator of the professional acting program. From 1973 to 1982, Professor McNally served as chairman of the Department of Theatre and Music Theatre at Loretto Heights College. He received his BA from Regis College and his MFA from the University of Denver and studied in the New York studio system.

Acting: The Active Process by Tom McNally

Chapter One - Principle 1: "Your Purpose" - pinpoint it!

• What do I want?
• Then: a) posture, b) physical concentration, c) purpose statement reports.
• Title: RRtrack, P.S.: Saving my bro’s life, Type: Suspense Drama
• Helps you connect to a scene.
• P.S. Chart: Play, Part, P.S., Key Line (from script)
• d) Dream Endings: improvise it; how does the character want it to really end? Avoids playing result.

chapter two - principle 2: "The obstacle" - pinpoint it!

• What’s in my way?
• Types: external and internal
• Ex: physical props, place, weather, costumes
• Int: state of being, character, time, relationship, other character.

chapter three - principle 3: "The tactic' - pinpoint it!

• What do I do to get what I want?
• Use tactics (actions) to help you overcome obstacles and achieve your purpose statement; small, detailed moments in acting.
• Effective if they always connect to the other character.
• Express with an active verb.
• Deal with details of current circumstances; adjust to relationships; connect truthfully to the character.
• Tactics change with orchestration of scene; adjust.
• Don’t forget subtext!

chapter four - principle 4: "circumstances and relationships" - pinpoint it!

• Circumstances carry details that influence every aspect of acting; high stakes; cause & effect (pinch/ouch); style (genre); time, place; past life (long & short term); independent life (create it); ex: A concentrates on activity and B interrupts.
• Relationship: look for evidence of relationship in text; pinpoint facts about it (dad, son, etc.) - emotional connection to other characters; discover deeper emotional awareness of that important “other” (love, hate...) -VERBS: what behavioral adjustment do I make?

chapter five - principle 5: ""character" - pinpoint it!

• Different types of approaches:
• Internal builds external: a) what is the character like to me based on age, occupation, place, ethnic background. b) emotional memory. c) substitutions.
• External to Internal: The Active Process; character sculpture (psychological gesture).
• Integrate BOTH.

chapter six - principle 6: "orchestration' - pinpoint it!

• Tempo of the play.
• Find changes: a) clarify physical life of scene. b) how is it different in the beginning and at the end. c) find 2 or 3 changes (top to mid to end). d) identify character adjustments.
• Find the ebb and flow.
• Find vocal orchestration as well.
• Find internal tempos also.

Sample Acting Exercises by Tom McNally

	Purpose Statement Exercise
	Monologue/Dialogue Exercise
	Interview Acting Exercise
	Douglas Interview Exercise
	THEA 160 Beginning Acting
	Beginning Acting Summary
	Verb List One
	Verb list Two

Additional Weblinks for Tom McNally

University of Northern Colorado, Perfroming Arts