LAMDA Performance & Acting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'Laban Movement Analysis' primarily used for in actor training?
- Analyzing a script's plot structure
- Understanding and classifying qualities of physical movement and effort (Correct answer)
- Scoring musical accompaniment for dance
- Designing stage lighting cues
Correct answer: Understanding and classifying qualities of physical movement and effort
Laban Movement Analysis provides actors with a vocabulary to understand and embody different qualities of movement, effort, and space.
Question 2: In LAMDA's acting syllabi, 'communication' as an assessment criterion primarily refers to:
- Projecting loudly enough for the examiner to hear
- Conveying meaning, intention, and emotion clearly to the audience (Correct answer)
- Memorizing lines without error
- Using standard received pronunciation
Correct answer: Conveying meaning, intention, and emotion clearly to the audience
Communication in LAMDA examinations means successfully conveying the character's intentions and the story's meaning to the audience.
Question 3: The term 'dramatic irony' in performance refers to a situation where:
- The actor forgets their lines during a performance
- The audience knows something the character does not (Correct answer)
- Two characters speak at the same time
- The set design contradicts the mood of the scene
Correct answer: The audience knows something the character does not
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience possesses information about events or circumstances that a character in the play is unaware of.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of 'status play' in acting?
- A character deciding which costume to wear
- Two characters negotiating power and dominance through behavior and speech (Correct answer)
- An actor choosing between two monologues
- A director assigning roles to the cast
Correct answer: Two characters negotiating power and dominance through behavior and speech
Status play involves characters asserting, defending, or shifting their relative social or personal power within a scene.
Question 5: What is the function of an 'emotional recall' or 'affective memory' technique in acting?
- To recall lines by associating them with physical movements
- To access genuine emotion by drawing on a personal past experience (Correct answer)
- To memorize blocking patterns through repetition
- To analyze another actor's performance critically
Correct answer: To access genuine emotion by drawing on a personal past experience
Affective memory (associated with Stanislavski) involves recalling personal emotional experiences to generate authentic feeling in performance.
Question 6: In stage terminology, 'upstage' refers to which area of a traditional proscenium stage?
- The area closest to the audience
- The area farthest from the audience toward the back wall (Correct answer)
- The wings on either side of the stage
- The area directly under the stage lighting rig
Correct answer: The area farthest from the audience toward the back wall
Upstage is the area of the stage farthest from the audience, historically elevated on raked stages — hence 'up.'
Question 7: Which of these best describes 'Brechtian' or Epic Theatre acting style?
- Complete psychological immersion so the actor becomes the character
- Deliberate use of distance and awareness to highlight theatrical artifice (Correct answer)
- Highly naturalistic, emotionally raw performance
- Silent mime with no spoken dialogue
Correct answer: Deliberate use of distance and awareness to highlight theatrical artifice
Brecht's Epic Theatre encourages actors to maintain a critical distance from their characters, reminding the audience they are watching a constructed performance.
LAMDA Performance & Acting 3
What is 'Laban Movement Analysis' primarily used for in actor training?