What is the fundamental building block of a character's relationship with others, according to the text?
Explanation
The author argues that all relationships, from simple to complex, are ultimately rooted in the characters' given circumstances (their history, environment, social standing) and their fundamental human needs, which drive their interactions.
Other questions
After you have studied a play and determined your character's relationship to its theme, what is the subsequent step you must take regarding the other characters?
What must an actor do to achieve genuine, electrified action rather than dry, mechanical actions in their interactions?
When playing an antagonist, what is the primary mistake an actor often makes?
In the example of playing the mother in 'Look Homeward, Angel', what must the actress do to justify her actions of tying her son to the boardinghouse?
According to the text, how is a new relationship in a play typically created by an actor?
When an actor constructs relationships and finds substitutions, what is the crucial final step to make this work effective on stage?
What is the author's critique of how young actors often portray teenagers?
What advice did the author give to the twenty-eight-year-old actress who felt too young to play a forty-year-old character?
What is a suggested 'general guidepost' for an actor playing someone who is very old?
According to the author, what is primarily at stake when establishing the age of your character?
In the author's class demonstration, what causes her to feel 'eighteen, inside and out'?
What does Dame Sybil Thorndike's comment, 'You can only be too young for Joan!', suggest about playing certain roles?
What does the author suggest is the origin of the 'awkwardness' of youth?
What is the consequence for an actor who fails to include a character's love for their mother when portraying the relationship as primarily an intruding one?
In the author's imaginary scenario about meeting the agent Ada Bloom, what causes the initial plan of action to change?
When beginning the detailed work of examining intimate likes and dislikes, what example of a question does the author provide regarding a husband's warring aspects?
What does the text identify as the two traps an actor can fall into when playing an antagonist without proper justification?
To create the love-hate relationship for Martha in 'Who's Afraid...', what did the author have to do?
What does the author state is the main reason an actor must define relationships in specific areas like 'In love? At work? At home? In public?'?
What specific physical characteristic of a lover does the author use as an example of an intimate detail an actor should examine?
What does the text suggest is a common reaction when someone you love shows off in public?
According to the chapter, our psychological relationship to others often makes us feel what?
In the example from 'Butterflies Are Free', why must the actress playing the mother evaluate her son's problems through 'her' eyes, not his?
What is the author's primary warning about using a single person from one's life as a substitution for a character relationship?
Which character's relationship required the author to use substitutions of her father, her child, several crushes, and many past loves?
What is the author's opinion on the cliché of the 'hunched posture, the wobbly head, the cracked voice' for portraying old age?
In the author's friendship with a man in his late seventies, how did she perceive him?
What physical manifestation occurred when the author shook hands with the student she imagined to be Alfred Lunt?
What is the final point made about the 'magic of Duse or Ruth Draper' transforming themselves into a young enchantress?
When building relationships, what kind of interaction must an actor's aim be to bring about between themselves and others on stage?
What is described as the 'immensity of the task' for an actor regarding other characters on stage?
In exploring power dynamics, which of these is NOT listed as a specific area to ask oneself about leading or following?
How does the text describe a relationship of pretended closeness with secret distrust?
The chapter on Relationship is reserved for the topic of a character's age because establishing it with faith is closely linked to what?
When the author advises to 'pit yourself against the other characters, and go!', what does this call for the actor to do?
What does the author believe about her nerves as she has aged?
What must an actor do to prevent falling into the trap of playing the 'hero' when portraying a protagonist?
What does the author suggest can happen to a relationship even before we meet a stranger?
According to the author, when a twenty-year-old actor portrays a teenager, what is the underlying technical error?
What is the key to finding a belief in a required age, as demonstrated by the 'Epitaph for George Dillon' example?
The author's friend in her early forties seemed like a grandmother because she continuously did what?
What is the powerful influence on how you deal with other characters that becomes obvious from the author's handshake demonstration?
Besides your feeling of being older or younger, what else must your adjustments relating to your character's age be aligned with?
When defining relationships in broad terms, which of the following is NOT given as an example?
What does the author state is at the foundation of human needs and the circumstances that shape relationships?
If a first meeting in a play makes sparks fly between two characters, what does the text compare this to?
What is the author's stated aim in having the actor endow relationships with specific elements and make themselves vulnerable?
When you have only 'assumed' your relationship to other characters, what is the resulting action described as?
In the author's imagined meeting with the literary agent Ada Bloom, what is her final action after her attack turns to pussy-footing?
In the author's view, what is the consequence of an actor judging the antagonist character they are playing?