How to perform a sense memory

Sense memory helps actors create a character.

Sense memory is the hallmark of method acting. Method acting is a dramatic arts technique for actors for creating realistic and believable characters. Perpetuated by the Moscow Art Theatre in the early 1900s and carried on by the legendary Actors Studio in New York City, sense memory is used to awaken the human body's five senses and stimulate the imagination. Sense memory promotes reliving real physical sensations and applying them to artificial circumstances on stage as a means of connecting with emotion.

Things You'll Need

• Chair

Instructions

1. Sit upright in a chair. Place your back against the back of the chair. Find a relaxed and comfortable position in the chair where you could conceivable nod off or fall asleep. Keep your eyes open and feet flat on the floor. Hang your arms naturally to the side.

2. Identify where you are carrying physical tension in the body. Release mental tension by focusing the eyes on a static point of your choice somewhere in the theater. Stretch each part of your body slowly and independently of the other parts to find relaxation. Stretch you arms and legs to release tension in the major appendages. Roll your head back and forth to loosen muscles in the head and neck. Expand and contract muscles in the face. Curl and extend fingers and toes. Arch your back. Stand if necessary to complete a stretch. Continue until you are free of tension. Resume your initial position in the chair.

3. Pull up one hand by your side. Do not look at the hand. Maintain relaxation, easy breathing and open eyes throughout the entire exercise.

4. Recreate the sensation of holding a cup of coffee in the raised hand. Be patient and specific. Focus on one sensation at a time. Gently move your thumb or the tips of your fingers until that part of your body can recapture the texture of the cup. Squeeze the imaginary object and continue holding it until you re-experience the weight of the mug. See if you can recapture the temperature on your fingers or hand.

5. Pull the imaginary object close to your mouth. Concentrate on recapturing the aroma of the coffee. Be specific about the flavor and freshness in what you smell. Focus on where the imaginary aroma stimulates your nostrils. Taste the coffee. Recreate the sensation of the coffee mug and the liquid hitting your lips and tongue. Focus on the feeling the coffee makes as it swirls in your mouth and goes down your throat.

6. Continue with additional exercises every day. Begin with recreating general, everyday objects -- such as coffee or a piece of fruit. Move onto intermediate exercises recreating the sensation of everyday tasks -- such as washing dishes or brushing your teeth. Recreate a physical pain or the sensation of holding a personal object -- your grandmother's watch or a baby blanket, for example -- as you move into advanced work. Recreating the physical experience of a sense memory can result in a real emotion by reconnecting the imaginary object with an actual sensation. Try different imaginary objects -- or a combination of objects -- in your exercises to see which are rich enough to stimulate your imagination and emotions. Apply the result of successful exercises to moments in a play requiring a similar emotion to achieve reality in the role.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not focus on miming the imaginary object to "show" how you would hold a cup of coffee. Focus only on recreating the real physical sensations.

References

• TheatrGROUP: Sense Memory