Playing a Part: Voice, Face and Body
An actor shows who a character is with three tools: how they say the words, what their face does, and how they hold and move their body. The same line can be made kind or cruel by voice alone.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Say one line two ways and name what changed, such as louder, slower, or a different feeling
- Show a feeling with face and body without speaking, and have someone else name it
- Explain that an actor is pretending to be someone else on purpose, not being themselves
- Watch a short scene and say what the actor's voice told you about the character
1 · Read
An actor shows who a person is with three tools. You use your voice, your face, and your body. All three tell the watcher about your character.
Take one line and say it two ways. Say it loud and fast to sound excited. Say it soft and slow to sound sad. The words stay the same, but the feeling changes.
Play the silent feelings game. Show joy or surprise with only your face and body. Ask a friend to guess the feeling you show.
Remember you are pretending to be someone else on purpose. Watch people when you are out and copy what you see. Happy people may smile and speak fast, while grumpy people may frown and talk low and slow.
Voice, face, and body turn plain words into a person worth watching.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.