Working With Actors

Abstract

The actor is the greatest ally of the facilitator. It is the actor who most transports the role-players into the world of the workshop, draws and holds focus, compels belief by their utter commitment to the part, and demands engagement from the players. At the same time, the actor is a fellow tutor inhabiting the virtual world. The author discusses how to recruit, rehearse, and get the most value out of working with actors. He provides a list of the skills needed for convincing performance whether the actor is a professional or a natural performer. Advice is given on scripting and rehearsal, conventions of feedback, proactively maintaining the dramatic fiction, and effective ways of interacting with the actor during role-play and discussion.

The actor is your greatest ally. It is the actor who most makes the scenario believable and brings the virtual world to life. In this chapter, we discuss ways to make the best use of your collaboration with an actor. Discussion includes recruitment, scripting, rehearsal, preparation for feedback, interaction during role-play, and debriefing afterwards.