Acting involves portraying emotions on stage, which was believed for 1800 years to potentially make actors sick by becoming too attached to the emotions displayed. A Roman teacher in the 1st century AD created a system linking specific movements to emotions, still used today, recommending actors observe themselves with mirrors to understand. Later writers explored the exact emotions involved in acting and how they could be portrayed, with some believing motion creates emotion and acting requires an actor's spirit, not just rehearsed movements.

1. Acting May Be Hazardous To Your Health! “The theatre is a sea of human forces.” NERO

2. Emotions Are Dangerous For 1800 years it was believed that emotions could make one sick. Emotions were considered to be unnatural and unhealthy. It was believed that emotions could cause powerful passions. There was a common fear that actors would become attached to the emotions that they displayed on stage.

3. “Elements”

4. Quintilian A Roman teacher in the first century A.D. Created a system of movements that corresponded with specific emotions. After nearly 2000 years this system is still in use. Suggests to all actors to use a mirror to and observe ones own self to better understand the poses and motions he teaches

5. Aaron Hill Wrote the essay entitled The Art Of Acting: An Essay. Believed that there were exactly ten dramatic passions: Joy, Grief, Anger, Pity, Scorn, Hatred, Jealousy, Wonder, Fear, and Love. The descriptions on the way Hill believed each of these could be portrayed is in on pages 7-9 of our Brestoff book.

6. Delsarte, William James, and Mackaye Delsarte stated “Motion creates emotion” pg 11 Brestoff Acting is not simply a series of rehearsed motions, but one must bring their own spirit into the acting. Mackaye believed all for all things there is a universal formula he called the trinity. Life, Mind, and Soul. The human body’s trinity is head, (intellectual center) torso, (moral center) and the limbs (physical center). Each of the body’s trinities are then divided again into three more sub-zones