Comments on: Ben Brantley puts the Mamet back into Mamet http://praxistheatre.com/2009/10/ben-brantley-puts-the-mamet-back-into-mamet/ Fri, 18 May 2012 00:53:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Adam Bradley http://praxistheatre.com/2009/10/ben-brantley-puts-the-mamet-back-into-mamet/comment-page-1/#comment-2025 Adam Bradley Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:09:25 +0000 http://praxistheatre.com/?p=1342#comment-2025 While I generally agree with Brantley's post, I feel obliged to point out that he's conflating "technique" with "style". That Mamet's plays are written with a particular style in mind (consisting largely of the pace of the dialogue,) they do not dictate the actors' technique; conversely, using Mamet's acting technique does not necessitate performing a scene in a particular style. If Mamet's technique suits his plays, it's because his plays are (mostly) well-written stories, and his acting technique is an effective means for bringing a story (any story) to life. While I generally agree with Brantley’s post, I feel obliged to point out that he’s conflating “technique” with “style”. That Mamet’s plays are written with a particular style in mind (consisting largely of the pace of the dialogue,) they do not dictate the actors’ technique; conversely, using Mamet’s acting technique does not necessitate performing a scene in a particular style.

If Mamet’s technique suits his plays, it’s because his plays are (mostly) well-written stories, and his acting technique is an effective means for bringing a story (any story) to life.

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