Circles Of Attention

The circles of attention can be taken as both a technical concept for the actor and as a concept for your character work. The purpose of the technical side to the principle is to enable the actor to filter out unnecessary aspects of the stage and therefore refine their focus. The image on the right demonstrates circles of attention quite well, as it shows how from one spot can branch out your focus to both small and large circular areas around you, this of course may include behind you not just in front. This is important as it helps the actor have various focal points on stage to prevent loss of concentration. It also enables the actor to have the awareness that is needed for that particular moment, this could be an awareness of other actors on stage, an awareness of the audience or just an awareness of themselves. Circles of attention then come into play in your character work. This is because if you are able to establish what range of attention or awareness your character has at that moment in time then you can make informed decisions about other actions they may carry out.

During our exploration exercise we looked at how your circles of attention can vary. The smallest circle of attention we all had was at the very beginning while chewing gum, this was an inner circle of attention as it was within my body and therefore not outside of myself (external). From here your circles become external and can be anything from just by your feet to all the way at the other end of the stage. The exercise really helped my understanding of this principle as I was able to physically alter my focal points within the scene and therefore experience this concept in reality and not just in a text book.