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Before acting out an emotional scene, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the context of that scene. Understanding what's happening around a scene can help you better understand your character's motivation and emotions. Read the scene in full. If you have the time, read the full script from which the scene is taken. This will give you a sense of what is at stake in this moment. Consider the character you're playing. What is this character feeling during this scene? How does this character's past, present, and future come into play during the scene? What is the context of this moment? If a character is yelling, arguing, or crying, there was obviously some buildup to this point. Try to look for the complex underlying layers of a character in a dramatic scene. For example, a character may be crying at his father's funeral. He is sad, of course, but there may be other factors at play. What was the character's relationship with his father like? What emotions might the character be experiencing? What memories is he recalling in this scene? For best effects in a dramatic scene, think about character over situation. Audiences are familiar with a variety of sad and dramatic scenarios. What makes a drama interesting is a particular character's reaction to that scenario. Consider your character's emotional investment in a given moment. If your character is arguing with someone else, why is that character drawn into this argument? What is going on in the character's head on a deeper level? A good experiment to help can be a free write in which you write from a character's point of view. Try to imagine how that character is feeling in this moment. Pretend you're the character, writing a diary entry after the scene took place. Really dig deep, considering the character's past and present, and try to write how you imagine the character feels. Audiences get bored with drama for the sake of drama. If you can show why this dramatic moment matters, in context of a specific character, this will ground your audience. They may respond more favorably to your performance. While scanning your scene, take note of exclamation points that appear in the writing. Actors are often unsure how to handle exclamation points. Do they signal that your character should talk louder? Do they signal excitement, anger, fear? The answer depends on the scene's context. You should understand the use of exclamation points, and how you should read them, going into a scene. An exclamation point usually indicates a line should be delivered with slightly more force. However, the added force can stem from a variety of reasons. A character may be overjoyed. However, she may also be frightened or angry. Read the scene in full to get a sense of how to deliver a line with an exclamation point at the end. A line like, "What a beautiful day!" can be read several different ways depending on context. If your character is exhausted after having a long fight with her mother, it likely indicates frustration. You could read the line with a sarcastic tone. If the line is delivered during the main character's wedding day, it may indicate joy. You can deliver the line with an upbeat, excited tone. Actors often get so caught up in portraying the emotion of a scene they forget the physical action in the stage directions. Physical action can often carry a lot of emotional weight in a scene. A character may, for example, touch his or her face when talking, indicating he or she is nervous. Make sure you read the scene for physical action and incorporate that action into your performance. A lot of physicality goes into a scene. What the characters are doing in a scene speaks volumes. Read stage directions carefully and see how your character moves. Maybe your character keeps rearranging furniture nervously while talking, for example. Make sure to incorporate this into your performance. You should also strive to pay attention to your body, even if there are not specific stage directions. In acting, you'll use your entire body to convey emotion. How might a character stand if he's feeling tense? How might a happy person gesticulate? Keep character emotions in mind and try to use your body to reflect what a character is feeling.
Consider the context. Think about the character's internal struggle. Identify exclamation points. Watch for physical action.