When you are acting on stage or in front of a camera with other actors, you are sharing an intimate moment with these individuals. While you are portraying a different character, your involvement within these actions are opening yourself, your emotions and your desires with others in such a way that very few are able to experience the power of these encounters.
As you are acting with your fellow actors, you are sharing your energies with them. You are building a relationship and almost a foundation of trust with each actor.
Throughout every moment on stage or in front of the camera, you are assisting your fellow actors by delivering your dialogue and committing to your physical actions, which is known as communion.
Communion is a word that many directors and acting coaches like to throw around without actually defining it. Communion may be defined as the established trust and sharing of energies between actors that ensures the audience will be stimulated and enthralled within this fictitious world you’ve created.
Influence
Communion between actors is impossible if each actor does not attempt to mutually influence one another through their behavior and words. One of the biggest mistakes actors make is solely focusing on their character while foregoing the influence he has on the other actor within the scene.
Communion can only occur when your actions are specifically directed toward your acting partner, or partners. Whether you are trying to destroy, seduce, calm, persuade or dominate this other character, you are attempting to alter this character’s way of thinking.
Reaction
According to the great acting coach Stanislavski, true theatrical communion occurs when one actor shares his struggle with his scene partner. When the actor performs his actions (both physically and psychologically) in order to elicit some type of real and concrete behavior to help him realize his own real goal.
When you’re acting with a scene partner, your entire being should be focused directly on this person. You are acting WITH him, not against him. You must engage the actor in such a way that requires him to react with sincerity and conviction. The realism of your performance can be dramatically enhanced by engaging this person with the goal of causing a reaction – much like we do in real life.