physical action verbs

update: a lot of the traffic coming to this site is coming to this post. in the interests of transparency – the best source i know of for good verbs for the actor is Actions: the Actor’s Thesaurus by Marina Caldarone and Maggie Lloyd Williams, and it was my source for a lot of these verbs. the others came from various other sources accumulated over my years in Circus school. the excersize itself is a permutation of Marcela Lorca’s work.

recently i wrote about the need for physical action verbs. here is the aforepromised list.

the excersize is this: you pick verbs that you think are good to play. and then you find ways of putting them in your whole body, as completely as you can. investigate what that brings up emotionally. then work with text. then pare it down until you’re pedestrian enough for whatever stage you’re playing on. so that a flying leap skewer becomes internalized until it’s just the instinct for a flying leap skewer. maybe it comes out asa sharp glance. a useful way to think about these verbs is this: if the test of an action is in the other player, what physical change to either their state or their motion would signal victory?

it’s a fun way to create blocking for yourself and to fill other people’s blocking.

without further ado, loosely categorized by the kind of physical change impacted:

Boost
Support
Back
Bolster
Elevate
Raise
Hoist
Cushion
Shield
Brace
Lift
Envelop
Wrap
Swathe
Nurse
Feed
Bandage
Suture
Balance
Level
Center
Settle
Steady
Sharpen
Fellate

Anchor
Affix
Pin
Wedge
Stabilize
Rivet
Nail
Screw
Tie
Clog
Entangle
Bind
Shackle
Arrest
Stop
Capture
Restrict
Suppress
Depress
Drown
Bury
Flatten
Squash
Smother
Strangle
Choke
Join
Fuse
Bind
Ensnare
Restrain
Hold
Gag
Hook
Plug
Seize
Snatch
Grab
Clog
Muffle
Muzzle
Stifle
Overload

Move
Sway
Destabilize
Accelerate
Propel
Rock
Untie
Disentangle
Unhinge
Unscrew
Unbind
Unshackle
Rattle
Shake
Ruffle
Fan
Shock
Jolt
Disburden
Beckon

Contain
Place
Follow
Lead
Guide
Drag
Pull
Draw
Release
Dislodge
Rouse
Stir
Churn
Modify
Remodel
Reshape
Shape
Arrange
Contort
Twist
Bend
Brush
Groom
Comb
Polish
Repaint
Deform
Smear
Towel off
Polish
Scrub
Decorate
Ornament
Drench
Plunge
Soak
Douse
Expose
Unmask
Empty
Milk
Mutilate
Dismantle

Bash
Beat
Pummel
Tenderize
Batter
Smash
Break
Clobber
Hammer
Dismember
Crumble
Thrash
Stomp
Whip
Gouge
Maul
Skin
Knock over
Pulverize
Dent
Snap
Crush
Lacerate
Undercut
Castrate
Spay
Axe
Sever
Slash
Cut
Amputate
Chop
Split
Tear
Dissect
Repel
Block
Displace
Eject
Pelt
Puncture
Rape
Violate
Penetrate

Skewer
Puncture
Perforate
Drill
Deflower
Pierce
Knock over
Tackle
Topple
Overthrow
Trip
Bulldoze
Trample

Drop
Discard
Abandon
Expel
Detach
Deflect
Elude
Divert
Redirect
Burden
Saddle

Needle
Poke
Goad
Prod
Fuck
Spur
Stroke
Tickle
Press
Massage
Flip
Niggle
Finger

the third letter of darby to the new mexicans

Jumping trains probably isn’t much like what you think it is.
It’s a thrill, sure.
But listen:

First off, it’s a lot of work.
You’re climbing over and jumping up on chest high platforms all the time.
Grease and rust everywhere.
You’ll get sidelined for hours while they couple and uncouple cars.
You’ll have to sleep in the rain, and
you’ll get the flu.

The awful racket keeps you from sleeping.
You shit in the corner of your boxcar and try to pretend it doesn’t smell.

You end up filthy,
sick,
exhausted,
lost,
alone,
stranded
in podunk nowhere.

Parts of it are fun.

He sniffs two or three times.

But the price you pay is a real sonofabitch.

---

from eulogy for a freight train

towards physical transitive action verbs

background:
the basis of most american actor training has to do primarily with objectives and actions. you have something you want from the other person, and you employ various actions in order to get it from them.

the best actions are verbs. transitive verbs. that is – words that can be flipped around. ask yourself the question – can the person be meaningfully verbed? so the verb explain is very weak, because someone cannot be meaninguflly explained. enlighten, however, is better, because someone can be enlightened. it alters their state, which is what objectives and actions are all about.

sometimes it’s just a word game that you play. the basic function of playing this word game is to keep the actor’s focus where it belongs: on the other person, and on getting out of them your objective.

the question
the problem i’ve always had is this: i can map out on paper the finest set of verbs imaginable. but it won’t necessarily help me to get where i’m going. it leaves the boody, and therefore the emotional self, somewhat behind. you get to be a talking head. and the body is much better at acting than the head.

so the question i’ve always had is this: should you pick verbs that an observer might actually pick out? such as accuse? (boy, that scene where she was accusing him of all those things was fabulous.) or should you pick verbs that excite the body? that you can actually, physically do? rather than accuse, finger. rather than impress, topple.

i’ve opted for physical verbs a lot of the time, which carries its own set of pitfalls. a lot of the physical verbs out there are less useful than verbs like aggravate, or seduce, or minimize, which are all difficult to do physically. laban’s famous verbs, for instance, are great for opening up the body and discovering text in a whole new way – but in a sense divert the focus away from where it belongs: altering the other person and getting what you need. they aren’t, largely, transitive. if your choice is to glide, then you’ve entered what director extraordinaire randy white calls descriptive acting. as opposed to effective acting.

the big idea
so in the hopes of giving the body something meaningful to do, i’ll be compiling over the next week a list of verbs which are both physical and transitive. you can push someone, for instance, and they can be pushed, but their being pushed might not be as meaningful as their being knocked over.

it’s about giving the actor (myself, and you) the tools we need to keep our focus where it belongs and bring our bodies along with us.

update:

here’s the list.