Writing/Essay Journal
The actors and directors of Theatre in the Round feel that their style of acting leads the audience to be more engaged. Have you ever seen a play, movie, dance, video or TV show that really grabbed you? Write about what drew you in. Was it the strength of the acting, the setting, the dialogue, the theme, or something else that made the performance meaningful to you?

Activity
Because the stage at Theatre in the Round is in the center of the audience, actors must have their backs turned to a portion of the audience at any given point. One of the actors coins the term “backting” to describe how the actors make sure that the emotion they’re conveying is shown from the back as well as the front.

Do an experiment to see if you can show emotion without using your face. Record yourself from the front giving an emotional speech using facial expressions and gestures. Then record yourself from the back giving the same speech. Watch it to see if you were able to convey the same emotion from the back.