It's personal

This is an examination of the process Liat Graf utilizes in lifting a character from the written page onto the stage. This process paper deals in particular with the question of authenticity in relation to acting. How can an actor portray a character authentically, even when they are very different from it?

This work details the type of acting Graf is interested in and connects it to the importance of authenticity and truthfulness in the work. It discusses why it is pivotal for the artist to know their psychological and physical patterns of behavior while tailoring an artistic process, and then describes the process Graf follows when working on a play.

Graf describes different techniques and approaches that assist her in her work and uses two roles she played while at the University of Iowa to demonstrate how they were used to move her towards an authentic portrayal of a character within a specific story.