1. The Actor.

The actor is somewhere between the conscious and subconscious. The actor is you — an honest, true you. An actor makes choices and accepts or declines roles offered to him. A role can be anything from a role as a woman to a role as a gym teacher to a role as a Christian.

2. The Face (costume, props, and makeup).

Whether a person puts on a suit or a pair of jeans — they are putting on a costume. What we wear, and when we wear it says something about ourselves. Costumes reaffirm that we are in the right place and time — the right scene and line. You wouldn't wear a bikini while playing Annie just as much as you wouldn't wear one during a job interview. Clothes are costumes.

Props are things like phones, notebooks, or guns. Props are things we use for a purpose. Things that have a shared meaning.

Makeup refers to our outward appearance. What difference does it make to have bad breath versus good smelling breath? Why is it that wearing makeup can earn you more tips? Strategic choices can create the character—or face you're trying to achieve.

The front is the whole picture of what people see when they look at you.

3. Audience.

The audience is pretty simple. An audience can be your friends on Facebook, the professor in your class, your extended family, or a group of your peers you want to impress.

Any person you interact with hasn't a different constructed reality — more or less similar to yours. Some overlap more than others.

4. Encounters (Scenes).

Hoffman believed anything from a murder to a handshake could be looked at in scenes-complete with a lights up (sunrise) and a blackout (sunset).

Specific social exchanges and patterns that mean certain things. Many behaviors go into how we perceive people. Tone, body language, appearance, location — all these things affect how we act. An actor must acknowledge all of these things before attempting a character.

5. Set.

A bar might suggest a friendly, laid-back environment where screaming, dancing, and drinking is encouraged (Standard Tavern setting). However, at a board meeting, these behaviors would get you fired. The location determines what is appropriate for the situation.

6. Scripts.

A script is what we think we’re supposed to say. We often go off script but we always find our way back. It’s a habit and a ritual.

There are certain things we can't help but say — almost like rituals; “how are you? I'm doing good. Good." Or things we know we should say or shouldn't say. When we break the script — and say or so something very abnormal, you risk social consequences. Something very abnormal supported by enough people can become normal — and be added to the script.

7. Frontstage.

Public.

The front stage is the person we let other people see — which varies from place to place and from time to time. Front stage places could be a park or a gym — where there are eyes around.

8. Backstage.

Private.

The backstage is what happens behind the scenes — like farting. Behaviors you perform while alone or with someone you trust. Backstage places can include bathrooms, bedrooms, and in your own car.

9. Ensemble.

Your ensemble is the people you work with to create each other's realities. In theater, an ensemble is the people you work with to create a central reality... built from individual realities which were made from interpersonal action. Bear with me, I know it sounds pretentious.

Your co-workers, your family, your dance team — anyone who you interact with passes through your stage.

10. Frame/broken frame.

The frame is the structure that holds human interaction together — the frame seeks for some kind of end that results in a harmonious exchange.

The frame is the edges of the stage, and when someone steps off the stage we fear they're going to fall.

Breaking the frame is breaking expectations and creating new boundaries. This is how we grow as people. This is also how we start wars.