In The Art Of Acting, Stella Adler talks about the 'armour' the actor has on stage if they commit to their imagination. [Stella Adler, p84]
Developing the muscles of an actor's imaginative faculties goes hand in hand with developing the physical clarity and dexterity of an actor's choices. Access to the imagination gives the actor anchored commitment to a physical desire which then illuminates them in that particular moment. It is this real connection gives the actor's choice vivacity and specificity.
The more the actor permits the imagination to exist with focus, the more something particular of the story and of her desire towards it can be revealed to the audience whilst, at the same time, being protected by the armour of her richly imagined circumstances.
This armour, her raiment, is quite simply that garment which she steps into lucidly when focused on the need to commit to that character in that particular situation . The images which fill her, giving purpose and flesh to the moment/ activity/ beat as it plays out, justify her actions and necessarily incorporate her within them. She becomes clothed in the images. This illuminates her within her journey. The more the actor invests in these images the more they will protect her. She will be using herself fully, being at the service of the images, and yet she will not be left naked but instead be most wonderfully clothed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmKTry9Zd9A
