Acting With Both Sides of Your Brain: Perspectives on the Creative Process

Research on right and left hemisphere brain functions provides a metaphor and possibly even a physical explanation for the dual nature of the performing experience. Investigations by psychologists and neurologists suggest that the creative, non-verbal functions of the right hemisphere of the brain are equally important to our balance as whole personalities as is the dominant left hemisphere of the brain, long believed to direct logical and verbal functions. If the dominant left hemisphere can be temporarily overridden, we gain access to the creative right functions and a healthy balance occurs. It is this balance between the two hemispheres which creates the double awareness that the audience has of the performer as both actor and character. It is the balance which permits actors the simultaneous experience of emotional release and emotional control. Further study convinced the author the right-brain/left-brain approach was indeed a useful way of organizing the development of the creative processes.