What is the FP5 Method?

Actors do not begin a scene randomly. They ask a sequence of analytical questions that give their performance clarity, intention, and emotional power.

The system adapts that sequence—known as "The 5 Questions"—into a practical framework for everyday life:

1. What are the Given Circumstances?
What's really happening here? What are the stakes? The rules? The expectations? The history? The power dynamics?

2. Who am I in this scene?
Which version of me is being called forward? What role am I playing? What persona or character expresses my intention best?

3. What do I want?
Clarity of desire is clarity of presence. What outcome am I moving toward?

4. What action will I play?
In Earle Gister's terms: What do I want to make the other person feel in order to get what I want?

5. What do I do when I don't get it?
Do I escalate? Pivot? Soften? Hold? Withdraw? Reinforce a boundary? Try a new action?

What actors know—and what most people don't—is that these five steps eliminate self-consciousness by shifting focus outward: into the living moment, into the partner, into the scene.

You stop thinking about yourself and start engaging with the world.