These following levels are my interpretation and taught from a physical theatre point of view. Different theatre disciplines and teachers have their own version.

These levels must be shown in the body at all times. The verbal exchanges that come from them are less important for our purposes than the physical exchanges.

Have the students stand neutral and explain the first level.  Let them do it and then call freeze.  On freeze they come to neutral but do not drop their focus or energy.  Explain the next level and continue in this manner until you have finished all seven.

The key to this first level is to lose control of the hips and spine. I can walk because I have control over my hips. I have control of my head and upper body because I have control over my spine. Losing control over your spine and hips move through the room allowing yourself to fall off balance and regain it slightly. The hips will dictate which way you fall. If you fall to the floor, how do you get back up on your feet? You have to cheat a bit with a large class so that no one gets hurt but you can still find room to let go. You do not talk at this level or interact because you only have enough focus to catch your balance for brief moments.

The key to this second level is to have control over your hips and spine but keep them loose. You have enough control to walk and turn your head, etc.. However on this level you waste your energy and throw it away by being loose and casual. It is also called "social" because now you can make eye contact and communicate with other people although it is wasted energy. No real thought goes into your voice or conversation. No real focus on what your doing. Your mind wanders. You can try to run but it is wasted energy and soon runs out of steam. Explore different levels now by sitting, picking things up casually

The key to this third level is to have perfect control over your whole body. You use just enough energy to do the job. You are focused and always have something to do. You complete every task before moving on to another. Run, crawl, skip, jump, etc. Move things around and if you need to adjust your clothing or hair you do so with complete focus and precision. When you walk your arms swing at the right speed to match your stride. Your speech and emotions are efficient as well. Give only the right amount of emotion to a situation. You do not move on to another exchange until the present exchange is complete. When it is over you move on without second guessing or forgetting something. Everything you do, all your actions are important from this level onward.

The key to this fourth level of energy is to have total and complete commitment to what you are doing. You give more than you need because you are one hundred percent committed at all times. This is the level of impulse. You are a person of action. The moment you decide to do something you do it. This applies to your verbal and emotional exchanges. If you are angry you are completely angry. If you decide to jump you jump without questioning why. The challenge is to not edit your thoughts or impulses, when they occur to you, do it! You are never at a loss for something to do.  (Note:  Safety and respect as always.  Never manipulate another persons body without, 1) Their knowing what is coming. 2) Their consent.)

The key to this fifth level is to be completely aware of and in control of your body, senses, impulses, and environment all at the same time. Your body moves as one unit. You are aware of what your hands, legs, etc. are doing at all times because you are focused completely. You can hear, smell, see, and sense everything around you. Nothing escapes your awareness. Explore different levels but do so without making a sound. This forces you to be aware of how to shift your weight and how to become aware of which muscles must move first to execute a move. Think of a cat on the hunt. It is aware of everything and will not proceed until it knows it is safe.

Move around the room from point a to point b. Point b should be on the opposite side from where you are. Figure out how you can get there and how fast you can get there. Every knew level encompasses the previous ones so you are in control and committed completely. Every level from here on up is vital. Your activities and mind set must have a life or death quality. Failure is not an option.

The key to this level is to second guess every impulse and decision you make. The dilemma must be physically and emotionally expressed as well as orally. Remember that everything is vital on these energy levels and failure has dire consequences. Everything is important. Follow every impulse blindly and then stop yourself. The example that I like to do with the students is that I tell them that they were supposed to bring something to me and that they have only one minute to go get it. Of course they do not know what it is and I reject everything they present. I count down for them. "You have twenty seconds, ten seconds, etc." They should take the urgency and sense of running out of time seriously and build their frantic state as high as they can.  (Note: I am discovering more and more the use of inhalers by students.  These higher levels can trigger some shortness of breath due to their intensity.  Students should always have them ready and stop when they feel they have reached their limit.)

The key to this level is to bring a single action to a climax and hold it there until you tell them to do it. This can be tying their shoe or picking something up off the floor. This action must be vital to them and they should be desperate to complete it. Their emotional state should be at its peak. It is the ultimate moment before something has to happen. Push them and suspend the moment for as long as possible constantly telling them that they must need to complete this action.  Then tell them to do it!  Watch for the immediacy of the release.

The actor (as an actor and not playing a character) is always on level #4, ACTION. She is committed one hundred percent to everything and aware of everything. You need more energy than necessary to play on stage so that it reads to the audience. The actor can play casual and efficient but can not be themselves casual or merely efficient. This applies to the higher levels as well. The actor can be in a state of suspension as well as play it but can not be in a dilemma or be themselves lost in an ecstatic state on stage. They must be in control and aware of when to exit or stop. Therefore the actor is always on the fourth level because she must be ready and committed at all times. Students should apply this state of readiness and commitment to their classes as well.

The seven levels of energy can be used to form the basis of your character’s personality and physical gestures. Does my character have a "casual" energy or quality about them. Is she always in a "dilemma"? Is he a "climatic" personality, always building things to a climax or anti-climax? Although we practice and explore the higher levels of energy to the fullest, they can be applied with subtlety to a theatrical character.

Commedia Dell’ Arte

Commedia Dell’ Arte plays on the higher levels of energy. The lowest it can possibly is level four, Action but should be played higher.

This is a large national bus station.  (Not a Bus Stop as in other improvisations.)  You decide on the number of students who go up.  I find ten is a good number for this improv.  Before entering they decide for themselves which "energy level" they are and apply that to their personality and speech.  They enter slowly one at a time.  The first person establishes where the door is and how it opens.  The first part of the improvisation should be devoted to establishing the station and where everything is.  The ticket tellers, coffee shop, magazine rack, telephones, etc.  The students should be discouraged from entering into verbal encounters until the second part so that you can see who is watching and listening.  Once something is established it can not be changed by another actor.  This also gives the students time to establish their character and become comfortable with it.  Once everyone is inside the station they can start to have small encounters.  

The rest of the class should be observing and noting who is being clear with their character.  Once the encounters start to happen they will note how the different "energy levels" relate to each other.  The teacher determines when to end the improvisation and then should point to one of the actors and ask the observers what "energy level" they thought the actor was working with and how they came to that conclusion.