Final answer:
Marcel Merle's definition of an actor is an individual who performs on stage or in films. The actor embodies and voices the character, interpreting the material with a unique artistic vision for each live performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within the context of theatre, Marcel Merle's definition of an actor aligns with an individual who performs on stage or in films (option a). In theatre, an actor is the person giving a voice and a body to the character written by the playwright. They are tasked with interpreting the material and presenting it to the audience following a particular artistic vision. This vision is unique to each actor and each performance, making theatre a unique form of art.
Roles such as the director, producer, set designer, costume designer, and various other designers and technicians, while crucial to the production, serve different functions from the actor. For instance, the director takes charge of the staging, the producer provides financial support, and the designers are responsible for creating the visual and auditory environments of the show.
Moreover, theatre is a collaborative form of performing art involving live performers, typically actors or actresses, who present real or imagined events before a live audience. The actors communicate their experience through gesture, speech, song, music, and dance, enhanced by elements of art, such as scenery and stagecraft including lighting.