ON ACTING: The 'Act' and the '...ing' in Acting

Why do they call it act-ing?

Let's break it down.

To 'act' is to do; to be involved in an activity. Act-ing derives from a verb, not a noun. The '-ing' portion of that verb (the present-participle tense of the verb) reminds us that the activity of the actor-as-character is in the present, and 'in process'.

The one thing acting is NOT is a replication of the past (a prior rehearsal). If that were the case, the craft of acting would have been called 'acted', 'having acted'.

'Act-ing', 'do-ing'...present (tense) participle in the hands of a good actor.