Is Anyone There?
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! I'm beginning to wonder if anyone is there. I'd love to answer questions and offer my help. It doesn't hurt to ask. Give me a try. If you don't care for my answers or help... there's no harm.
Have happy writing New Year and...just tell the story!
4 comments :
Richard,
"Field of Dreams" didn't quite have it right: if you build it they won't come unless they know about it. One really good way to get your blog known is to visit other blogs that deal with similar subjects and leave your own comments. As long as you're signed in, your comment is hyperlinked to your blog. You'll see, for example, that this comment links to my site. You don't need to be heavy-handed about specifically inviting folks to visit, but if your comments are helpful and appropriate, they will come. :)
Finding your blog could not have come at a better time. I am getting ready to do the role of Monica in the "Bad Seed" at a local community theater. My question is how does one portray an effusive character without turning it into a characture. This is something I have had to work on coming from a heavy musical theater background in which I have done such roles as Mrs. Sowerberry "Oliver", Widow Corney "Oliver", Miss Hannigan "Annie" just to name a few. Got any hints
Monique,
What a GREAT question...AND you bring up something that every actor and writer has to deal with. Adjustments need to be made for EVERY medium. Acting on the stage can be bigger than acting for film or television. There are no close ups on stage (except for someone sitting on the front row of the theatre).
The short answer to your question is: "The devil's in the detail." You can almost never go wrong if you're clear about what you're doing AND if you really know your character. Once you are cast in a role your character must cease being fictional. Give your character a real life. What was their life like BEFORE the play began and what will it be like once the play has ended?
Remember "show and tell" from when you were in school? Acting and writing must be a little of both. In simple terms, film acting is mostly "show" while theatre acting tends to be "tell." However, you must always be careful not to "show" or "tell" too much. Don't try to cheat or manipulate an audience. They won't like you...and they won't even know why they don't like you. Here's a good example of what I'm talking about: "Sometimes it's better that the audience cries than the character." Allow the audience to have the experience for or with the character.
The last tip is to remember, you can NOT act an emotion, you can feel an emotion. The best tool for an actor (or writer) is to think in terms of intentions. Figure out what your character wants, then decide how the character is going to get what they want. All of us act with intention every day of our lives, we just don't think about it. As an actor you MUST think about it.
If you want your boyfriend to take you to dinner and a movie you might FLIRT with him. If someone wants a raise at their job they might BEG for it. Or, if they have nothing to lose, they might DEMAND a raise.
This all leads me back to my original comment. If you KNOW your character, you'll know how THEY will go about getting what they want.
Your concern about creating a "characture" is a good one. If you're true to the character I don't think they'll be too big and, if they are, your director should be able to tell you. The key is to make clear choices and play them fully and truthfully. You might make a "wrong" choice for a character or a "bad" choice. But the worst thing you can do is an actor it to make NO choice.
Now here's the tricky part. Once you've done all of your homework and you begin performances you MUST forget about it. It's about trust and staying in the moment. Allow yourself to be open to each moment. It's sort of like taking a trip. You get out the map and plan the trip--which way you want to go, where you want to stop along the way, etc. But you want to remain flexible. If you want to have fun on the trip allow for the possibility that the unexpected might occur. Maybe you'll see a sign on the road for something that interests you. Always allow yourself the opportunity for an interesting side trip. You won't get lost. You still have your map.
I hope some of this helps, Monique. I look forward to meeting you at my seminar this Saturday.
Monique,
What a GREAT question...AND you bring up something that every actor and writer has to deal with. Adjustments need to be made for EVERY medium. Acting on the stage can be bigger than acting for film or television. There are no close ups on stage (except for someone sitting on the front row of the theatre).
The short answer to your question is: "The devil's in the detail." You can almost never go wrong if you're clear about what you're doing AND if you really know your character. Once you are cast in a role your character must cease being fictional. Give your character a real life. What was their life like BEFORE the play began and what will it be like once the play has ended?
Remember "show and tell" from when you were in school? Acting and writing must be a little of both. In simple terms, film acting is mostly "show" while theatre acting tends to be "tell." However, you must always be careful not to "show" or "tell" too much. Don't try to cheat or manipulate an audience. They won't like you...and they won't even know why they don't like you. Here's a good example of what I'm talking about: "Sometimes it's better that the audience cries than the character." Allow the audience to have the experience for or with the character.
The last tip is to remember, you can NOT act an emotion, you can feel an emotion. The best tool for an actor (or writer) is to think in terms of intentions. Figure out what your character wants, then decide how the character is going to get what they want. All of us act with intention every day of our lives, we just don't think about it. As an actor you MUST think about it.
If you want your boyfriend to take you to dinner and a movie you might FLIRT with him. If someone wants a raise at their job they might BEG for it. Or, if they have nothing to lose, they might DEMAND a raise.
This all leads me back to my original comment. If you KNOW your character, you'll know how THEY will go about getting what they want.
Your concern about creating a "characture" is a good one. If you're true to the character I don't think they'll be too big and, if they are, your director should be able to tell you. The key is to make clear choices and play them fully and truthfully. You might make a "wrong" choice for a character or a "bad" choice. But the worst thing you can do is an actor it to make NO choice.
Now here's the tricky part. Once you've done all of your homework and you begin performances you MUST forget about it. It's about trust and staying in the moment. Allow yourself to be open to each moment. It's sort of like taking a trip. You get out the map and plan the trip--which way you want to go, where you want to stop along the way, etc. But you want to remain flexible. If you want to have fun on the trip allow for the possibility that the unexpected might occur. Maybe you'll see a sign on the road for something that interests you. Always allow yourself the opportunity for an interesting side trip. You won't get lost. You still have your map.
I hope some of this helps, Monique. I look forward to meeting you at my seminar this Saturday.
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