Acting at its best is dangerous, unpredictable and thrilling. A scene, whether it be from a light comedy like "All's Well that Ends Well" or a tragedy like "Medea", works best when something actually happens to the actors on stage. The theatrical experience requires true emotion in the present moment coupled with the pursuit of theatrical relevance and story telling. I stress this last part about relevance and story telling because far too many new actors have the misconception that emotion is enough to carry the show. The truth is that an audience doesn't much care about an actor's ability to make herself emote on stage and, if she does it too much, they will actually turn off to her altogether. The important element in a performance is how the character you are playing is surviving in life. It is via emotion that the audience relates to the proceedings (empathy) on stage, but it is an exploration of survival that delivers them to the theater in the first place. Remember that
acting is a shamanistic activity. Actors are teaching the tribe how to survive. Just as life involves risk, so to does an effective performance.
Unlike other artists such as painters and novelists, actors put their physical selves on the line. They are not writing about life experience nor are they painting impressions of it with pastels and
oils on a canvas. They're not taking photographs of it with a camera. Actors get out on the stage in front of an audience and, using their bodies and minds, make something happen in the present moment. When Caesar, in his dying moment, says to his son (yes, it is his son, but that's subject matter for another Craft Notes...), "And you, Brutus...", the moment is electric because it is about the very essence of life. If the actors are playing the scene well, the balance between life and death will hover over the stage, will be there in a distilled, almost tangible form. If you want to be an exciting actor, the name of the game is risk. That is why acting requires courage.
....AND NOW A FEW RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT FEAR
I talk to a lot of actors who are trying to get up the nerve to commit to a professional career or, in a smaller arena, to commit to true exposure in a scene in class. They are afraid of risk becauseof the fear of the unknown. Anxiety is a factor of not being in the present moment. If you are anxious, you are worried about something that you fear is going to happen soon or something that has already happened. A key to good acting as well as to success in life is to have the courage to be in the present moment as you move forward.
Change is probably one of the most fearful aspects of life. The last time any of us had certifiable comfort and safety was when we were held to our mom's bosom. It is scary to love, scary to leave and scary to grow. It is scary to act, scary to move to Los Angeles and scary to admit that we are all ultimately alone. Every inch of growth in life involves extending yourself beyond the comfort zone you enjoyed a short while ago. Your option is to remain static or to embrace change. We are all afraid to some degree. Maturity involves accepting that that life is fearsome as well as thrilling. If it were not, this would be a boring world. Convert fear to excitement and get on with it. Capture the wind in your sail, and go forth. Breathe!
