Reefer Madness: The Musical
We are starting our final descent into EDGES madness. Tonight we almost finished the music. We are 90% done with music and starting to get on our feet. I am really excited to have seen the growth in everyone from day one until today. In three weeks we open. Some days I feel like we are really running out of time, and some days I feel like I have all the time in the world. Right now, I am focused on consistancy. It's one of an actor's hardest challenges, and the solution is really simple: know what you're doing.
Develop a process, don't be lazy and do it!
If you actually know what you're doing onstage, you can repeat it. I mean every moment. Every single second you have to have an incredible focus on the steps you take from point A to point B. You know when people say that you have to be in the moment? Well, that's what they mean. You have to map out your journey because that's the only way you're going to be able to get to the same place evey show.
A good friend of mine, also a director, had asked (at some point or another) one of their actors to do something, to which they responded that wasn't their "process." When asked what their process was, the actor couldn't respond. This happens all the time. If you are an actor in a show right now, sit and think about your process and the steps you take to acheive you goal throughout the course of your narrative. Do you actually know every step? Do not be satified with: "well I kinda do this, then I don't know, and then I die at the end". It's boring and vague, and that's what your performance will be.
If you don't care, why should we?
I am trying to teach my cast some new tricks to help them have a plan. A map. A guide. Whatever you want to call it, just a way of being consistent. A way of working that can be used and applied to everything. Tools. Actors need tools. How do you get them? Well, you read about them, and take workshops and classes. You make some of your own tools as well. I just can't stress enough the difference between a clear and distinct path and winging it.
Also, this didn't start off as a blatant plug for our acting workshop, but if you are revved up right now, you should probably come check it out. I make no guarantees, but I'm pretty sure I can offer you at least one tool to add to your box...
Develop a process, don't be lazy and do it!
If you actually know what you're doing onstage, you can repeat it. I mean every moment. Every single second you have to have an incredible focus on the steps you take from point A to point B. You know when people say that you have to be in the moment? Well, that's what they mean. You have to map out your journey because that's the only way you're going to be able to get to the same place evey show.
A good friend of mine, also a director, had asked (at some point or another) one of their actors to do something, to which they responded that wasn't their "process." When asked what their process was, the actor couldn't respond. This happens all the time. If you are an actor in a show right now, sit and think about your process and the steps you take to acheive you goal throughout the course of your narrative. Do you actually know every step? Do not be satified with: "well I kinda do this, then I don't know, and then I die at the end". It's boring and vague, and that's what your performance will be.
If you don't care, why should we?
I am trying to teach my cast some new tricks to help them have a plan. A map. A guide. Whatever you want to call it, just a way of being consistent. A way of working that can be used and applied to everything. Tools. Actors need tools. How do you get them? Well, you read about them, and take workshops and classes. You make some of your own tools as well. I just can't stress enough the difference between a clear and distinct path and winging it.
Also, this didn't start off as a blatant plug for our acting workshop, but if you are revved up right now, you should probably come check it out. I make no guarantees, but I'm pretty sure I can offer you at least one tool to add to your box...
RSS Feed
