What we want is driven by what we sense, feel emotionally, or think. We feel is driven by what we sense or think (yes, other things like hormones and chemicals influence these as well but for since this is a beginning class lets focus on what we see, feel, think, and what that makes us want to do. What we think will be discussed in the topic heading where discuss subtext and inner-monologues. This leaves making decisions about what we sense and feel like our character in response to this context we have created.
[Read more…] about Action and Emotion TriggersActing for Singers 101
Putting drama into boxes.
Context is essential but it doesn’t create drama. What creates the drama is the WOTE. Every time there is a significant shift in the music (like where you put boxes in your music as outlined in Day 1) by definition something had to have changed in your characters WOTE to make sense of the musical change. We will discuss why this is in a later lesson. For today it is enough to identify that the music needs to appear to be a natural product of whatever your character is trying to express or do.
[Read more…] about Putting drama into boxes.Creating a specific and emotionally charged WWWWW
I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end. Drew Barrymore
It isn’t just enough to decide that you are a “guy in love” or a “girl who just landed her dream job”. It doesn’t give enough information for our brain to lock onto and connect with. Practically for a performer, it just results in a performer going through really general, stereotypical stock gestures that are bland and lack authenticity. These kinds of characters don’t engage an audience because they just aren’t real or human enough. We have to make the WWWWW specific and emotionally potent.
[Read more…] about Creating a specific and emotionally charged WWWWWSTART WITH THE STORY – Part II – CREATION – Introduction & Overview
The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.
Charles Dickens
On day 1 we focused on identifying and gathering relevant information to spark our imagination. Now we are ready to start putting our imagination to use in making decisions about what we think that information we gathered means. Once we have these two steps down we are ready for the majority of the course material where we learn how to show the result of the decisions we make by what we do. This is the “how”. It isn’t until day 3 though so hang in there.
[Read more…] about START WITH THE STORY – Part II – CREATION – Introduction & OverviewWhere am I? Who am I?
Acting 101 for Singers: Day 1, Topic 5
Have you ever gotten up to perform only to realize you don’t know what you are supposed to do with your body? You try to do what you think you have seen other people do, but it just feels like an awkward first day where you are trying to act calm, cool, and collected, but you are anything but that. This type of performance isn’t pleasant for anyone. After these instances, the first three questions most acting coaches will ask are “Who are you?”, “Where are you?” and “who are you talking to?” Inevitably the performer then looks stunned and confused as if they are waking up from a coma and don’t know who or where they are.
Who are you? Where are you? Who are you talking to?
These may seem like rudimental questions. And at the start, basic answers to these questions will serve as a beginning. In the long run, though, we need better answers to these questions. If I ask, “Who are you?” how would you answer? Then if I wasn’t satisfied with the driver’s license type of information and wanted you to tell me who you truly are, what would you say? What is it that makes you the unique person you are?
The better you are at identifying who you are as an individual, the better you will find your character and how they are unique. Keep asking “Why?” and “What does that mean?”. Try to dig to the center of who you are and what makes you tick. Then, do the same thing for your character. To identify a person also requires that you note who they are at a specific moment. Are you constantly the same person moment to moment? Of course not. We are creatures of change and evolution. You can talk about yourself in terms of things that are true all the time, most of the time, some of the time, or none of the time. Be careful not to get sucked into labeling someone (including yourself) with a trait that is not so much a constant as a continuum you slide along.
Where are you? It does mean physical location, but it can also mean so many other things. How does this character view themselves concerning their city, state, country, world, or universe?
Who are you talking to? Break down how your character views this other person they are talking to. If they are talking to themselves, break down how the person is viewing themselves at that moment. Which version of themselves are they seeing? Whether you are talking to yourself, another person on stage, or an imaginary character, you have to have a clear idea of who that other person is and where they are in physical relation to you. If they are imaginary and supposed to be in your head, I would suggest taking them out of your head and placing them in front of you in your imagination. When you are practicing, use a real person or an object to act as a placeholder so that you can learn where their eyes would be, what it feels like to communicate with someone at that distance, and what their reactions would be to what you are saying.
The process of exploration and discovery
Though we often teach in education as if there is one correct answer, that usually isn’t the case in the arts. The goal is to find the right fit for you. The key to making actual progress is making decisions and amending those decisions until you arrive at something that feels true and genuine. Invest in a good pencil and an even better eraser.
The biggest pitfalls for a performer is that they either have too many options and not enough decisions made, are waiting for someone to tell them what to do, or are just running on natural charisma and talent. None of which are good enough to produce quality work consistently.
“What is the right answer” vs. “What are the best questions”
Stop looking for the “right” answer and instead focus on asking the best questions and exploring the possibilities. Explore what could be and not worry about what should be. What is the performance you would want to watch? That is the performance you should be trying to create!
Do the “Who am I paper” 1.0!
This is a paper that could and should get amended regularly. It’s a living document that is a worksheet for you to discover how you identify yourself and what you think makes you who you are. Try it out!
Assignments:
Writing Assignment 0: Choose your performance projects
Writing Assignment 1: Marked Up Score 1.0
Writing Assignment 3: The “Who am I” Paper 1.0
Links to other articles in Acting 101 for Singers Day 1
Topic 6: Boxes – What does the Music Have to Say About Dramatic Change?
Topic 7: Lines – It’s about stress!
Topic 8: Arrows – Pinning Down Where Ideas Shift
Topic 9: Circles – Finding the music that we have to move to
Topic 10: Where does imagination come from?