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Day 7 Topic 2

There are a lot of different ways to approach acting. Here are some of the most common schools of thought. The goal of this section is to pique your interest and introduce you to the most influential schools of acting. Each school has its benefits and weaknesses. The temptation is to specialize in one to the exclusion of others. Take any opportunity you can to learn what each has to offer you. You can find some of my favorite books in the store under acting books. 

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Day 7 Topic 3

Stage Directions

Stage Right is right according to the performer’s viewpoint when looking at the audience. 

 House right is right according to the audience’s view facing the stage.

Downstage is closer to the audience and upstage is further away. The terms come from when stages were regularly built on a rake. A rake is a stage that is built on an angle so that when you walk closer to the audience you are walking downhill.

Stage Direction Shorthand

Playing the Diagonals

If you can draw an imaginary line between you and any other person or object onstage and create a diagonal line (like the green lines down below) and not a horizontal or vertical line you are in a great position.

Playing the diagonal aesthetically suggests more action and movement and is more dynamic. It also helps the audience have a better view of the action that is happening on stage.

From the audience’s perspective, it is easier to gauge the distance from stage left to stage right than upstage to downstage. In other words, the audience can more accurately tell how close you are to someone that is stage left or right of you but when they are upstage or downstage 2 feet looks more like 1 foot to the audience.

When you play the horizontal instead of the diagonal it automatically ruins the illusion that the stage represents an imaginary world. By lining up with the rows of the audience or the four edges of the stage it shows your character is no longer in that imaginary world but on a stage on a subconscious level. It also ends up looking extremely awkward and doesn’t allow for characters to relate to each other in a way that feels natural while keeping the audience engaged. Playing the horizontal also forces interactions where the two performers are looking into the wings with the audience not being able to see much of what is going on.

When you play the vertical you run the risk of blocking individuals from view. If you are on different levels then that fixes that problem but still leaves the problem of being to perfectly aligned with the space, creates a more static and boring visual picture, and reads as contrived because it is too perfect.

When archeologists are searching for ruins of ancient construction they look for lines that are too straight and uniform. It is the uniformity and lines that give away that it is man-made and not natural. Nature doesn’t line up so neatly and perfectly. The same thing is perceived by an audience when looking on stage. Too perfect isn’t believable because it isn’t natural.
By playing the diagonal you help perpetuate the illusion that the world they are seeing on stage is not on a stage but is a natural world of its own.

Singing to 10 & 2 for (especially for opera)

Like the picture below suggests, If a performer stands center stage and looks straight ahead towards the audience that is 12 o’clock. Before you sing your face needs to be between 10 & 2 o’clock. In opera, this is a must with very few exceptions. This is because if you don’t face between 10 & 2 your sound gets lost in the wings and you can’t see the conductor in your peripheral vision and you might as well not be singing as far as the audience is concerned.

In other genera of performance, this isn’t as rigid a rule because unless you are singing opera you are usually going to be singing with a mic which means as long as the mic can pick up your sound you can be heard from any position on stage in relation to the audience. The reason this rule still applies for the majority of the time though regardless of the genre is that the face is the primary communicator of a performer. If the audience can’t see the performers face they won’t stay engaged for very long.

Day 7 Topic 1

In this section, we will discuss basic stagecraft knowledge. Many singers get a good deal of training with their voices but can feel out of place on the stage. Let’s discuss some of the most important things you need to know so you can step out onto the stage with confidence.

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Day 7 Topic 6

Knowing when you are the center of attention or the focal point of the scene and when you are not is crucial for anyone stepping onto the stage.

In general, when you are supposed to be the center of attention the best place to be is upstage of whoever you are singing to. You might think that the closer you are to the audience the stronger your position is. The problem with this thinking is that, at least when we are performing on a proscenium stage, the downstage person is always in a weaker position. They either have their back to the other singer which puts them in a visually vulnerable position or they have to turn upstage to relate to the other characters which makes them draw even less attention from the audience.

There are many ways someone can “take the stage” or become the focal point for the audience. Anything you can do to set yourself apart from the rest of the people on stage will make you stand out. Standing on a higher level, wearing a brighter or more saturated color, moving more or less than the people around you can all make you pop out from the crowd.

What we will focus on here though is getting you to build the basic instinct to get upstage before you have to sing or become the focal point. If you do that, then you will find yourself in the right position the majority of the time.

The Challenge of Getting Upstage

As we learned we have to keep our face between “10 & 2” at least when we are singing opera. Even when we are singing different genres that is still the best place to have your face if you want the audience to engage with what you are saying.

The problem with that is that to keep your face between “10 & 2” while getting upstage becomes very difficult. You have three options to get upstage. You can back up, turn around and walk upstage, or do and “RSB” or “LSB” maneuver (see below). Backing up is clumsy and dangerous and should be used sparingly and only when you know exactly where everything is around you. Turning around and walking upstage breaks the rule of 10& 2 so we are left with “RSB” and “LSB” while we are singing and trying to get upstage at the same time.

Getting Upstage When You Aren’t Singing

To get upstage when you aren’t singing is easy. Just walk to where you need to go like any normal person would. Look to where you want to go, turn your body and walk. Don’t try to sidestep, walk in slow motion or consistently even steps, or any other kind of un-natural walk unless that is the specific request of the director or the unique to the character. Just walk like a real person would who is saying and doing what your character is saying and doing.

Getting yourself upstage while singing

If you are singing to someone next to you or on the same horizontal plane of the stage where neither of you is significantly upstage or downstage then you aren’t in a good position. If I need to sing to someone who is directly staging right of me and I am supposed to sing as I cross to talk to them I need to get up stage before I cross so that I can sing at a downstage angle to that person. The movement pattern would be similar to what is drawn below here. This lets you keep the “10 & 2” rule, allows you to connect with the conductor, and is visually more appealing.

How to get upstage right – RSB (Right Shoulder Back)

The process of doing a right shoulder back is this:

1. Eyes look at where you are wanting to go
2. Face then torso follow
3. Hand usually gestures in the direction you are about to go in some fashion.
4. Opposite foot (so if you are looking Right then the left foot moves first) steps straight back with the toe pointing towards the intended target.
5. The other foot falls back placing you in a natural stance ready to walk forward.

How to get upstage left – LSB (Left Shoulder Back)

1. Eyes look at where you are wanting to go
2. Face then torso follow
3. Hand usually gestures in the direction you are about to go in some fashion.
4. Opposite foot (so if you are looking left then the right foot moves first) steps straight back with the toe pointing towards the intended target.
5. The other foot falls back placing you in a natural stance ready to walk forward.

CREDIT

Thank you to Richard Crittenden. The terms RSB and LSB was taken from his workshop and teachings and are used with his blessing.

Day 6 Topic 1

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

— Friedrich Nietzsch

“ Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

– Bernard M. Maruch

“ Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

– Marilyn Monroe

What the audience wants to see on stage isn’t a person “acting” like someone else. The audience wants to see the actor being someone else for the time they are on the stage. We want to see what a real person would do if they were in the situations dictated by the dramatic work they are living through on stage. In a live performance that includes music, we want to see the music become a natural part of a real person’s world.

“ I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.”

– Steve Maraboli

This may seem like a very “self-help” kind of topic. It might seem soft, abstract, or theoretical and a as a topic “nice” but not necessary. In my experience trying to help young performers unlock their abilities and become excellent actors and actresses I have found that until these core issues we will discuss in this topic are addressed and worked on the performers progress will be stunted. It is necessary if the goal is to reveal truth the the process of acting. I have come to see these concept to be very practical and concrete both in application and results.

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