Dr. Marc Reynolds Performing Arts Studio

Sing Easier - Perform Like A Pro

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Giving and Taking the Stage & Getting Upstage

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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.

Don’t Act – Be

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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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MMC in Practice – Performer, Director, Cinematographer, or Designer.

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Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought. – E. Y. Harburg

The tools you have to apply the MMC principle in practice will change depending on what role you are playing in the production process. Let’s talk about how you might apply MMC in practice.

In day 5 we will give you some other powerful tools that will help you apply The Big 3 and MMC so stay tuned.

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MMC in Theory

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Make the Music A Consequence

MMC is an abbreviation for Make the Music A Consequence. The short explanation is that music should seem as if it comes as a result of something a character does or something we see on stage. Music is part of the auditory part of our sensory world. Consequently, like all other sounds in the natural world, something has to make them occur for a sound to be made.

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