There seems to be this notion among many people in amateur productions that “This isn’t Broadway,” so corners can be cut, and efforts can be reduced. Almost as though community theatre is merely a way to spend time while wishing to be on Broadway.
It requires no specific expertise to understand that even when we are not on stage, we do a fair share of acting throughout our daily lives. If you never set foot on a stage in your life, you will at some point be acting in some fashion. Playing a part, in order to bring about […]
Despite how clichéd it sounds, there is a lot of truth to the old adage that the small things matter most. When I went to a private high school I had to wear a very specific uniform. As did everyone. Yet when the basketball team had a game any given night, they were permitted to […]
We all get tired at some point in time. Depending on our jobs, sleeping habits, and the kind of day we have, some of us get more tired than others. Being in a play can be tiring as well. Particularly at the community level. Volunteer actors at the end of what may have already been […]
Those who read both my acting blog and this column will no doubt deduce that I am an ardent advocate of preparedness when it comes to all aspects of acting. I have given countless tips, advised on many scenarios, and shared numerous anecdotes pursuant to this firm belief of mine. As is said, fortune favors […]
A character must often read something in a play. A letter. A passage from a book. Anything on paper which the plot requires him to process on the moment. An actor playing such a scene has two choices. To memorize the written material as he does all of his other spoken lines, or to have […]
I recently took part in a staged reading. The event was one night only, but I enjoyed myself. Yet I do not want to talk about that night specifically. What I want to talk about today are dramatic readings in general. For those who are not familiar, they are exactly what they sound like. Actors […]
Hard as it may be to believe, Sunday’s Super Bowl is an apt metaphor for the actor. Without making this a column on football statistics, (a subject about which I know very little) let us suffice to say that all year the Cardinals were underdogs. Let us also ignore the fact that they in the […]
“The show must go on,” is the most tired adage connected with theatre. If one is only ever in one play, and by some miracle only one problem crops up during the show, I can promise somebody will say this. Admirable. I agree with this notion of “playing through it.” I have done this myself. […]
There is an old adage in the acting world. “Don’t work with animals, water, or children.” While I have had no occasion to do much with the first two, I have had my share of experiences with children. And I am, for personal reasons I shall expound upon herein, very much prepared to accept this […]