Here we go with a new ActorAction Blog Site – the posts will just be pleasant, chatty training-talks, acting-thoughts, play-making ideas and theatre-natters about any-and-everything Performance based. My thoughts will be varied, and hopefully valuable.
And I’ll try to give you all a little Take-Away that will help you along on your path to becoming the agile and active artists you aim to be!
So – why do I choose the word “agile” – what is the broader meaning of the term, and why should it be useful to actors? Not only does it talk about performance fitness – but it also taps into mental clear-headedness and immediate, “in-the-moment” responses to the group of colleagues you’re working (or “playing”?) with. And it includes flexibility with the audience, the viewers you’re playing to! So – “AGILITY is KEY!”
And “Active”? Put it this way – Say your new car (or old one for that matter) stands still and is not driven for a few months at a time? The battery will go flat and the car won’t start, the spark-plugs will get clogged with gunge and not spark properly, the lights that light your journey will be dimmed or deadened, the rust will set in – and the engine will seize up!
Don’t let this happen to you while isolating, and in Lockdown! Hone your craft. Practice, and perfect! Keep at it! Keep alert! Keep active! – “ACTIVITY IS KEY!”
What is ActorAction’s aim? You’ve got it! To keep that Tesla of yours serviced and in tune, so that you can move from 1 to 100 kpm in a second! We want to keep you on the starting-line, ready and set to go!
So during this time of so-called “Inaction” we have resolved to keep you as active as we possibly can! We will challenge you to jolt yourselves out of your comfort zone, jogging along complacently, and cross into the fast lane – keeping yourselves ahead of the game.
We take you through text exploration of plays, in-depth character investigation, relaxed and fun improvisation classes, jam-sessions, webinars, online classes and zoom-performance.
And remember, guys, when you are in our ambit you are an absolutely integral part of our Team. Our attention will be focused fully on your development and preparedness.
We have a little motto that I promise we will stick to – I’ve done it this way for years and years, and it works:
“We’ll train you to all be real, true and right –
With hard work and passion, no stress, fear or flight!
Through debate and discussion, we risk, do-and-dare,
And we’ll guide you there with kindness and care.”
What’s your Take-Away for this month?
A fun solo exercise with just you and your mirror – easy. It’s called
Me-to-You, You-to-Me, You-to-You and Me-to-Me.
- Learn a short monologue.
- Break it up line by line, taking note of punctuation.
- Speak it (in character) line by line into a mirror.
- You as yourself, ask the character questions about him/herself.
- You, as the character, but not in the written text, answer those questions.
- Once you’ve found out more information about this character –
- Redo the monologue with more truth and detail.