Category: Actors and Acting

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More on that ‘moment’ we’re supposed to be in …

I’ve written before about one of those phrases tossed round by acting folk: being in the moment. I recall the brilliant Dawn French using it in that sweet comedy series The Vicar of Dibley. ‘Geraldine’ was directing the parish’s nativity play. She’d dropped her vicarly garb, and was dressed in requisite directorial kit. All was not going well, so she asked the cast to ‘take a moment to take a moment’ to get into character. Not sure how many general public would have got the nuances of the jargon …

But, being in the moment extends to more than just the actor as character in performance, something that ‘Geraldine’ understood, and which much acting training tends sometimes to over-emphasise. I’m reminded as I noted in that earlier post of how the moment is also filled by the actor’s constant scoping of what’s happening on stage … in the auditorium, drifting in and out of a character’s consciousness … those lovely, fleeting but deeply felt moments of ‘being a character.’ If you could run a video of the actor’s awareness it would most probably screen as a sequence of random, abstracted images with a camera’s point of view of the action; the soundtrack would consist of dialogue and probably the silent sub-text and interior monologues … those of the character and those of the actor as s/he preps a moment of action.

And of course that moment extends during the final dress rehearsals and performance season to the actor’s daily life … off stage. Fleeting, random snatches of moments, lines, notes to self , images flit through the consciousness. These can be distracting but they need to be accepted and seen in the context of the whole creative process.

And speaking of moments and creative process … I’m splitting my attention this week as I work for a few hours each day on another production with my students. It’s a first, major public production for them, and part of my job is to assist them to make the transition from acting studio to rehearsal room, and then the stage … to learn how to put their developing skills to work on the job. It’s a project I relish, and yes it is distracting me from that other mind-chatter that is demanding my attention … work on role in a production that opens this week … tomorrow in fact!

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Playing notes: Dress 2

Tonight was a night of fix-ups all round for the Cabaret kinder; there are always final tweaks as the creative team finesse the show: lights, sound, cues, costume. We spent 20 mins or so pre-show reworking the blocking for a couple of exits. There were also acting notes from last night’s run. There are also more costume pieces appearing in the dressing room; still don’t have my slippers or glasses though. Need these for tomorrow night; it’s not a good idea to use a prop for the first time on opening night, though it’s been done before!

Personally I scored half a page of acting notes from the director. I had let it rip last night in terms of playing the ‘arc’ of the story for my character from whoa to go; it felt generally pretty good … not indulgent in any sense, and I had a sense that ‘she’ had arrived. The relationships between my character and others in the play have also developed well I think; the songs are working fine … but of course, the director or the ideal audience of one sees what I can’t see, and is there precisely to help me to craft my role in the service of the play.

Apparently during last night’s run, the emotional tone of some of my scenes had veered away from the intensity the director wants me to play. In a sense, Fraulein Schneider is one of the moral barometers of the narrative and a driver of the descent into chaos which is Act 2. It’s critical that her persona, her story and her energy fit the overall story at the right time, and in the right way.

So tonight’s run for me was about reworking a couple of scenes in particular on the fly, changing energy levels, and getting the good Fraulein back on track. With this concentration on the director’s notes, I was a beat ahead or behind myself all night long … observing, adjusting. Had a ghastly slip up in the final big solo song which was being taken at a faster pace. I leaped into the wrong lyrics, and got myself tangled up. I was rescued by the brilliant conductor of course, but it was a scare nonetheless. Guess I won’t make that one again!

Playing notes, whilst vital to the health of the show, can be a distraction, an irritation, and an unsatisfying experience for the actor. Tonight was one of those for me; it’s far nicer to be ‘on song’ and just playing, but of course, that can’t happen until the tiny pieces that make up the production are all in the right place.

And the verdict at night’s end from the director? Our overall performance was ‘good but uneven.’ Aha! Notes tomorrow evening before the final dress rehearsal. 2 days to go!

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Entering the stage world

IMG_0148Today begins the final part of the journey as we enter technical and dress rehearsal time. We’ll work through two days of technical rehearsals where lighting, sound and media are integrated into the live action and become part of the story-telling, and of the mise-en-scene of the production. Tech rehearsals can be a trying time for all involved; cues need to be finalised, scene changes and quick costume changes smoothed, and calling by the stage-manager (in the corner) timed to perfection. The actors generally do not wear costume or makeup, although shoes are required for safety reasons. In this production, a musical, the principals and some of the chorus are radio-miked and the voice/orchestra balance is EQ’d by the sound engineer. Continue reading “Entering the stage world”

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Photo shoot, make-up and corsets!


photo credit: fluzwup

A night off from rehearsals but valuable nonetheless; the cast were called for the program photo shoot. It was a chance for us to see one another for the first time in costume, and to realise how powerful a role the element of body adornment plays in visual story-telling. Body-masking is the term I use to describe how external adjustments like costume, hairstyle, makeup, shoes and other physical adjustments … a change in one’s own alignment, tempo-rhythms etc., assist in transformative characterisation. Some of the men in the cast had had 30s haircuts and most were in suits … instant effect. It was also an opportunity for me to have a first run at the makeup I’ll create for Fraulein Schneider.

As I got into the costume and wig tonight, it occurred to me that given the shape of the dress (an original) I was going to need (ahem!) undergarments that complemented the silhouette. Hmm, a corset with suspenders to hold up stockings?!? They still sell these things apparently; most of the Kit Kat Klub dancers (mostly female) were wearing them. As I (gratefully) pulled on my jeans at the end of the session, I pondered on the role clothing had played in women’s suppression and liberation.

The shoot took place on stage, on set. As we walked on to our holy ground, it was reassuring to feel the sense of the scale and position of walls, doors, furniture i.e., what has been represented up to now by coloured gaffer tape on the rehearsal room floor. As we head towards technical production runs this weekend, the challenge will be to integrate the acting work with this new material world, itself a powerful signifier of the story. The creation never stops!


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Production Week: Run #4 and Sitzprobe

photo credit: fr1zz

It’s 11 days till opening and 10am on Sunday morning. Other people are out there having the requisite leisurely brunch and reading the papers at any one of the many coffee shops in the city. We’re in the rehearsal studio warming up bodies to Kylie Minogue dance music. It’s then over to the keyboard to warm up voices with the music director. It’s time for Run #4. The stage is still off-limits as the crew continues to bump in the set. Continue reading “Production Week: Run #4 and Sitzprobe”