Dont think..Just act!!

Hey All,

So the next major point that has come out has hit me on a real personal note, and has come head to head with one of my biggest habits as an actor. We talked intensely about how "talking about working" is not working. Its better to get up on the floor and work it, rather then discuss it and build it up/layer things on it.

Looking back on past projects, Im terrible at this. I spend all my time talking about what I want to do, thinking about things- leaving as little time as possible to actually making the work. I expect the magic to happen in the time I have with the audience. But I dont have a solid action plan, points to hit....Basically....The point of acting is to take the audience on a journey, but if you dont even know where you are going its just B.S. They are coming along to a sloppy thing that your too lazy to really invest time and effort into. I need to rethink my priorities and have this really change in my Solos project this year.

Ive already been thinking about characters I could play, things Im inspired by, how I could explore characters/situations. But I need to remember this is useless if I forget "the other". I'm really going to utilise the outside eye as much as possible, including my class. Once again, I usually have the " I should know how to do this" attitude and never ask for help- but thats going to change.

AT MASSIVE: I'm learning that the more feed back you get the better. Acting is a subjective thing, but if you get lots of people to feed back- then your building and getting a true reading (Especially if they are not familiar with the text/story).

All the cast of "HAVOC in the Garden" are so into getting feedback. They really want it because they know whatever they recieve will help them build on their work. It's changing my attitude too which is great.

YET another IDEA..........

Fear. So as an actor you have bad days, where it feels like nothing works and you generally feel bad about yourself. Is there a trick to seperating yourself really? In this work we become so in the work, when we are told its crap. It sucks. So what do we do...usually Id go have a sulk and get put off doing it for a while. BUT the best thing to do is keep working it. Get it in the muscles and find the play between you and "the other". Other actors AND our wonderful audience.

We are the vehicle for the story, we are inviting an audience to go on a journey and discover thing WITH us, in that moment. LIVE- being the amazing aspect of theatre. Its right there!

I want to make theatre that really involves the audience, that it would not be possible without them being present (those particular people--this relates to my current theatre project "Walk a mile in Our Shoes" which will be around a dinner table and focus on sensory moments. Its still in the works, but if any one want to talk about it, id love it.

I dont know how to do that just yet, but hey, its all good, Plenty of time!


T oxox