Say what?
Yes, you heard me correctly, STOP PLAYING A CHARACTER!
But, you say, then how can I be a good actor? Doesn’t great acting hinge upon how well I play my character?
NO. IT DOES NOT.
I see you scratching your head.
Let’s unravel this conundrum.
Starting by defining what great acting is.
Oh, that’s easy you might say—great acting is being another person, feeling their feelings, saying the lines like they would, right?
No, it is not. That kind of acting will keep you stuck doing community theatre forever. And if that is your dream, carry on and enjoy!
But if you really want to enter the realms of great acting, start booking big films, TV shows and astounding theatre you must grasp the concept that acting is DOING. It is taking action against an obstacle to get what you want, i.e., behaving like a real human being in an imaginary circumstance steeped in conflict.
In other words, “characterization” is behavior. DOING what your “character” would do but letting it come from your real self.
And is very tricky to do and takes a lot of training and practice to get to that level of “doing” instead of “showing, indicating, performing, etc.”
I just got back from my second trip this season to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. They are doing a production of a hilarious farce called “The Play That Goes Wrong.” I laughed myself horse watching it the first time and took my husband back to see it a second time because it was so funny.
Getting home from the trip I looked the play up on YouTube and found quite a few productions of it. The show is a technical nightmare as basically the set falls apart as the story goes along. Because it is a farce, the actors have to play it big and broad but as always need to keep their performances specific and based in reality as much as possible. It simply is a feat to do this play well.
In my YouTube search I found two video clips from two different productions of the play that in my opinion show the difference between great acting and the more “being a character” version of acting as mentioned above.
Snippet of the Broadway production of “The Play that Goes Wrong”.
A community theatre production of “The Play that Goes Wrong”.
I invite you to watch them and see if you can spot the difference. As I said, the play is a farce so it’s a bit over the top but in the first one the actors’ performances are based in reality—meaning they are really doing behavior, going after what they want and checking to see if they get it (i.e., LISTENING). And watching this production will make you feel something.
The second production, although done with as much heart as the first, is based in a world of “performing” and “playing characters”. There’s not much real listening going on, not much real action/trying to get something from their partners. And although it might keep you mildly entertained you probably won’t be tickled to the soul like you are watching the first one.
A HUGE part of being a great actor is to be able to distinguish what good acting IS and what it IS NOT. And developing a taste for the former.
Enjoy watching these and see if you can pinpoint the differences, the nuances, and the specificity.
You can always comment below if you have questions or insights. Dialoguing is a great way to get clarity and improve.
As always, we’re here to help.
