Acting in Everyday Life

What do Julie Andrews, James Earl Jones, and Jim Parsons have in common? Besides names that start with J, these stars are among the many actors and actresses that enjoy successful careers both on stage and on screen. Although film acting differs from stage acting, practice can equip an actor to excel at both! Keep reading to explore the three main ways that film and stage acting differ, then learn a few ways to hone your skills in both areas! 1. Facial Expressions and Body GesturesThe biggest difference between acting for stage versus acting for screen is the location of the audience. In a theatre, the stage tends to be far away from the audience. Depending on the size of the theatre, the actors need to exaggerate their facial expressions and gestures so even the patrons in the back row can see what’s going on. For example, actors cannot express sadness with just a single tear onstage, since only the audience members closest to the stage will see it. When acting on screen, however, the camera can get extremely close to the actor, which closes the gap between the audience and the actors. Because of the close-up perspective, actors on film must use more subtle, controlled, and natural expressions and gestures. Large, exaggerated “stage acting” can look awkward and silly on screen. Try It Choose a short scene or monologue, and perform it twice–once for “stage” and once for “screen.” For the stage version, use large, exaggerated gestures to reach the back row audience members. For the screen version, use small, controlled expressions. Use a video camera or cell phone to record the two performances. Zoom in on the actors while recording the screen version and stand farther away while recording the stage version. Compare how your facial expressions and gestures change when your audience (or camera) is close vs. far away. Are you over-the-top, too subtle, or just right? 2. Voice and VolumeFor each live theatre performance, actors have just one chance to get it right! That’s why it is so important to have a strong and healthy voice, and to ensure that lines are memorized. Depending on the show or production budget, microphones may or may not be used during a performance. Even with a microphone, actors must practice and perform their lines accurately each time, with crisp diction and clear enunciation. In musicals, actors must get their notes and lyrics correct on the first try. There are no do-overs during a live theatre performance! For screen performances, actors have multiple “takes” to get a scene right. If they slur their diction, stumble over a line, or mess up the words, they can do the scene again. Film and television sets have microphones everywhere on the set to pick up the lines. In post-production, actors frequently go back to re-record lines to fix any errors that they made during filming. Try It Choose a short scene or monologue and perform it twice. First, record yourself performing the scene for film. Concentrate on accurately, projected lines. Do as many takes as needed to get the lines letter-perfect. Next, record yourself performing the scene onstage in front of an audience. Follow up your stage performance by presenting your filmed performance to the class. Compare how your expressions and delivery change in the two performances. 3. Preparation and PerformanceIn theatre, performances happen in real time. Stage actors spend many rehearsal hours developing their characters’ personalities and quirks, and spend even more hours memorizing their lines so they can be performed in the sequence of the show. Despite all this preparation, stage actors need to be quick on their feet in case something goes wrong (which, in theatre, it often does!). A missed cue, a forgotten prop, a dropped line or a wardrobe malfunction–no matter what, the show must go on somehow! Giving live performances can be taxing on stage actors. They must deliver the same performance with new energy each time they perform, to get the job done. In film, performances do not happen in real time. If an actor flubs a line, it’s easy to refer to a script and fix the mistake on the next take. However, one challenge of film acting is that scenes are often shot out of sequence due to budgetary concerns, time of day, or weather. An actor may have to perform an intense scene with lots of running and screaming immediately followed by a happy scene with laughing and smiling. There is little time in between to mentally “re-set.” This can be emotionally draining on an actor. Screen actors must also be prepared to deal with impromptu script changes. Film actors must often memorize a whole new section of script on the fly. Try It Click here to download a tip sheet featuring the differences between stage acting versus screen acting, discussion questions you can share with students and a reflection sheet to have students reflect on their experience with the exercises.

Want to give your students some fantastic acting material that they can really sink their dramatic chops into? Consider doing an issue play for your next production. Issue plays explore problems and topics that are current and relevant for your students, including body image, bullying, mental health, identity, individuality, and human rights. Students are able to resonate with the issues that the characters face, and these plays can be a great way to entertain and educate at the same time. While issue plays are rewarding, they can be challenging as well. Issue plays can bring out some strong emotions when you and your students are working on them, and it’s important to approach them with thoughtfulness and care. Here are some tips for acting the issue play: 1. Be wary of how many times your character expresses extreme emotion. In a one-act play, characters should only cry once. Shout at each other once. Hit once. Scream once. If you abuse the extreme emotion it becomes ineffective. The more you shout, the less the audience will listen. All they will hear is the noise, and not the content. 2. Fight the urge to ‘act’ sad. Sad plays are already sad. The text is sad. Use all forms of emotion to react to the issue. Anger can be quiet, sad people laugh, and so on. That is what will make the moment alive instead of stereotypical. 3. Always remember the audience. The issue play can sometimes turn into an insular experience for the cast if they get too involved with what they’re doing. Always keep in mind that your job is to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. That has to be done in a variety of ways. Variety is the key. It’s always more effective to make an audience laugh right before you hit them in the gut with something dramatic. Silence works in tandem with shouting. Always have a moment of stillness after a moment of chaos. 4. Take the most dramatic moment in the play and rehearse it with the opposite emotion. If there are two characters screaming at each other, turn the moment on its head and have the characters laugh at each other. It will give you a fresh perspective of the scene. You’ll find new rhythms in the pace of the dialogue. It’s a great way to create a break between the character going through the issue, and the actor. On that note… 5. Remember that it is the characters who are in the issue, not the actors. Every time you rehearse a tense, emotional moment, create a clean break. Play a silly improv game at the end of rehearsals. Sing. Do yoga. Play duck duck goose. Create a ritual to bring yourself out of character. 6. Have an outsider watch the show. If you and your cast are knee-deep in your issue, you may not think the show is straying into the overdramatic. A fresh eye (that you trust!) can let you know if the show is on the right track.

This is a followup of yesterday’s post on Theatre in the Round. Yesterday I talked about staging, today I’m going to take about the unique challenges and benefits to acting in the round. Movement Feels Very ArtificialYou have to move a lot more than normal in order to share the theatrical experience with everybody. Any line that’s more than a couple of sentences long pretty much has to be delivered while walking in a circle to give everyone a chance to see you. Any important prop has to be held high, circled around in order to be seen. This feels very artificial. You just have to trust that it doesn’t look artificial to the audience. It helps seeing other shows in the round to see how it works. Movement is More NaturalYeah, that seems to contradict my previous point. It does. Movement in the round is more natural because you’re not cheating every bit of staging to be visible from one particular angle. If you want to turn your back to someone, you can turn your back to someone fully. You can move in any direction to anywhere, you’ll always be visible to someone. There is No Place to HideYou can’t cheat upstage to cough or wipe your nose out of sight of the audience. They’re surrounding you. I cut my finger on a shard of glass at the top of the show the other night. There was no hiding it, no keeping my hand behind my back. I had to keep my hand in my pocket until I got to leave the stage 30 minutes later. I was sure they were all staring at my hand and well out of the world of the play, but they didn’t even notice. The Audience is Always in your EyelineThis is one of the hardest adjustments. In a traditional proscenium setting, you’ll occasionally get a glance at the audience. Often the lighting is too bright to see anything but the first couple of rows. But lighting in the round is all from the top. The audience is so close that you can easily see every one of them. You can’t help but see them. When you look your scene partner in the eyes, you’re also seeing the audience in your periphery. Most of the time you’ll see someone deeply engaged with the show and having the time of their life. Sometimes you’ll see a bored husband who can’t wait to get out of there. Sometimes you’ll see the person who is unwrapping a candy and driving you crazy. The Audience Connection is DeepThere’s no guessing what effect you’re having on the audience. They are right there in your face, you can clearly see their reactions. They are as much a character in the play as you are. In ConclusionActing in the round is a unique, immediate, terrifying experience. If you have a theatre space that can be arranged in the round, I encourage you to give it a try. Audiences love it, and you might too!