ARE YOU READY TO GO?

"A Simple Path To Success"

Actors are confronted by lots of choices. 

Directors often talk in vague descriptive terms which throw up a huge number of options.  And then there are all the possibilities that the actor dreams up for a scene. 

How do you manage this vast quantity of material?  A simple way is to load them into clearly manageable categories. 

That’s what The Rehearsal Room is all about.

The Rehearsal Room is focused on processes that manage complicated options in a simple practical way. 

The Rehearsal Room believes there are only three areas the actor needs to organize to achieve a satisfactory outcome. 

The first is “the reason why the character is having the conversation.”    That choice will drive the majority of the character’s decisions.  What the character is trying to achieve in the conversation influences the most significant decisions the character will make.   This is the issue that is foremost in the character’s mind. The actor can colour the way they go about this conversation goal in many different ways but the reason for the conversation always stays the same.  It will of course be interrupted by many surprises.

The second area to organize is the nature of the person that is having the conversation.  Is this the type of person whose patterns of behaviour are based on the desire to share or to blame; does this character inherently want to be respected or are the choices driven by a desire to be liked, to please, to control or to seduce? (click here for the full list)  These desires or ‘the nature of the character’ will also be coloured by the circumstances and the reason that’s driving the conversation.  But no matter what events colour it, the character’s basic ‘need’ or desire that determines the nature of their behaviour will always stay the same. It will of course be interrupted by surprises.

The third area to be managed is ‘the things the character knows’.    This includes the things that are known about the relationship and the things that are known about the circumstances.   This could be an extensive list but it need only focus on the elements that are relevant to the current scene.

Simple clear decisions in these three areas should mean that the actor is now ready to go. 

Labeling these areas actively and understanding them is the first step.  The next step is to actually listen and respond to what is actually happening.  This simple formula can in a matter of moments produce very successful outcomes. 

Sure you can do more, to prepare if you have the time.  But often actors will give there best performances on the minimum of preparation.  Too much preparation of the wrong kind can often confuse the clarity of those three very functional areas.

It’s not the quantity of information that makes for good outcomes but rather whether the choices are clear and ACTIVE.  After that its all about trust, relaxation and listening.

Copyright © The Rehearsal Room 2011. All rights Reserved.

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