This is bad news for audiences. When actors keep dropping off, the audience inevitably misses what the actor is saying. Worse still, they are unclear on why the actor is saying it and lose interest in the story.

Why Do Actors Drop Off?

Dropping off before the end of the line is usually a sign of uncertainty on the part of the actor.  Sure, sometimes we will need to play uncertain characters. However, as performers, our skill is in delivering powerful performances no matter how understated our character’s traits may be. There’s always technique at play even if the character is one who mumbles or struggles with shyness.

Even anxious characters will try to get their point across by focusing their thoughts and intentions on the other character. Even if they are unsure about their thoughts, the thoughts are sent to the other character. Furthermore, those thoughts are sent with the intention of being received. The tendency to drop off before the end of a line is a manifestation of uncertainty on the part of the performer, not the character.

Wading off the ends of sentences or thoughts is weak, lifeless and uninteresting. When actors start losing the ends of their lines, the audience starts flipping through the playbill (and wishing they were on their couch binging Netflix and UberEats). To keep our audiences engaged, we must also stay engaged with the fullness of the language and the ideas that underpin it.

The audience will follow you as long as you don’t lose sight of your actions and objectives.

As actors, our confidence in our character’s intentions will help us drive those thoughts to affect the other actor. This, in turn, will capture our audience’s attention.

How to Get To The End Of the Line

So, how can we ensure our fellow actors and audiences are being affected by our performance? It’s simple… but not always easy.

Take in what has been said to you, let it affect you and then respond. This is all basic acting stuff, but the key is to do it all quickly. Turning up the pace can instantly transform a slug-fest into a fiery piece of theatre. This usually happens towards the end of the rehearsal process, when the intentions and thoughts are clear. You may hear your director politely shout at you – ‘pacey pacey darlings!’, this is your cue that it’s time to heat it up.

The audience will follow you as long as you don’t lose sight of your actions and objectives. Throughout your rehearsal period, play both of these with full commitment.

If you need a refresher on how actors use ‘actions’, we highly recommend Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus.

Allow your speech to be influenced by the intensity of your intention. When actors can hit the keywords in the character’s speech, we make it clear and easy for our fellow performers and audiences. This clarity allows our audience to grasp the meaning and experience the story.

Practical Exercises

How do we take this note on? If you find yourself getting this note, try this exercise:

1. Get a tennis ball or other bouncing ball and find a wall you can safely bounce it against.
2. Imagine that your ‘thought’ or intention is contained within the ball.
3. Prepare to throw the ball. As you say the line of text, release the ball with some force against the wall.
4. Catch the ball as it comes back to you, and move on to the next line.
5. Do this for each line of the text.
6. Notice how the physical action of sending the thought influences the way you say the words.
7. Practice this a few times to imbue the text with new energy and intention.
8. Fun bonus: If you are rehearsing a scene with a partner, why not get them to join you? Throw the ball to them directly while saying your lines, and get them to do the same back. You will absolutely notice a change in the way you deliver the text. Pay attention to the new power of the lines and the drive in the performance. Feel free to discuss these changes with your scene partner afterwards.

Lastly, a quick note on pauses: Pauses should come naturally. They also must be earned. If you pause too much in a speech you will lose your audience, and they will ‘get ahead of you’. This spells disaster for the performance. As soon as the audience checks out, they lose interest in the next moments of the performance. Remember that a pause can hold more value than text, so don’t overindulge in them and rob them of their power.

Closing Thoughts

The next time a director tells you to “Get to the end of the line,” remember that this note is for everyone’s benefit. Actors who can get to the end of the line bring their performances to life at a professional level.  As we’ve touched on, this note is really about what lies underneath the character’s text.

As an actor, the clarity of thought and intention that you bring to the text will reveal your character’s motivation and story. Hitting your keywords and moving through the text with pace will give your performance energy, vitality and motivation. Don’t allow the uncertainty you may feel as a performer to limit the fullness of your character’s expression.

Commit to getting to the end of the line, and you will find your performance lifts in every way.

Want to practice getting to the end of the line in a rewarding and fun environment? Join our StageMilk Drama Club to get professional, individual feedback every month to help you take your acting to the next level.

The post Get To The End of The Line appeared first on StageMilk.

Asking yourself “Should I take an acting class?” is a strong indicator that you should give it a go. At the very least, look into some options in your city (or online) to see what’s available. Acting classes help improve and focus the skillset of actors at any professional level. For beginners, or non-actors, they will still develop skills in areas such as confidence, public speaking, critical thinking and communication.

In this article, we’re going to look over some reasons you might want to take an acting class. In case you do find yourself intrigued, we’ll also list some terrific resources designed to help you take the next step. Let’s jump in…

Reasons to Take an Acting Class

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. If you stop and think about the benefits of taking an acting class, you are sure to out-list us in no time. But the following reasons cover the fundamentals—not just for career-minded thespians, but for everybody!

You’ve Always Wanted to Try It!

There’s a good chance you’re reading this article with little-to-no acting experience whatsoever. If that’s the case: hello! It’s great to have you here. We promise that very few of us bite. If you’ve always wanted to try acting but have no earthly clue where to begin, then an acting class is the perfect place to start.

Look for acting classes in your area—especially short courses with fewer required hours and commitments. We can’t guarantee it won’t be a little bit scary at first, but they’re amazing things to help build confidence and explore a passion. Go for it! Have some fun!

Building your Confidence

Even if you have no earthly interest in the actor’s life, an acting class can still be a useful space to develop important life skills. Acting classes will help you with public speaking, as well as communicating with others with a goal in mind. Engaging in script analysis and scene study fires up the analytical part of your brain, and you’re bound to improve memory when learning lines.

Good acting is all about confidence: how you speak and stand and move, and how you respond to the stimuli of the world around you. Can you think of any professional field where these qualities wouldn’t be valuable assets? From sales to parenting to charging into a burning building (as a firefighter, we hope), an acting class will prepare you for anything.

Shake off the Cobwebs

If you’re feeling an actor who’s feeling a little rusty, or you’re returning to acting after a break, an acting class is the perfect way to get your groove back. You’ll have a safe, supportive space to cover the fundamentals and get a sense of how the art may have shifted or evolved since you were last creeping the boards.

Of course, if you are coming back to acting after an extended period of time, there’s a lot more to be done. Update your headshots and your resume, and start to strategise on the getting-an-agent front. But don’t discredit how helpful it is to operate in a space where people truly see you as what you are: not a family member, sibling, friend, or colleague, but an actor. When it comes to support and understanding, acting classes are the perfect haven.

Work Towards New Goals as an Actor

In our highly competitive industry, it is vitally important that you keep upskilling yourself as a performer. Some of this you can do at home, or on the train to work, or online—even right here with us at StageMilk’s monthly Scene Club. But sooner or later, if you want to improve your skills, you’ll need to play with others.

When you take an acting class, you have the chance to develop your skills with other actors. For all the practice self-taping can grant you solo, there’s no substitute for doing scene work with fellow performers. So think about an acting class as a space that not only allows you to grow, but to do so with people on similar journeys, with similar goals. You’ll support each other on the way there.

Brush Up on the Fundamentals

Working in the industry as an actor is a sure-fire way to develop shortcuts and bad habits. To be fair, this is out of necessity—you seldom have the time you had in drama school to pour over a text before a self-tape is due. But eventually these habits do catch up with you and affect the quality of your work. So catch an acting class to brush up on those fundamental skills.

When you take an acting class, your focus returns to the work of your craft rather than booking a gig. You can focus on creating character, define your objective and plot your actions. Use it to revise your basics and hone your working process. Your subsequent auditions/self-tapes will be stronger for it: 100% guaranteed.

Explore New Techniques

Ever done clowning? Mask work? What about Suzuki training, or Meisner? Classes can help you explore new acting techniques, and ancillary skills  to your acting. Why not take a singing lesson or a dance class? All good things to add to your resume, and to be able to say “Yes!” to in an audition.

The great thing about a weekly class is that it isn’t necessarily focused on booking work, or even a showcase at the end of the course. It’s about the work being done in the moment. We call this kind of learning “process-based”, as opposed to “results-based”. You can try things, make mistakes, fall flat on your face and fail! Who cares? It’s a totally safe space, purpose-built for challenge and growth.

Network and Collaborate

An acting class is the perfect place to expand your network of peers and collaborators. It will be filled with hungry, like-minded individuals. Learn from them, support them, befriend them and welcome them into your creative community! Even when you finish with the class, you can keep in touch with these actors as you embark on parallel journeys. They’ll be the best resources for auditions, reading partners, scene study and even day jobs!

One thing we should clarify: don’t go to a class looking solely for networking opportunities. Nothing looks more desperate, nothing seems more fake. You should also be careful of courses that masquerade as networking opportunities—think expensive one- or two-day courses run by casting directors. Sometimes they’re run by reputable, generous individuals with lots of wisdom to impart. But more often than not, they’re bringing people in not to work on craft, but to give them a whiff of a job opportunity. Do your research.

“You should take an acting class.”

Ooft. It felt mean just typing that subheading—that’s how sensitive we can be to reading/saying/hearing those six little words! And it’s exactly why too few actors consider taking a class at some point in their life. Taking an acting class does not mean you “can’t act”, or you could be better (although you could, because, we all can.)

Honestly, it means that you’ve got the conviction to keep working on your craft and improve your skills. Actors who take classes, who continue to study and read and better themselves, are the most attractive potential collaborators on any project. They’re hungry, they’re hard-working, they’re not afraid to jump into a tough situation and struggle.

Who doesn’t want that person on their team?

Places to Find Acting Classes

Finally, we’re going to leave you with a list of acting class resources right here on StageMilk. Feel free to click through any of the links below for any further information, and don’t forget that you could always come study with us!

• StageMilk’s own Scene Club (offering carer advice, classes, coaching and self-tape feedback.)
• How to Get the Most out of Acting Class
• Are Acting Classes Worth the Price?
• Acting Classes in LA
• Acting Lessons Sydney
• Acting Classes Melbourne
• Brisbane Screen Acting Class
• Acting Classes in Vancouver
• Acting Classes in London
• Acting Classes Near Me

That’s it. What are you waiting for? Good luck!

The post Should I Take an Acting Class? appeared first on StageMilk.

Knowing how to communicate as an actor is all about listening and responding: speaking with purpose and reacting accordingly to what your scene partner offers in return. Doing so makes a scene feel alive and spontaneous. However, failing to do so can result in ‘fake’ acting, in which you seem unable to respond naturally or believably to the stimuli of the story.

Before we dive into this article, here’s something to keep in mind: communication is so much more than talking. Just because your character has dialogue with another person doesn’t mean that you’re communicating. So as you read the below pointers, remind yourself that communication requires active participation. You won’t get there unless you make the effort. Everything else is literally just noise.

How Important is Communication?

It’s everything. Communication is the conveyance of the thoughts, views, wants and needs of your character. If they are unable to communicate, there is no possibility for drama, as no conflict can be established. As communication helps a character pursue their objective, and navigate how to get there via their actions/tactics, a lack of communication can kill the momentum of a scene.

Beyond conflict, communication is also how your characters establish their relationships, their histories, their status. It ensures your character feels connected to the world of the story and the people who inhabit it with them.

It’s also important to realise that communication isn’t simply language-based (although that makes up a large part of drama.) It relates to body language, gesture, physicality and expression. Two actors can express complex emotions with the simplest of actions on stage or on screen, and say more in silence than others do with five Shakespearean acts.

Case Study: Big Night (1996)

As an example, clock this beautiful, wordless piece of acting by Tony Shaloub and Stanley Tucci from the film Big Night. This is the final scene of the film; the previous night was a disaster and led to these two brothers rolling around and fighting on the beach by their doomed restaurant.

For three-and-a-half minutes, Tony Shaloub is not even present in the scene. The only clue a third character will enter is that one third of the frittata remains in the pan. But the moment he walks in, you can sense the tension between him and his brother. The tiniest nod of his head, the way he chooses to look away as Tucci stands to serve him breakfast.

It is not until the final few seconds of the entire film that their relationship is truly solidified. Their hands rise to embrace one another’s shoulders in a sign of love and mutual apology. The future is uncertain for them both, but they have each other.

Care to try ruining this scene? Add a line of dialogue any-damn-where.

“Who are you speaking to?”

If you want to know how to communicate as an actor, this is the first question to ask yourself. In my work as a coach for StageMilk’s Scene Club (where we cover the fundamentals like communication every month), it’s often the first question I write in my notes to send as feedback to our members.

Who is the character you’re in the scene with? Who are they to you? What is their story, and how are you connected? How do they seem? How do you feel about them? Is there any cause you should be worried about them/happy for them/scared of them? It’s sobering to hear how many actors answer this question with the scene partner’s name, and nothing else. This is where the magic happens!

Think about the person you’re speaking to and interrogate how you might talk to them. If they’re a best friend, you’re going to tell them about a drunken one-night stand very differently to how you might convey the same information to a priest. You might not feel nervous recapping your weekend to your favourite auntie; this might be a different scenario if the person asking is a homicide detective.

“What do you want from them?”

When you’ve established your scene partner, the relationship and how you might relate to them, the next step is to determine your objective. All acting, all drama relates back to this notion: wanting something in a scene and then trying everything you’ve got within you to achieve it. And your objective must always involve your scene partner, because they’re the prime obstacle in the way.

In short: your objective speaks to the reason the scene exists, and why you’re talking to your scene partner. If you put two characters in a room who hate each other with a fiery passion, eventually you (and the audience) will ask: “Why doesn’t one of them just leave, or throw the other one out the window?!” As an actor, you have to discover what is so important about these two characters communicating. They may loathe each other … but they still have to speak in order to pursue their objective and achieve their goal.

Plotting Actions

If objectives cover what you want, actions (sometimes called tactics) are how you get them. They’re the intention behind each line, each phrase, that helps you to achieve your objective. All communication is about playing actions: trying little things to get what you want. You want to borrow $500 from a friend? “Flatter” them. Did it work? Maybe “bargaining” will do the trick. Still having no luck? Well, time it’s to pull that concealed pistol and “threaten.”

Actions aid your communication as an actor because they force you to impinge upon your scene partner: you must have an effect on the person you’re speaking to. And as actions can only happen in relation to the scene and the shape it takes on the page (see script analysis), playing them forces your performance to be dynamic and unlock the full potential of the writer’s words.

“But actions aren’t spontaneous!”

Some actors think that plotting actions results in predictable, boring choices. How can you possibly make the scene feel alive and spontaneous if you’ve planned it out beforehand? The same way you can you keep a script spontaneous when you learn your lines: you act. Actions aren’t for the benefit of the character, they’re for the benefit of you, the actor, as you navigate the scene. And if a pre-planned action doesn’t fit with the work another actor does in the piece? Well, that’s truer to life than you might think. How many times have you planned or practiced a conversation only for it to go horribly not-to-plan?

Checking In

As an extension to actions: communicate as an actor by ‘checking in’. This technique has you observe how your scene partner reacts to any of your lines, gestures or actions played. In short: how are they taking this? How are they feeling? Do they look like they’re about to speak, or cry, or launch across the table and start strangling you?

Checking in has you react to the reactions of the person opposite. If a particular action is effective, it might be an indication that you can push that particular tactic: move from “plead” up to “beg”. If it’s less effective, and you get a reaction that is unexpected or undesirable, it’s time for a shift in your tactics: move from “beg” to “flatter”.

Don’t Forget Subtext

Subtext is of the utmost importance in a nuanced, compelling, dramatic scene: so much so that we’ve dedicated an entire article to subtext in acting. When looking for strategies to better communicate as an actor, always think about what is being left unsaid.

It might be a comfortable silence between two great friends—united by a communicative shorthand that eliminates the need for excessive chatter. Perhaps the subtext points to an ugly truth that nobody in the room wants to admit. Subtext also relates back to the notion of the objective that gives drama its sense of tension and drive. The dialogue might be totally innocent, or even bland … but the subtext hints and the deep wants of the character: what’s really going on.

Communicating in a Monologue

The importance of communication as an actor is never more apparent than when you perform a monologue. This is because the responsibility falls to you alone to make the connection with your scene partner. You can’t rely on the back-and-forth of dialogue to mask poor communication: it all has to be there.

As a provocation: ask yourself why the piece of material you’re working in is a monologue. Why is your scene partner silent? What’s shut them up, and how are they taking the words you’re saying (a great opportunity to check in?) If you can answer these questions, keep them in your mind when you prepare/analyse/perform a monologue, then you can bet you’re communicating.

“What about a soliloquy?”

While a soliloquy is different to a monologue, the principles of communication are the same. While a soliloquy, by definition, distinguishes itself by representing the inner thoughts (or monologue, if you will) of a character, they’re still being spoken out loud for a particular reason. To whom are they being spoken to? And why?

Conclusion

One of the main reasons learning to communicate as an actor can be difficult is that it’s often hard for us as people—let alone performers. We don’t always listen when we talk to somebody. We’re not always receptive to how our words are being received. Sometimes, things are lost in subtext or poor word choice that creates unnecessary drama.

When you’re working on your acting, keep yourself open to these flaws. Because often it’s these parts of speech, moments of communication between people, that create the most human performances. When you think about it: if all characters were perfect communicators, we’d not have half the complications and plots in all of drama!

So when you’re acting, do your best to listen and be heard. Find what you want and fight for it, and know the person opposite you is the one in the way. Simple as that.

Good luck!

The post How to Communicate as an Actor appeared first on StageMilk.

Scene study is the reading and analysis of monologues or scenes, for express purpose of improving one’s skills by expanding knowledge and repertoire. The benefits of scene study for actors are numerous, as it can be performed almost anywhere and exercise much of an actor’s toolkit for free. 

Of course, you will engage in scene study for the purpose of auditions or rehearsals. Even on a film set, the way you interact with your co-stars and directors will more or less follow the same approach. But there is much to be said for doing scene study in your home, alone or with friends (ideally with friends), for the pure joy of acting and the getting of wisdom. With no set goal or time limit in mind, you can really focus on the text and make some compelling discoveries.

How to Run a Scene Study

It’s simple! Round up some actors you know, agree on a play or similar text, coordinate a night where you can all sit together and read it out loud together. You can perform the whole thing, you can focus on particular scenes or even read it separately and come together to analyse it.

If you’ve ever taken an acting class or gone to drama school, this might sound eerily familiar. Well, take it from the StageMilk team that you can facilitate this kind of thing on your own—and it costs you nothing more than the bottle of cheap red wine you bought for the occasion, or the few bucks everybody pitches in for a pizza.

It’s funny to think that something so simple and enjoyable can be hugely beneficial. Regular scene study is often the best addition to your practice as an actor. Let’s break down why:

Expand your Knowledge as an Actor

First of all, scene study allows you to cover all the famous roles and texts and stories you may not otherwise encounter. If you’re booking nothing but commercials (first of all, congratulations!), scene study is the chance to crack open some Shakespeare, or Oscar Wilde, or any of the great writers in the canon.

Too few actors train themselves to be knowledgeable about own craft—let alone the wider world of the arts around them. Scene study develops your literacy in regards to plays, books and films. A lot of performers think this is superfluous to actually acting. But they forget that directors and writers communicate using the works that have come before. Strike up a conversation in an audition about a playwright the director loves … they won’t soon forget you.

Upskill your Script Analysis

You know what separates  performers from the pack when they’re auditioning, or rehearsing, or even, just acting? The ability to analyse and comprehend meaning in a script. At StageMilk, we stress script analysis as one of an actor’s most vital tools; scene study is all about finding the meaning—especially when the experience is free of the time constraints of a self-tape being due.

With all the time in the world, what might you discover about a scene when you scrutinise every mark on the page? Will you find new ways to build character? Their deepest wants and the lengths they go to fight for them? Perhaps the underlying subtext that changes everything you thought you knew…

Building Confidence as an Actor

If you feel your knowledge or experience is lacking in a particular time period/genre/style, scene study offers up a chance to tighten those skills and grant you some much needed experience. You may still be stepping outside of your comfort zone, but with continued effort you’ll find yourself on more even footing.

Confidence is easy to build with scene study as you’re developing a safe space. Your work and learning isn’t results-based, it’s simply what you discover—supported by the circle of peers you’ve gathered. You may be feeling nervous when you begin. But this will give way when you realise that experimentation, even failure, is something that scene study actually rewards.

Audition Preparation

And what is the result of developing all these skills and reading all these new works? When it comes to the business of a genuine audition or opportunity, you’re much more prepared! You’ve put time into your craft, you’ve honed your process. You may even have read the script of the play you’re going for.

While this article is centred on scene study for its own sake, there would be nothing wrong with shifting the focus of your group’s work to that of a script you’ve been sent for an upcoming reading. Just be sure that you’re up front with your peers, and let them know your motives for a sudden shift.

Experiment with Directing

Much like acting, scene study can be a safe space to explore the art of directing. This may be a career path you’ve been interested in pursuing, or simply an interest you’re looking to pursue. At StageMilk, we recommend all actors try their hand at directing at least once, as it can give you a sense of how a director must be responsible for all creative aspects of a scene. Not to mention a new level of respect for the job!

Similar to directing, a scene study session can give you a chance to try out some original material you’ve been writing. We encourage all actors to write their own vehicle, even a showreel scene or a monologue, as it has the same benefits we’ve listed above in regards to directing. However, it’s worth checking with your peers first, as it’s different to work with material from a less experienced writer.

Strengthening your Creative Community

The great thing about organising a regular scene study event is that everybody benefits. Everything in this article is true for all involved—so the more people you can bring in to participate, the better it is for your wider creative community.

An actor’s life is tough. If you’re not occasionally questioning your choice to become an actor, you’re either deluding yourself or earning a cool eight figures per movie already. So why not share the quiet times, the uncertain times, with people in your life who truly get the struggle? Find every opportunity you can to support your colleagues in the arts.

It’s Fun!

Final point, and the most important: scene study is fun. For all the analysis and art and angst, it’s bottles of wine and junk food and prancing about the share-house living room in a ruff made from toilet paper. More than that, it’s you getting to do the thing you love—and with the people in your life who get you more than your own mother.

With all the uncertainty in the actor’s life, scene study can become a beacon that guides you back to your passion. To the why of an existence full-to-the-brim with failure and chaos. Just once a week, once a month, even, carve out something where you can truly be yourself.

Conclusion

I wanted to conclude this article with what I believe is an example of scene study gone very, very right. In the early 1990s, director Andre Gregory led a series of studies based on Anton Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya. With no thought of production, he worked with a group of actors for three years. Eventually, this project caught the attention of filmmaker Louis Malle, and Vanya on 42nd Street was the result.

Take a look at the promo below (and then look up the film on YouTube, you won’t be disappointed.) It’s perhaps one of the finest films about actors, for actors, ever made. These people come together for the love of their craft, for the love of story and stories well told. And they create a masterpiece.

Doesn’t that sound fun?

The post Benefits of Scene Study for Actors appeared first on StageMilk.

There are a number of different ways to learn lines as an actor. Some tactics are fairly straightforward, others loop in areas of acting study such as script analysis, voice or even movement. Actors should be encouraged to road test different ways to learn lines, but find a methodology that suits them best. 

In this article, we’re going to look at several tools and tactics for line learning. We encourage you to give each of them a go, but remember not to be hard on yourself if a particular method doesn’t work for you. You will always be the best judge of what fits in your actor’s toolkit.

Different Ways to Learn Lines as an Actor

#1: Read the Script

Before you attempt anything else on this list, give yourself the strongest foundations you can by reading and analysing the script. The more meaning and understanding you can derive from the words on the page, the easier it will be to learn and recall lines. Why? Because they’ll be important to you. Once you pour over that script, you’ll realise that not a word is unconsidered by the writer, or out of place!

Pros: Deeper understanding of story, strong foundation for building character, it’s harder to make generic choices or ‘fake’ lines when you understand their importance.

Cons: Script analysis can be a lengthy process, so budget your time to ensure this doesn’t take over your life or eat into actual memorisation time.

#2: Prepare your Script

Another thing to do before you move down this list is prepare your script. You can highlight your lines, mark any problematic passages; once you begin action/objective work (see below), you can include notes for any related prompts. Marking your script keeps you from forgetting director’s notes, or losing the meaning or intention behind lines.

Pros: Highlighting makes for quick reference to your lines on the go.

Cons: Marked up scripts can become messy and confusing if you’re not careful; don’t sacrifice clarity for speed.

#3: Repeat your Lines

A classic: say your lines, over and over until you know them back to front. Repetition helps you reinforce the material by drilling it into your head, as well as to find the rhythm of the dialogue. However, it’s also a chance to try different readings, inflections or intentions. It’s helpful for the lines themselves, but you’re wasting a chance to develop your performance if you go on performance auto-pilot.

Pros: Proven method for learning lines, chance to experiment with material throughout the process.

Cons: If you’re not careful, you can lock yourself into a particular line reading; this can be difficult to walk back even with directorial input or changes to the scene. (It’s also less helpful if the dialogue is changed on the day of filming.)

#4: Run the Scene

If you have the benefit of a reading partner, or especially the actor you’ll be working with, you can run your lines with them and memorise them that way. Honestly, it’s an extension of the above point about repetition. But it’s often a lot easier when you have a person to work with (who can also quiz you on what you’re getting right and wrong.)

Pros: Running the scene feels exciting and dynamic; you’re not just learning lines, you’re actually performing the piece!

Cons: A scene partner is not always readily available. If you have the resource of another person to work with, you may still wish to use another memorisation strategy.

#5: Record Yourself

Record yourself speaking your lines: you can listen to them (over and over) or recite along with yourself (over and over.) Some actors like to record the dialogue around their lines, so they can speak their part and slot it into the context of the scene. It can be a bit fiddly to get the timing right, but gives you a similar experience to working with a reading partner.

Pros: Read with others while reading alone! Also a great way to have lines repeatedly playing with little effort: listen and absorb.

Cons: If you’re reading along with yourself, you can fall into the trap of locking in a single performance. This is doubly true for rhythm, as there’ll be no other timing that works other than the one you’ve left a dialogue gap for.

#6: Know your Cues

If you’re feeling confident on the words you’re saying but not when you’ve meant to say them, try focusing on your cues. What’s the line spoken before yours? If you can remember this, or mark it down in your script, you can give yourself a better idea of when to come in. This is particularly helpful for theatre pieces, with larger and longer scenes for you to navigate.

Pros: Learning your cues is simple, streamlined process for remembering where your lines are placed.

Cons: Relying solely on cues in a script won’t give you the context or meaning behind the line. It’s a great reminder, but do make sure you’re still familiar with the larger story as well.

#7: ‘Initial the Scene’ (Mnemonic Device)

Using a large notepad, write down the first letter of each word in your line/s, along with all punctuation. It’ll end up looking like some kind of secret code. Next, try reading it just from the initials, before looking away to recall increasingly larger chunks. Mnemonic devices like this are classic tools for training long-term memory; they force you to think and recall the word, rather than rely on trial-and-error.

Pros: Highly effective methodology which gets you comprehending each word (and therefore its importance in the script.)

Cons: For long scenes or scripts, it can be a time-consuming process. We’re all for the commitment, but budget your hours accordingly!

P.S. This one is a favourite of ours at StageMilk. We have a full article on this technique, along with the video below:

#8: Objective and Action

Work out your character’s objective (what they want in the scene, and from their scene partner) as well as their actions (how they plan to get it.) This might sound like we’re giving you extra tasks to do, but knowing your character’s wants and tactics makes it a lot easier to memorise. Giving purpose to each line, each phrase and word, marks them a lot harder to forget. Otherwise, your character might fail in their overarching goal.

Pros: With actions and objectives plotted, you’ll have a much stronger sense of a scene—a deeper understanding of why your character chooses those particular lines.

Cons: No cons. This is stuff you should be covering in your script analysis of a scene anyway. Have at it!

#9: Use your Body

There has long been a psychological connection drawn to memory and physical movement. Try attributing a movement to each line: a gesture, an action. It could even be a pace at which you move. A lot of actors swear by learning lines as they exercise; there’s more to it than simply keeping the mind/body busy during a repetitive task.

Pros: When you are struggling with memorising a particular passage, changing up your line-learning tactics with some movement is a great way to ‘wake up’ your brain.

Cons: Some actors feel self conscious about their ability to move; if the exercise is going to challenge your sense of self confidence, it may be better to seek out a more low-stakes solution.

#10: Take a Walk

If nothing else is working or fitting for you … have a break. Take a walk, fold some washing, make a cup of tea. It can be super stressful to learn lines as an actor; one of the best things you can do to aid yourself is to listen to your mind when it needs to take some time, and approach the task afresh when you resume.

Do I have to Memorise my Lines Exactly?

Yes. Big yes. A lot of actors feel as though they are able to fudge a word here or there in order to make it through a scene. Some even feel entitled to give the character their own (more authentic, they claim) voice by changing dialogue to something that sounds more like them. Our warning is this: changing lines is a slippery slope. You might start with one or two words, but you’ll end up relying on this, until you can’t tell your inventions from the original text.

And what’s so special about the original text? Consider that the writer has painstakingly chosen every single word, and then defended those words to editors, directors, producers, your fellow actors. They want to give you the very best to work with, so trust them. The exact wording is always more interesting, as it helps you speak to the true meaning of a scene, as well as the subtext that fuels all the dramatic tension and stakes.

Conclusion

So there you have it: all the wisdom we have to give on how to learn lines as an actor. Just remember that these methods will require practice on your part to be effective. So in between the big auditions, keep at the process of learning lines; try out different methodologies and see what works for you. Better you improve these skills in quiet career times, than all of a sudden when you really need them.

Good luck!

The post Different Ways to Learn Lines as an Actor appeared first on StageMilk.

If you want to know how to raise the stakes in your acting, look to analysing your script and interrogating your character. This will help you build believable obstacles and circumstances into a given scene that allows you to find the underlying tension. Once you have an understanding of the story world, you can employ strategies around your character’s objective and action within a scene that may yield more exciting results. Finally, be open to exploring and experimenting with how a scene or a character is portrayed. You never know what you might uncover!

In this article, we’re going to outline six things you can explore to raise the stakes in performance. You might notice that a lot of these areas are fairly fundamental when it comes to the actor’s craft. Don’t let this deter you: it’s often in returning to acting basics that we solve problems in our work that may seem far more daunting and complex. Let’s dive right in…

What are Stakes?

Stakes are the risks and rewards associated with a character’s actions in a story. The higher the stakes, the more impact that character’s actions (or lack thereof) have on their lives and the larger story world. From an external (audience) perspective, higher stakes make a story feel more important—and therefore more exciting. If the stakes are low, the risk to the character is diminished. And if you’re not careful, the audience will start checking their watches—or switching off their device completely.

Let’s use an example from our free practice scripts page. In the scene Cufflinks, a wealthy homeowner is trying to negotiate the return of cufflinks their cleaner has found on their rounds. What feels like an interrogation and accusation of stealing turns on its head when (spoiler alert) the cleaner reveals that they know the cufflinks don’t belong to the homeowner at all.

A low stakes reading of this piece might render the cufflinks unimportant. The cleaner doesn’t really need to hold onto them, the homeowner doesn’t particularly want them back. High stakes renders them as a life-or-death commodity. If the cleaner holds onto them, they could blackmail the homeowner for millions. And if the homeowner doesn’t get them back? Scandal. Ruin. Destruction. Sounds a lot better, hey?

How to Raise the Stakes in your Acting

Here’s the secret on how to raise the stakes in your acting: they have to be informed by the script/story/world. Too many (usually young dude) actors think that raising the stakes is as simple as making your character “secretly, like a hitman? And he’s trying to kill her in this scene?”—this is a direct quote from an acting class, with names redacted to spare the guilty. High stakes aren’t plucked from the plot of John Wick, they’re found in script analysis and deep thought on character.

#1 Best Case Scenario, Worst Case Scenario.

In any scene requiring a stakes-hike, ask yourself two questions: What does my character stand to win in this scene? and What is my character at risk of losing? If you can keep these things in mind based on the larger context of the story, you’ll bring that all-important sense of, well, importance to proceedings. And if there’s no larger context? You need to invent a best/worst outcome you feel fits comfortably within the narrative.

At drama school, my mentor (a playwright, but bear with me) told me this: every scene is a battle, and characters have to fight to win with every interaction they have. Locate the significance of said interaction, and your stakes will rocket sky-high.

#2 Define your ‘Moment Before’

What has occurred just before your scene begins? What’s just happened to your character? Are they coming from some terrible experience, or have they been dreading the interaction they’re about to find on stage/screen? Finding a compelling, engaging ‘moment before’ is a terrific way to build higher stakes into your work.

A moment before can really help to lift a scene with seemingly little dramatic tension. Say two characters meet up for a coffee and a chat. On the page? Kinda flat, not much going on. But if your character’s moment before is they were stuck behind a huge pile-up on the interstate as they drove to the cafe—forcing them to think about mortality and how they should tell this person they’re meeting that they’ve been madly in love with them for ten years—there might be something in that to excite proceedings?

#3 Exploring the Given Circumstances

Related to the above. Keep your given circumstances in mind throughout a scene: they are some of the best things for raising stakes.

• Who am I?
• Where am I?
• What time is it?
• What do I want?
• How will I get it?
• Where did I come from?
• Where am I going?

GC’s are useful because they respond directly to the stimuli offered by the script as found in your scene analysis. But that’s not to say there’s no room for interpretation. If it’s 2am on a New York street in December, odds are your character is going to be feeling cold, tired perhaps a little vulnerable, even a little tetchy? And if the scene in question is a drug deal, suddenly your character might find themselves looking like they have explaining to do. That’s dramatic tension right there, before you’ve even spoken your first line of dialogue!

#4 Re-examine your Objective

Sometimes a lack of stakes is related to an unclear or weak objective. Ensure that your objective is something your character desperately wants, and from your scene partner and is something you can achieve before the scene is done. Any sum of these parts will work to a point, but rob you of dramatic tension.

The most glaring omission from an actor’s objective is usually the inclusion of the scene partner. Without the other person in the scene, you’d be performing a soliloquy (although that’s not to say you’re talking to yourself in those either.) So talk to the actor you’re working with! Communicate with them and look for what you want from them. This allows them to do the same back, creating conflict: the essence of all drama.

#5 Play Dynamic Actions and Tactics

If your objective is what you want, your actions/tactics are how you get them. Weak actions will always equal low stakes. The same goes for boring or obvious choices as well. Let’s look at an example with a simple line of dialogue: “Martha, can I borrow $25?”

Let’s say you do your action homework and settle on the incredibly safe, boring, pedestrian action of “ask”. Audible sigh. Obviously you’re asking for something: “ask” is about the worst word an actor can put down as an action in their margin, outside of “question”…

Just about any other action raises the stakes, because it plays stronger—riskier, with more to lose. How’s about “demand”? “Beg?” “Plead?” “Flirt?” “Charm?” “Threaten?” “Bargain?” Each of those actions are mini stories in themselves; they each speak to an idea that is far more interesting than our generic first choice.

#6 Experiment with How the Scene is Played

Finally, keep yourself open to trying different things—experimenting with different ideas. Finding higher stakes in your acting comes from trying and exhausting choices that might not always pay off. Why? Because high-stakes is always a risk for the character, and you may not get the outcome in the scene you were hoping for. Still, persevere. It may require you getting further from the scene you have in mind to find the truly exciting ways of bringing it to life.

When I coach actors as part of the StageMilk Scene Club, the best piece of feedback I get to give is to experiment. It means the rest of the work on a monologue or scene has been done, and now the actor gets to play. Is everything they try golden? Usually, it’s the exact opposite. But in those experimentations, the boldest ideas tend to present themselves. So take the risk: for the character and you, alike.

Higher Stakes Doesn’t Mean ‘Bigger’ Choices

One last piece of advice: something we have said in roundabout ways throughout this article. Higher stakes doesn’t mean your choices have to be bigger, or louder, or more dramatic. High stakes does not mean yelling, or being aggressive, or being wacky.

Sure, these might be things your character does to react to stimuli. But is it how they’d actually react, or what you think they should do to be more interesting? If that’s the reasoning behind a high-stakes choice, it’s always going to come off as hollow. Be genuine, and remember that a character feeling or enduring Big and Terrible Things will first and foremost try to look calm and in control.  They’re only human, after all.

Conclusion

There you have it: our cheat sheet for how to raise the stakes in your acting! There are so many places to find the dramatic tension of your scene—in the script, within your character, in the words on the page themselves or even wit the help of your fellow storytellers. So stay present and keep yourself immersed in your work. Do your research, do your analysis and know the part inside and out. No diligent actor can ever be accused of letting the ball drop and the stakes fall to nought.

Good luck!

The post How to Raise the Stakes in your Acting appeared first on StageMilk.

The intentional use of stillness in acting can be a powerful and expressive tool to convey emotions, thoughts, tension, and subtext. It involves a deliberate choice by the actor to momentarily pause or limit movement in order to emphasise a specific moment, emotion, thought or narrative element within a performance. Sometimes it feels counterintuitive to deploy stillness; however, proper usage of this technique is undeniably powerful.

Whether you are an acting veteran and a fresh eyed beginning, learning the art of stillness can take your craft to new heights, and impress those around you whilst doing as little as humanly possible. 

The Demystifying the Mystery of Stillness

In the realm of acting, where movement, emotion, and expression often take centre stage, the concept of stillness might seem counterintuitive, yet ever since I realised the potential of using stillness as a tool, I have been obsessed.

I’ve rewatched some of my favourite shows, monologues, scenes and they all have essence of this stillness. The actor barely moves, and yet I can’t look away. I can’t focus on anything else, and then when they do move, there’s such power in it. So what does stillness mean for an actor in technical terms? After talking to different actors, directors, and coaches, the summary I give for stillness in acting is:

Keep in mind however that stillness is not just a lack of action, where the actor displays a lack of energy, laziness, or absence of craft or skill. If anything it is the opposite, stillness is a dynamic and purposeful technique that draws the audience’s attention to the internal world of the character, allowing for a deeper understanding of their thoughts and emotions. 

Why Stillness is So Powerful, and How to Use it

Stillness in acting can be likened to a pause in a musical composition; It’s a moment of suspension that adds weight and significance to the surrounding actions and dialogue.

Just as a well-placed pause in a conversation can convey meaning and anticipation, the strategic use of stillness in acting allows us actors to communicate complex emotions and thoughts without uttering a word. In these moments, the audience is compelled to fill in the gaps with their own interpretations. And this, in turn, fosters a deeper engagement with the narrative.

So how do us actors achieve such a state? For an acting tool that requires you to do less, it sure does require much. Here are eight actionable steps you can take to achieve stillness when you act.

#1 Internalisation and Emotional Connection

Before you can effectively use stillness to convey emotions, internalise the character’s emotional landscape. Take time to immerse yourself in the character’s history, motivations, thoughts, beliefs, and conflicts. Understand what they want: what drives them, what holds them back, and why they do the things they do. By establishing a strong emotional connection with the character, you can authentically channel their emotions through stillness.

#2 Stillness as Active Choice

Stillness should never be mistaken for inaction. It’s a conscious, active choice made to emphasise a moment, an emotion, or a thought. Consider the context of the scene and identify the points where stillness could serve to enhance the narrative. Is it a moment of tension before a revelation? Is it a reflective pause after a moment of realisation? Maybe it’s your character putting up a barrier while they internalise bad thoughts. By recognising these opportunities, you can utilise stillness to punctuate the scene effectively.

#3 Use of Breath and Physical Awareness

Breath is a potent tool that can help maintain focus and authenticity during moments of stillness. Pay attention to your breath as you hold a pose or maintain eye contact. Allow your breath to mirror the character’s emotional state. Is it shallow and rapid due to anxiety? Perhaps it’s slow and controlled in a moment of calm? Or is it all over the place because the characters feelings are in disarray?

By syncing your breath with the character’s emotions, you enhance the stillness with a subtle yet powerful layer of realism. The same goes for your physical movements. Stillness is not just doing nothing with your body, but rather being intentional with your movements. Move (or don’t) as your character would move in the scene and space. 

#4 Subtext and Intention

Stillness can communicate subtext and intention more effectively than spoken words. Consider what lies beneath the surface of the dialogue. What are the unspoken thoughts and desires of the character? Use stillness to emphasise these hidden layers.

For example: a character’s smile may hide sadness, and their gaze may betray longing. Perhaps they are trying to hold back laughter, or even hiding disdain for the character they are talking to but for whatever reason can’t express it outwardly. By employing stillness, you allow the audience to decipher these subtleties and engage in the narrative on a deeper level.

#5 Timing and Rhythm

Like a well-composed piece of music, acting requires a sense of timing and rhythm. For me, I see stillness (and acting in general) as jazz, where stillness can play a crucial role in the pacing of a performance.

Experiment with different durations of stillness to create tension and rhythm, the same way a jazz musician plays around with the rhythm of the music they are playing. A brief pause might build anticipation, while an extended moment of stillness could signify introspection or revelation, then no pause at all could reflect panic. Perhaps your character just heard awful news, or have been given an impossible choice. Would they react straight away, or would they take a beat and pause?

Varying the timing of stillness keeps the audience engaged and allows you to control the emotional arc of the scene and character.  Remember also there is no “correct” time to use stillness necessarily. If it feels right then flow with it, but keep in mind that if you use stillness every time it may become monotonous. Experiment with timing and rhythm and after a while you will get a feel for when it is time to react, or a time to be still. 

#6 Active Listening, Reacting, and Contrast

Stillness is not limited to solo moments. It can also be a potent tool in scenes involving dialogue or interaction with two or more characters. Practice active listening and reacting whilst keeping still. By immersing yourself in the other actor’s words and responding through thoughtful stillness, you create an intense exchange of emotions and unspoken communication.

Your stillness becomes a mirror for the emotions being expressed, emphasising the connection between characters. It is as if the stillness itself becomes a conversation all on its own. Also the stillness of one actor, allows space for the physicality of their scene partner. This helps give the scene depth, creates power structures and defines relationships. Take the opening scene from Inglorious Bastards for example:

#7 Creating Physicality and Gestures

Stillness doesn’t necessarily mean complete immobility. Consider incorporating subtle physical movements and gestures to enhance the stillness. These actions should be deliberate and purposeful, contributing to the character’s emotional state, attitude, or the scene’s dynamics. A slight shift in weight, a gentle touch, or a carefully timed gesture can amplify the emotional impact of a scene.

Take this scene from No Country for Old Men for example. The subtle gestures, movements and eating of nuts (you’ll see), show the audience how each character is feeling, and their attitude to one another, with out ever saying so:

#8 Rehearsal and Experimentation

Just like any skill that will level up your acting game, stillness may take some time to perfect. Even more-so if you’re a crazy extrovert like me and have a natural inclination to give or express an action for every feeling, word and thought that I have.

Mastering the art of stillness requires practice and experimentation. So rehearse your scenes with various levels of stillness and explore how each choice influences the scenes dynamics. See how it feels using next to no stillness first, then experiment with different postures, facial expressions, and breathing patterns to find the most compelling and authentic approach for each moment. Once you have had a play a round with it, take that stillness to a max level. From here, you should find a range—and therefore temperance between the two extremes. 

End Scene

It’s not about freezing because you forgot your lines, froze due to stage fright, or felt like taking a break on stage (or screen). Stillness is about making a deliberate and impactful choice that enhances the emotional depth of a performance. When we, as actors, are still and present, we let the scene unfold and become what it is naturally. If a scene is supposed to be tense, we don’t need to act tense, we just have to be. If the scene is funny, we don’t have to be funny, we just have to follow the beats. It is a powerful technique however you do not have to use it all of the time. How much stillness you incorporate will depend on the character, scene, and story you are telling. Some characters can suffer some too little movement, where others will thrive.

It is human to express yourself physically, but it is also human to hold in and internalise your feelings too. This is why I believe us humans find stillness on stage and screen captivating: it is the closest we would get to real life. Stillness often lies in the realm of realism, therefore it is subconsciously, something us humans recognise and can relate to. So use the tool well, experiment, and witness the difference stillness can to your performances. 

The post The Power of Stillness in Acting appeared first on StageMilk.

If you are reading

This is even more stressful when it is an audition side, and the poorly written script is all you have to go off to audition for the part. These are valid concerns, and if you are in a place within your career that you can turn down something, then turn down the script. However I would argue that we are actors, and that we have a job to do. So let’s take “bad scripts” on as a challenge, and find out how to act well when the writing is bad.

What Is Bad Writing?

Before we dive in, we may be able to solve this problem from the very start by changing our perspective. Ask yourself why you think it is a bad script: is the writing itself poor, or is it a different style than you’re used to? Maybe it’s a genre you’re less familiar with, or it makes unconventional choices? Like all crafts of the artistic kind, the quality of writing is in the eye of the viewer. That said … sometimes bad writing is exactly that. There are a few clear indicators, such as:

• Derivative or clichéd plot or characters. “I’m a cop with a dark past, and the President won’t save himself!”
• Blandness. “I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
• Overly repetitive phrases. “Why, Linda? Why? Won’t you ever tell me why? Linda?!”
• Unnatural randomness for its own sake. “Bazinga!”
• Exposition. “Just because I’m fresh out of the academy doesn’t mean I can’t tell a bad guy when I see one.”
• When a character narrates what they’re clearly doing. “Yep. That’s me.”
• Overly preachy (even about good things.) “I knew it: terrorists never recycle…”
• Pointless monologues. “To be, or not to be…” (Sorry Bill.)

Let’s stick with Hamlet for a moment: the speech in question, famous though it may be, actually contributes nothing to the plot of the show. What it does do, however, is give us insight into the indecisiveness of Hamlet, and how his mental health may be in decline.

So even if you identify any of the above sins, do be sure that a character is not overly preachy because that’s who they are. If it’s a logical choice that fits with the world, then there may be more to the writing than you thought. At the very least, practice some script analysis and hope for the best.

Can you Act Well With Bad Writing?

Of course you can! It’s just more of a challenge, is all. If you don’t find the lines you are reading agreeable, you still have the chance to make them feel real by way of your own skills. Remember Natalie Portman in the Star Wars prequels? Laughable dialogue, and yet she still knocked it out of the park! How about those final Game of Thrones episodes? Awful plotting, solid-as-ever cast.

How did these actors manage to pull off solid performances despite the challenge of bad writing? They made the most of what they had, and used their acting expertise to save the day. Judging the script is not going to help you nail the part (although it might make you feel better for a while.) You may as well take your focus and shift it to something more constructive and helpful.

How to Make the Most from What you Have

Words are just a tool. They are used to express meaning, to communicate feelings and ideas. But you, as an actor, are also used as a tool. You express meaning, communicate feelings and ideas. See beyond the words and dive deeper into the meaning.

If there’s no saving the writing, no reframing your reading or opinion and your mind is made up: pretend. Pretend that the writing makes sense, and bring meaning to those lines. Ask yourself why the characters talk or act in that manner. Don’t create anything too extreme or left-of-field, but give meaning to the oddness, the clunkiness. At the very least, you’ll be able to do your job.

Everything that the written character lacks, you will have to bring to the character yourself. This is crucial when there is no clearly defined objective in the script. The good news is that the answer is something all actors should be familiar with anyway: the basics.

The Basics For Overcoming Bad Writing

We have a plethora of articles that cover this intensive topic. I would recommend reading through the acting tips, and how-to guides from the technical to the personal. If anything, working with a bad script will give you a chance to improve your own technical prowess!

Action and Objective

If there is no clear defined purpose or objective in the scene, create one, believe it, then bring it to the table. All characters want something, and from their scene partners (else they wouldn’t be in the room together.) While the objective may be obscured, the actions are yours to play with: how does your character try to achieve their goal?

“Why?”

One of the oldest, most reliable tools in the box. If there is something specific that you find odd for your character to say or do, try and assume that the writer wrote this for a reason (even if they haven’t). Maybe they are acting too reserved when you think they should be losing it, or perhaps they are going nuts when just a moment ago they were having a calm conversation. Ask yourself why this is. If the writing is truly bad, you will have to create a sound reason that will justify the poorly written character.

Listen

The more interested you are in your scene partner, the more interesting you are to the audience. Even if your own lines are bad, if you at least listen intently to you scene partner you allow yourself to open up to interesting, natural reactions.

Moment Before

Know where your character has come from before the scene in question. This will give you justification as to why your character is saying whatever you think is bad writing. For example: your character’s dialogue is just one word answers. Not great. But if the moment before is that their mum just died, this would explain the character’s shortness and then you can act appropriately.

Act Natural

A character who is reacting normally to a situation, by definition, can not over-act. Follow the link to a whole other article on this point. Over-acting is a fairly common reaction to bad writing, as the actor feels they have to compensate for what the words fail to convey.

Scene Analysis

While we’ve covered the need for close script analysis already in this article, it never hurts to go back and check again. Maybe there is something you have missed or not realised? A thorough script analysis and line breakdown will help you find bad writing solutions.

Collaborate with the Director

Unless you are in an acting class, or an audition, you will work with a director to make the scene come to life. Don’t outwardly say that you think the writing is bad (that’s a sure fire way to make enemies), but explain that you don’t understand certain parts of the script or why your character says some out of sort lines.

Appeal to the Writer

Finally, if the writer is alive (statistically most writers for performance is dead, which is a creepy fun fact) see if you can talk to them. Don’t tell them their script is terrible—even though we have a whole article on exactly that—ask them questions. If you’re lucky, your questions may even prompt some rewrites!

Working through these basics should get you more comfortable with bad writing. A good actor (that’s you) has the ability to make bad dialogue feel natural. The more over the top the line is, the more you will have to dial it back. The more lifeless the line is, the more life you will have to bring to it so that it becomes alive with meaning. Find balance.

That’s All She Wrote

If you act long enough, your are bound to come across writing that is genuinely bad, or at the very least, writing that you believe is jarring and weird. You can’t always change what has been written, but you can change your attitude, perspective, and character so that what has been written can come to life. I once had an acting coach give the class bad and vague scripts on purpose so that it would push us to come up with creative ways to depict the scene.

Instead of seeing bad writing as bad luck, treat it like an acting exercise that will challenge you to hone your craft. Challenges like these that separate the novice, the good and the great actor. You can be the latter if you so choose to put your judgements aside and focus on your craft, and what you can bring the table that will breath new life into the script. Be so good that the audience, casting director or whoever it is, can’t even tell that the writing is bad.

The post How to Act Well with Bad Writing appeared first on StageMilk.

Actors should learn how to play an instrument for a number of reasons: it can be a relaxing and fulfilling hobby, a skill that can distinguish you in casting opportunities and allow you to work across conventional and musical theatre. Even if you have no desire to play professionally on stage, the mental and physical processes of learning how to play an instrument can improve your ability to learn, memorise and comprehend complex artistic ideas.

Do you Have any Hobbies?

Let’s talk first about the importance of having a hobby. You have to have something that you do outside of acting to stay sane—and that doesn’t include your muggle job. Your hobby, or hobbies, should be things you do because you enjoy doing them. If you’re short in supply of hobbies, might I suggest picking up an instrument? One of the many great things about learning an instrument is that it is an easily measurable skill” the more you do it, the better you get. 

In the murky waters of an acting career, having something as tangible as playing an instrument is really valuable. It gives us something to work towards that we can measure and get excited about. You could apply this to just about any skill-based hobby, of course, but let’s dig into why learning an instrument is such a good hobby for actors.

What are your Special Skills?

Yeah, yikes. Sorry to bring up some nasty feelings if you’ve been asked that question in interviews or auditions before. 

This one is obvious. Learning how to play an instrument is a crazy good skill to have as an actor for the simple fact that it opens up a world of acting jobs previously unavailable to you. A lot of theatre companies I have auditioned for ask if you can play an instrument in their pre-screening and if you can, it gives you a much better shot at the part you’re going for. 

Even if the job you’re going for doesn’t require you know how to play an instrument, chances are that if a casting director is tossing up between two brilliant actors, they will go with the person who can play an instrument if that’s an option for the simple fact that they’re more versatile. Actors who play instruments also have additional advantages when it comes to learning new skills.

Neuroplasticity

Thank you, spellcheck. I asked a friend of mine who teaches piano why he thinks people should learn an instrument and he hit me with that word. After staring at him blankly for a few moments, he explained that neuroplasticity is basically how effectively your brain can adapt and pick up new skills. Playing an instrument is apparently one of the best ways of improving neuroplasticity. So not only are you learning a new and valuable skill, but it’s also priming you to be able to pick up other skills at a faster pace. 

This is shiny, buttery gold for actors. If you need to learn a new skill for a role because you lied about having it in the first place (which I’ve never done, I’d never do that) and you’re a musician on the side, you’re going to be able to pick it up much more quickly than your non-musical peers. This includes learning new languages and accents, too.

Brain Food for Actors

Learning music is so good for your brain. In addition to making it more elastic, it also makes it more fantastic. There’s plenty of research out there that shows learning an instrument improves your concentration, memory and a big handful of other cognitive functions. With the amount of lines we have to learn and the hours we spend waiting for our scene to come up, having good concentration and memory is vital.

Whilst there is less research behind this, there is some evidence to suggest those who learn an instrument are more empathetic people. I suspect the this has something to do with the amount of listening that goes into playing an instrument. Learning to listen is a crucial skill for good acting. In fact, good acting is almost entirely good listening. 

The Score and the Scales

When I was working on a production of The Seagull, I asked about managing my mental health alongside some of the heavier themes in the play. The director described the script as a ‘score’—the sheet music you read when you learn to play a song. In music, you can only ever play with what’s in the score. Once the song ends: that’s all there is. At the end, you get up, take a bow and go back to your life. It can be the same with acting. Once we’re finished with the story and the character, that’s it. You don’t have to carry them with you beyond the play or film or episode.

Another director I worked with loved to workshop scripts with a practice called ‘Viewpoints’, a methodology coined by practitioner Anne Bogart. It’s a simple but very effective exercise and this particular director likened actors using Viewpoints to musicians practicing scales. It’s about getting the basics down so that you can play with joyous and reckless abandon in the moment, but retaining control and technique.

What I love about these comparisons is that they encourage us rowdy actors to think about our craft with the same kind of discipline that playing music requires. Acting can get esoteric at times, but music is a hard science. You play the notes you’ve got to work with and once you get good, you can start to improvise around them but always within the rules of the score and only if we’ve practiced our basic scales first. If you learn how to play an instrument, these lessons in discipline will become more apparent and will resonate through your acting work.

Actor-Muso Shows

Are you a fan of musicals but find yourself more in the traditional theatre game? Ever wished there was a genre that let you dip your toe into the pool? Actor-musician shows (or “actor-muso”, as the cool kids say) might be for you!

Simply put: actor-muso shows are scored live by performers who may either sing songs or simply provide the underscoring to the production. This kind of show has been around forever, but is finding popularity as a sub-genre of its own. They are particularly popular in the UK, but companies and productions are now finding greater international appeal through shows like Once, Amelie, Hadestown and Come From Away.

If you’re not familiar with these kinds of shows, they can be odd beasts. Not quite a play, not quite a musical, they often fit somewhere in between. But for actors who can strum a guitar or pick up an accordion (if you really must), they can find themselves in high demand by companies desperate to jump on one of live theatre’s most exciting new trends.

Okay, I’m Sold. Where do I start?

Piano. You start with piano. Piano is the musical equivalent to Spanish in that it’s relatively easy to learn and it forms a great foundation for learning other instruments. You can buy electronic keyboards that are compact, portable, and come pre-loaded with a bunch of songs and lessons that can teach you how to play. There is a wealth of free lessons on YouTube made by very generous people that teach everything from basic scales to well-known music. Start with the scales and then learn a short song. Once you’re feeling confident, you can start learning something bigger. I’d start with the theme from Interstellar because it’s an amazing piece for piano and damn it, I cry every time I hear it. 

A quick word of advice from one of my tutors: when you get your keyboard, set it up right away in a room you spend a lot of time in. Your bedroom, for example. That way, it’s there ready for you to play, rather than wrapped up in a box in the garage somewhere.

Once you’ve made a good start on piano, you can pick another instrument to learn, if you like. Guitar is great, drums are great, you’d likely pick up the ukulele in the same time it takes to read this article! Any instrument in the world is great. Learn whichever one makes you most excited.

Conclusion

Music is a gift. Like anything, once we understand what goes into making it we can appreciate it a whole lot more. The road to musical prowess can be winding and tiresome at times but the lessons in discipline, concentration and creativity are invaluable to performers. So give it a go: challenge yourself, expand your mind and have fun!

See you around the traps.

The post Why Actors Should Learn How to Play an Instrument appeared first on StageMilk.

“Cut!” The director shouted. “For God’s sake cut.”  I stood there dumbfounded. “What are you doing, Sam?” The director asked, trying to be kind, but clearly a little puzzled.  “Well, it’s a dramatic scene, I was being dramatic-” “But at what cost? The scene is already dramatic, inherently, so you don’t have to be. Stop over-acting.” Ouch.

There is nothing worse for an actor than being told that you are “over-acting.” It hurts your confidence, your ego, and makes you doubt your craft—all in one crushing blow. However, it is not the end: believe it or not, the director in the scenario above was actually doing me a favour. He was giving me a chance to grow, to learn, to become better. Whether you are a seasoned actor or a fresh young pup, this article will tell you everything I have learned about how to avoid over-acting. Learn from my mistakes, while we share an enormous slice of humble pie.

What Is Over-acting?

Before we can fix the problem, we need to have a clear definition of what it is. Having spoken to my peers, my mentors and comparing this to my own opinions, I came up with this:

Over-acting is when an actor exaggerates an action, tone, reaction, characterisation or performance with the intention to convey an emotion that is already obvious—which results in an unnatural performance.

Simply put, the actor’s job is to make you forget that you are watching an illusion. Over-acting is when the actor breaks that illusion and reminds you that you are indeed watching something unreal. 

Over-acting can have its merits (which we will discuss later in the article) but it becomes troublesome when it is not desired from the director and it is out of place. Unfortunately, it is extremely easy for an actor to slip from acting into 0ver-acting territory. It can stem from such variables as:

• Wanting to be good.
• Trying to elicit a specific action from your scene partner or audience. 
• Trying to play a certain emotion.
• Trying too hard in general.
• Not being present.
• Lack of self awareness. 
• A lack of experience (you don’t know you are doing it).
• It is what the director wants.
• A combination of these above things.

None of these factors are desirable, and they’re probably exactly what the actor was trying to avoid when they started over-acting. That’s why having some tools in place can be so beneficial, because over-acting is almost synonymous with bad acting: it’s what people pick up on when a performance fails to run true. Take a look at the video below for a few classic examples…

Extreme examples? Certainly. But it’s well worth a watch. Another way to spot over-acting is to watch a scene, decipher what the intent of the scene was, and ask yourself whether the acting (and reactions) aid the pursuit of the objective or diminish it. 

Over-acting In Comedy

Comedy is a deceptively difficult genre for an actor. While the topic of acting comedy is an article unto itself, we’ll summarise the important takeaway like this: there is nothing less funny than watching someone try too hard to make an audience laugh.

Over-acting in comedy can either be part of the charm and joke, leave scene dead boring, or even worse—cringe. So how do you know how to act? Often it depends on the vision, and the genre of comedy that you are in. Jim Carrey’s performance in The Mask would be over-acting anywhere else, but it works because the character he plays is built around slapstick and heightened reality. However, in HBO’s excellent Barry, any over-acting for the sake of a joke would kill the show’s gritty, macabre vibe.

In comedy, keep in mind that your character does not know that they are being funny, nor are they trying to be funny, and the behaviour they exhibit is completely normal to them. A great example of this is in the cult classic comedy show, The Office. The characters, in their own special way, are way over-the-top, whimsical and mutually weird. But to them … this is just reality. Despite the heightened sense of the genre, the characters don’t know that they are in a comedy; much of their acting is portrayed serious. It is the situation and the serious reactions to the situation, that creates a comedic effect. If you can take one piece of advise away from this, it would be: never play or act funny. 

Over-acting In Drama

Unlike comedy, where over-acting can be part of the joke, drama leaves little room for heightened acting. In the current movie and television climate of today, trends gear more towards naturalism and realism. TV shows The Bear and Succession are great modern examples of the current screen drama genre. They depict realistic characters, scenarios, and conflict that happens in the respective environment that the shows are set in. The art is imitating life as an illusion of reality.

If characters were to over-act—act in an unnatural manner—this would snap the audience out of the realistic illusion of the show. Even in cases where characters experience heightened emotions, yell and scream at each other (which they do in both of the above series mentioned) such outbursts have to exist within the natural logic and reality of the story.

Side Note: Both Uta Hagen and Stanislavski are great guides in regards to realistic acting in drama. Below are our two in depth articles into both of those great pioneers and their methods which I believe will be of great value to you. 

How To Overcome Over-acting

Now that we have a clear idea of what over-acting is, let’s journey towards ensuring that our performances are free from falling prey to it. Something you may notice as you browse the below points is that many of these concepts don’t only safeguard against over-acting, they promote good acting (whatever the heck that means.) Trust in your training, trust in your process:

Focus on the Process 

We over-act when we are after a reaction, an outcome, which is usually a desperate attempt to get your scene partner/director/audience to feel something. To make a change in the scene. When you break down a character—their objective, motives, goals, what they want from people—the temptation to over-act starts to drift away as your mind shifts from being results-driven to a process-driven mindset. The deeper the character work, the less over-acting makes sense to do, and and the less it becomes appealing to do. 

Be Present. Be Connected. Be Natural.

Once, I needed a new monologue for an acting class I was taking. I decided to tackle the infamous Doug monologue from the play Cosi and, feeling pretty confident that I could pull it off, I went all in. It’s about a pyromaniac who burns his mother’s pet cats alive in front of her lawn; what could go wrong? A lot apparently.

Instead of being a crazy character, I played a crazy character; I acted like one—or, rather, I over-acted in my attempt to play one. I lost the sense of naturalism, the truth. The remedy, in this situation, is to be natural, to be present and you do that by staying connected. Listen to your scene partner and work with what they give you. If you spend time trying to think of a good/clever/funny reaction to something your scene partner is saying, then you are not truly listening, being present or acting natural.

Master The Fundamentals

The reality of acting, and pretty much any artistic craft for that matter, is that you can never be great until you master the fundamentals. What does this mean? It’s having the basics, the 101s of acting so ingrained into your being, that the chances of over acting are slim to none. The fundamentals stop you from over-acting because you will have no need to: you’ll be supported by your understanding of the craft and made to feel confident. Mastering the basics, for stage and screen, will help you understand what is truly needed from you and your character within the scene.

The Power of Stillness

Over-acting comes from over exaggerating our character emotions outwardly. An obvious remedy to this is to internalise these emotions instead and portray them inwardly. You can achieve this by focusing on stillness. Realism and naturalism on screen and stage are simulacrums of real life; in real life we rarely express outwardly how we feel. Think on what people say when your character has to cry: try not to. As humans, we try not to cry when we feel something because we don’t want to show weakness at a vulnerable time.

Stillness is a sharp tool in your actor’s toolkit that will help your acting feel natural. It’s also an interesting dynamic to play with because it means you can really let go in those larger emotional moments—unleash the emotions your character has been keeping bottled up for the rest of the story!

A Vulnerable Actor is an Authentic Actor

If there existed one acting superpower (other than listening), vulnerability would be it.  How is vulnerability achieved, you ask? By practising the advice in the last three paragraphs. Vulnerability requires you to be present, open, to listen, connect and to be natural. When you tie that all together with your fundamentals, you start to become vulnerable.

The true antithesis of over-acting is authenticity. And the greatest actors of all time, across the decades (even centuries), are those who strive to be authentic. Take a look at a favourite example of mine, by way of the late great Robin Williams:

Is It Ever Okay To Over Act?

Of course! Just like all things in life, art, and acting, there is always an exception to the rule. For over-acting, it depends on what the goal is and what the director/writer has envisioned for the scene. If the scene demands it, then it can be a useful tool:

• In most dramas, the norm is naturalism; so over-acting can clash with the nature of the genre and create a surreal effect. This can mostly be found in dream sequences, and often signal to the audience (and usually the protagonist) that something is not quite right. 
• In comedy, over-acting can be a tool to create a specific kind of humour. Think of the slapstick style of Mr Bean or Charlie Chaplin. The secret in comedy is that the over-acting is consistent to the point where the audience accept that it’s a choice and not an outlier. It is then a part of the story’s (absurd) universe.
• Over-acting can create a tension, or a tense environment. This can be trickier to pull off, as it is a balancing act, but if done right can lead to some interesting choices. It is extremely risky, though.

Over-acting and Out

Much of what we have gone through in this article relates to screen acting, although I would argue that this applies just as much to theatre as well. Acting on stage can have a reputation that it has to be melodramatic and heightened. This is true in some cases, but only when the genre or script calls for it. Even the most heightened drama must sit within its own logic of truth and reality.

One final thought: I do believe we over-act because we wish to show the world that we can, indeed act. We feel the need to externalise our feelings and ideas. So to sum up, the greatest safeguard we have against over-acting is being sure of ourselves and our abilities. We do not need to go for the external, for we already have what we need within. We do not need to over-act, because we are already enough as we are. We just have to let the audience in.

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