Whenever you're on stage, you must always be active, be it broadly or subtly. You can't just stand limply and mindlessly stare off into nothingness whenever you're not speaking. When your on the stage, you are a part of the act. And everyone must act when in the act. We've had some actors who would be incredibly animated while reciting their lines, but the moment they quit speaking, they would become as lifeless and motionless as a statue..!!
But be that as it may, it's understandable. It's difficult to act while you're not speaking. And besides, you don't want to distract the audience from what's being said!! You have to maintain a balance between undermoving and overmoving. It's a difficult balance to manage, but that's all part of acting in theater!!
Just think about it for a moment. What are you doing in that scene? Are you talking with somebody? Maybe you should act like you're actually listening then!! React to what they say, be it in surprise or disdain. Are you amazed by the news that is being delivered? Why not gasp or gape?
If you're not actually participating in the scene, you can also try to mess around upstage with the other characters. You can always pantomime some sort of skit; just as long as you keep it silent and subtle. Action in the background of the scenes can really add to the flow, but it can also detract and disrupt it if the action is too large or broad..!!
When memorizing your lines, don't skip over any dialogue merely because you aren't speaking; you'll have to be doing something during those lines, and you sitting around doing nothing isn't going to work. As an exercise of sorts, why not have somebody else read them out so you can practice how you'll act and react to the lines!!
No comments:
Post a Comment