Wake UP! (rehearsal midpoint: The Adding Machine)

Rehearsal Technique: General/Specific Insights/Principles

Dan made a very good point: the midpoint of a creation/rehearsal can be difficult, like a half finished painting: the work doesn’t look/feel like its beginning, and it is not yet finished

Lately, I’m getting tired and frustrated with my level of performance: trouble spots seem more difficult than I anticipated, and I don’t feel like rehearsing, giving it my all. My attention (too much of it anyway) has been on imaging how I’m not performing up to some expectation, and comparing myself to a couple of very good actors, seeing qualities of their performance that I wish I had, e.g., energy, focus, concentration, imaging that they’ve made a much better set of choices or are executing them much more competently . . .

            So what!

First, so what if they have? Many factors may be responsible for this:
- experience
- the character is a better fit for them
- raw, universe-given talent

Second, the lesson of this experience for me is
- to commit fully to whatever “choices” I’ve made, to be brave, to take a chance on 100%+ commitment.
- to continually search for a better set of choices: keep working Shrdlu, our scenes.
- let this experience give me greater powers of focus, concentration, and stage technique.

These are the “standards” I am to compare myself to -- these are my rehearsal goals. They are invariant to scene and character, time and place.

Finally, learn how to be my best in rehearsal and performance, what to focus on, and not worry or pay attention to how others are doing, comparing myself to them.

Solution:

Each day, before each performance/rehearsal, set specific “good-for-me” goals, i.e., rational goals that will make me a better actor if I honestly strive for them: don’t’ start any rehearsal w/out identifying some specific problems I want to work on, specific things I want to try. (This will help me from gong into rehearsal and trying to live up to a vague, general “image” of what I “should” be, based on some ideal or some other actor).

Striving for these specific goals, and for this whole approach, is vastly, infinitely more important than attaining them – work for them.

The rhythm – one day, one rehearsal at a time:
1. Set some goals,
2. work,
3. then just let it all go.

That’s all I have to do . . . and remember to breathe.

Insight: what’s happening to Shrdlu, what’s really happening to him in Elysium, is quite clear to anyone reading the play, so – what’s my job as an actor? It’s like, all my expectations have been violated. I can certaintly identify with that!

Now, my natural responses to Shrdlu’s given circumstances are almost the exact opposite of his. This character’s perspective, beliefs, responses to what’s happens to him is going to require a lot of imaginative substitutions/parallels to my own life. Just take it one step at a time and I’ll be able to fully empathize with this guy.