August 2007 Archives

Through my facebook account, I was virtually introduced to the Artistic Director of the Collective Theatre's Group 2 Theatre Acting Workshops NYC. The classes are very inexpensive (I have to interview, possibly audition, to get into the class), and I liked their tag line: Its about the craft first, then the business.

It's close to my own: It's about the craft AND the business as I've decided to focus on both at the same time (i.e., training, actually working, & focusing on Acting As A Business, all at once), despite my fears and inexperience . . .

Why do we yawn?

The common assumption is that we yawn to get more oxygen into the blood, into the brain, but -- it turns out the world is stranger than we thought, i.e.,

There are more things in heaven and earth [dear reader],
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
~ (paraphrasing) Hamlet, Hamlet-1.5

Two recent studies:

• A Dr. Gallup and fellow researchers have a new explanation: yawning, they said, is a way for the body to cool the brain (New York Times, July 4, 2007).
• A second claim is that contagious yawning is based on the capacity for empathy. People who feel more empathy are more prone to it (Reported in Biology Letters, Online Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2007).

From these two lines of converging evidence, scientists have concluded that we yawn because it's "cool," and -- we all want to be "cool."

Scientists are calling it the Fonzie (or Fonz) effect.

A funeral for the "more oxygen" theory will be held next Sunday morning on the grounds of the The National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230 . . .

"Joy, gentle friends! joy, and fresh days of love accompany your hearts!"
~ William Shakespeare, Theseus, V.1, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Stephanie Willen Brown's CogSci Librarian blog has written about new studies suggesting that many manuals (e.g., dogs) not only play -- they laugh when they play. Check out this fascinating almost whimsical video of rats at play with Bowling Green State University neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp.

Further Reading

Laughing rats and the evolutionary antecedents of human joy? Physiological Behavior, Aug 2003; 79(3): 533-47.

New York City: A Portfolio de Théâtre & D'Art has been updated/re-vamped (a bit), i.e., addition of snapshots and two new shows have been added to the theatre section . . .

Deborah Carlson @ Word of Mouth Studios teaches that ALL monologues and soliloquies are really about insight and discovery. When the character is talking (to another person, to himself), the character is not simply dispensing something already known -- instead they are figuring it out as they talk, as they go along; they are talking themselves in consciousness. Each sentence is a step in the journey, and during the journey, the character discovers/creates something that did not exist before.

A great example is Hamlet's final soliloquy on that desolate plain in Denmark. When he starts, he's bewildered about why he has not taken action against Claudius

I do not know
Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do;'
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do't.

In the end, he finds resolve, i.e.,

O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!

a resolve that did not exist when he started with the observation

How all occasions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge!

Communicating that insight and discovery is the key to creating a great monologue performance.

. . . And this is NOT just some theatrical convention, some simple dramatic device found by the playwright/actor to make the performance compelling for the audience. It turns out that there is NO other way to perform monologues and soliloquies because this is LIFE -- it's how we create ourselves in life:

"Getting It" & (then) "Living It."

Scene analysis, character study, character background story -- all critically important . . . but only to a point. Too many beginning actors, I was certainly one of them, spent far too much on "understanding the character, and -- worse -- going far afield from the most crtical part of analysis: understanding what the character is saying, what they are tying to communicate.

The reason I spend so much time on analysis is that I thought/hoped/prayed that if I understood the character well enough, if I thought and thought and thought and thought about it, then I would automatically start to "live it," "breathe it," "BE it."

Wrong. At least that didn't work for me.

The reason it doesn't work is that ACTING IS PHYSICAL, it's body based. To use a mathematician's phase, analysis is necessary but not sufficient for Living It.

The two phases of acting are:

1. Understanding what the character is saying, what they are tying to communicate.
2. Living/being/breathing that "understanding."

A while back I wrote a post titled Attitude Is Everything, and I'd like to hand the ball off to Christopher Stadulis who I met during call backs for The Upside Down Mirror.

Christopher Stadulis epitomizes the beginning actor who "gets it," and who has the necesary winning attitude:

Rejection doesn't prevent me from moving forward, it only strengthens me as I feed off of it. I am passionate and dedicated about my craft and career. I don't believe in waiting for my BIG break, I believe in creating it! For me, success is not how much money I can make but how much of an affect I have on people when watching me perform. I have a responsibility in telling a good story. Having an audience connect, relate, feel the emotions I am experiencing as I take them on my journey, are very gratifying for me. To me, that is success. If I accomplish that, then I have done my job. In addition to being a Firefighter & Actor, I am a Father, Husband & caretaker for my disabled mother who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. People always ask me how have I accomplished so much in being an Actor for only 3 years and having so much on my plate. I tell them it's about having a balance, staying focused, dedicated and very hungry towards becoming a TRUE Actor. I am a firm believer in doing something productive everyday towards my career, shaking as many hands as possible, always maintain a professional positive attitude and understand that this is a business. I am the CEO of my own business and should always showcase myself in the best possible light.
~ from www.myspace.com/actingsuccess

Check out his career and life advice articles and writings on his myspace blog . . . (you need to have a myspace account to read them):

The Upside Down Mirror opened at the American Theatre of Actors on 314 West 54th Street, New York City as the as part of the 2006-2007 season of The Riant Theatre. Sadly, it's only a two night run as it's really more of workshop for a new play than something that's really to hit the boards, but -- it's challenge and opportunity enough, and, as always, I'm eternally grateful for the chance and opportunity to learn to become a better actor.

This was the first time I tried to "act" (or rather listen and react) rather than perform, i.e., it was the first time I attempted to put into full practice what I've been learning at Word of Mouth Studios.

What do I mean by perform? Figuring out before hand how I'm going to behave and feel -- see my rehearsal notes for William Inge's Pinic. Some of the background work I did for Howard was great, and a close analysis of what "triggers" Howard's responses was also great, but I went further and decided on what's Howard's action in each beat, and I even decided how I thought Howard felt and acted at particular moments. You can create a good performance this way, but you'll be effectively disconnected from your partner and what's going on in the moment. You'll be polished -- but mechanical.

In terms of acting by listening and reacting, I've been doing much better than I ever have (it's not great, but I'm definitely getting better). Trying to integrate that into what I call raising the stakes and understanding the play -- well, there I felt I was a bit shaky and uneven: some of the scenes and relationships were clear, alive, and in-line with the play, but others were not.

I'm resolved to get GREAT at all of this. It's my dream and drive to be fully alive, living, and true on stage. I'm resolved to work more -- I NEED to work more, to be on stage 3-4 times per year in sizable roles. It's the only way I'm going to get better and better at this -- and that's all I want (well, I want other stuff too, but those are real dreams for another journal . . .).

I don't know if I want to do these shows because I need to act . . . or because I need to learn how to act. I guess I'm not a natural actor: I seem to spend most of my time -- not acting -- but in learning how to act, how to get better . . .

and I take a great deal of joy in that.

Rehearsals for The Upside Down Mirror are going well, but it's an emotionally challenging play, esp. for the lead characters. I've been watching many of us, especially myself, struggle.

Some thoughts about why it can be avoidable struggle . . .

I'm a novitiate, a beginning actor, and I've been putting more time into learning about the business side of acting, and I want to comment on how important is to recognize your true opportunities, and to be grateful for them.

A while ago, this empty-headed post appeared on the BackStage.com community message board:

For all of you newbies here are some names for you to stay away from. These people have scammed and scammed over and over again. They will not pay you, or they will charge you to be part of their company or they will tell you that your pay is one amount and pocket the difference. They will always tell you to make sure your vouchers are filled out to their companies: {names and casting agencies removed}. There are some more. Keep these names on an index card with you at all times. Do not get caught up in their scams. NO JOB IS WORTH it!!! Believe me then you are known as one of their people!! (oh your one of their people) Go ahead next time your on a set mention any one of their names and see what type of feed back you get, YOU will BE surprised!!! Good luck to all of you. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

I was shocked to see this -- First: it's NOT TRUE. It's simply not true. Period.

Second -- The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting tax credits has made the film and television industry the fastest-growing employment source in New York City, creating 10,000 jobs over the last year pressuring California to consider similar incentives.

There is right now, today, more opportunity for New York City actors to make a living then ever before, and Actors Reps, Extra Mile, Divine Management, Dorothy Palmer, Desiree Agudo, Stanley Kaplan provide a critical, necessary, and invaluable service to the New York City acting community.

I was so angry when I saw this posting, that I replied on the community message board, and I'd like to give my reply a wider audience here:

Tony Noice, an actor, director, teacher and cognitive researcher answers the question: "how the hell do you remember all those lines?"

For the past couple of months, threaded through my life of auditions, background work, and rehearsing for the Upside Down Mirror, I've been performing small parts in staged readings of Shakespeare with the Instant Shakespeare Company. The company organizes annual readings of ALL of Shakespeare's plays around New York City using original Folio & Quarto texts.

The Instant Shakespeare Company started 8 years ago, in early 2001, at the Applause Book Store at 211 West 71st Street, just off of Broadway. Applause sadly closed it's doors in the summer of '05. The closing of Applause really started in 2000 when they lost part of their space and had to downsize (like everyone and everything else in '00-'01). To lessen the blow of the downsizing in '00 and to celebrate Applause's first printing of the original Folio & Quarto Shakespeare texts that same year, Paul Sugerman organized the first reading of all of Shakespeare's plays at Applause. These readings became an annual event, and this gave birth to the Instant Shakespeare Company.

It's a great opportunity for any actor at any stage in their career because it's a chance to cold-read/talk and breathe Shakespeare out loud, often in front of a small audience. For me, this is exactly the practice I need, and I can't get enough of it.

Usually I have a week to two week to prepare/self-rehearse. This is more than enough time for me, esp. given the small roles I'm doing. For a lead or major supporting role, one would really have to know how to prepare so you're not just giving unintelligible line readings.

Here's my approach:

Class #7 (Jerry Coyle)

The Improv audition

The two most important things to do (if you have a partner)?

• Listen
• Say 'yes' to everything