My journey has a theatre artist (not just an actor anymore) has taken me back to Cleveland for another show with Great Lakes Theater. It's quite an honor and a blessing to be invited back to a theatre so soon. Hopefully this means that I'm "in the door" here and that they like my work.
The show itself is was rehearsed and open in about twenty minutes. At least that's what it felt like. There was very little time spent rehearsing and running my scenes, which was a bit disheartening. I understand why...all of the actors in the major roles were in the show in Idaho, so there's no sense in spending much time rehearsing them. However, it was hard being a new guy in this show, even if all of my characters don't actually have names. In a way that is infinitely harder because you can't mine the script for too many clues on your character's back story.
I'm part of the mortar of this play...I fill in the cracks between the "named" characters. This is a thankless job and a difficult one to figure out exactly how to fit in. But it's also an important job. These kinds of roles are necessary to move the action and, quite literally, move the furniture:)
I really don't mind playing these roles, I feel like I just struggle with them. The actress playing Hermione says, "It's much easier to be on stage than off stage during a play." I couldn't agree more. Your focus is always there when you're on stage. When you're off stage, it's hard to "stay in the show" until you have to come back on again. Kelly McAvenue, who visited from Stratford my first year, said that Laertes was the hardest role in Hamlet because you start off the show and then come back on about two hours later. That's a long time to be off stage and prepare to come back on.
The same is true for smaller roles like these. You come on and deliver some plot progressing news with about five lines then you exit and switch to another smaller role. It's hard not to psyche yourself out and worry about technicalities like, "How should this line sound? How should I carry myself Oh gosh, I'm not breathing at all!" Sadly, I thought I was past this way of thinking, but alas, I've found myself in this position.
So I might as well learn from it eh?
I think I get detracted in the process by forgetting to think about ACTION and not technicalities. And I think I second guess myself a lot too. "is this action strong enough? Do I perceive that my scene partner is being changed by what I'm doing?" These are things I need to work on still. Come up with an action, really focus on changing the other person with it, and see how it works. If its working, then strengthen it as much as possible an love in the moment. If it doesn't feel like its working, then find a better action.
How do I keep getting tripped up on these things?
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