The Most Important Stage Direction
The most important stage direction I ever got
was,
"Catherine, don't act. Just be yourself, with energy."
The location was the warehouse we used to rehearse for the LaMirada Playhouse. The performances were at the La Mirada Civic Auditorium. It has 1,000 seats and we performed without microphones.
The challenge for the actors was to project without pushing. The challenge for me was to prepare thoroughly so that I could let the character come through.
I'm writing about this experience this morning because an insight came to me during my meditation. Here it is:
"Acting is Truth, directed."
When I act, I'm doing my best not just to tell the truth, besides, characters don't always tell the truth, but to be the truth with enough energy to reach and move the audience. If I push, or act, or try too hard, the viewer can be pushed away instead of drawn in.
This blog is called, "Acting Wiser," because I am learning to,
"Be myself with energy," in my daily work. I follow the advice in two ways:
One: I accept who I am today.
Two: I act wiser now.
My meditation was preceded by reading the first part of the James Allen Daily which said,
"To put away regret,to anchor anticipation, to do and work now, this is wisdom."
The wisdom of James Allen, the author of As A Man Thinketh, is available through the James Allen Free Library linked here:
It is an invaluable resource, and whenever I read James Allen's work I find it easier to act wiser.
So today, why not bring your true self to your work, and see what happens?
Comments