Improv tips

Today on Advice To The Players, some handy tips for those times when you are doing Improv. Improv, or improvisation is a great activity for an actor, often it is a show in itself, but also lets us play, explore and keep the brain fertile for those times onstage when things go wrong and we HAVE to Improv .


So let us say you are working on a show, or have decided to take an Improv class, or at a regular theater class you are doing some Improv games. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Stay Open To The Work- Take the suggestion or offers given by another player and run with it. Don't cut the energy off, instead use it and pass it on. If a person pretends to splash water on you, act like you got splashed and try to add more to the scene to see where it will go.  
2. Don't Take All the Stage- It is working on Improv scenes, let others have their moments to shine, don't always hog the spotlight. Support and help!
3. Be Outrageously Bad- Take risks, this is playtime, be bold and crazy as you can be. You are putting yourself out there, embrace the jump!
4. Get Physical- This is about using your whole body. you are not confined to a character, so play with being bigger and broader than you usually are.
5. Practice- Improv is a ton of unplanned fun, and spontaneous. That said, the more you do it, the easier it will become for you to do.

Oh and be sure and not take it all too seriously. The idea is to gow and have fun, and even if the Improv scene turns very dramatic and leads to tears, relax and shrug it off when done. learn and grow, don't scar yourself for life!

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

12 for 12

• 

I thought I would round off the end of the year, and the beginning of the New Year, by presenting you with 12 tips for 2012. After all, the turning of the year, is the time when all of us reflect and seek advice, so that we can grow in the coming year. So here is some miracle grow from me:

Especially when working on a long scene or speech, don't make flowery, quirky, or show off detours. Follow the through line of what you are saying.


At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if your emotions are real or not. What matters is whether or not the audience believes that what they are seeing is real.


Have passion. When performing starts to be a chore, or is difficult to the point where you don't enjoy it anymore, do something else.


Before entering a scene, take an extra step away from the entrance before you come on. This will give you an extra jolt of energy for your entrance.


Steal from the best. Watch other performances, especially the great actors. Take what will work for you.


Always try to be grateful and excited about being able to rehearse or perform.


Always do your homework.


Always check your fly.


When working on the scene, if you find yourself lost, confused, or feeling uncomfortable, that's the best time to focus on the other actors in the scene. What are they doing, what are they saying and how would that impact your character?


 Not all scenes are about you, not all plays are about you. Share the stage.


Pauses are important, but must be earned.


Become a child and find your sense of wonder. Be child like, not childish.


OK, one more bonus thought, lets call it Lucky 13 , or an extra brain wave to grow on. What you do is sacred. Ancient, life altering, mystical and sacred. Treat it as such.

2012 will see blogs about using a warriors spirit onstage, about dressing room protocol, and of course tons of tips on acting, singing,  speaking and performance of all types.My very humble thanks to each and every one of you that has read and used this blog this year.I hope your 2012 is magnificent!

See you in the light.

J. T. Turner
The Actors Sensei

Advice to the Players presents...Advice! To the Players!

During a recent gig in North Shore Music Theaters' A Christmas Carol, I had the honor to work with an awesome cast and crew which included Melissa Daroff. She is a great Stage Manager, and I thought it would be a good idea to get some input on what good behavior for a performer would look like from a Stage Managers perspective. So here is the guest blog:

So when JT suggested that I write something for his blog, I said “Sure I’d love to, but you’ve got to give me a topic. I can’t blog without a topic!” JT thought you might want to hear about the traits I think make for good actor habits. So here’s my list (I am a stage manager after all):

1) Promptness- Don’t be late. Out of respect for your fellow company members, your director, stage manager, yourself and anyone you ever have, or ever will, work with: make it a point to be early.

2) Good organization- Sure stage managers are known for their organization and good note taking, but an actor needs to stay organized as well. I’m sure you find you progress faster, have more fun, and feel more comfortable if you aren’t constantly trying to decipher last week’s notes or figure out where you left your script and score.

3) A good work ethic- Acting in many ways is just like any other job. You get what you make of it and others will respect you for trying your hardest and doing the best job you can.

4) Ask good questions- Confused? That’s OK, just ask a good, well thought out question. There is such thing as a stupid question and it’s usually the one you ask when you are exasperated, frustrated or feeling impertinent and need somewhere to take out that crankiness. It is never a stupid question if you are truly confused or don’t understand direction, critique, instructions, etc. Think about what is unclear and formulate a concise way to ask your question.

5) A sense of humor and a sunny outlook- It’s not rocket science and we’re not saving babies, but all the same theater can be stressful. Check your cruddy day at the door and revel instead in this kooky world we work in. Always be ready to roll with the punches and put on a happy face when things are getting zany. It’s LIVE and that’s why we love it!!

6) Don’t be a baby/ Don’t be a hero- It’s both sides of the coin. Don’t volunteer to carry the heavy props when you are recovering from a back injury, but also don’t say you couldn’t possibly help carry the table because you got a paper cut last week.

7) Be prepared- Know your lines. Remember your blocking. Bring a sweater. (And a snack). Do your homework. Don’t leave your dance shoes at home. It’s not just those Boy Scouts who need to be ready for any situation!

8) Eat your humble pie- When you are wrong, be willing to admit it. “I’m sorry,” and all of its variants go a long way in a business of hearts on sleeves and high tensions. Whether it’s being late for rehearsal, missing an entrance or accidentally elbowing your dresser in the jaw. Saying, “I’m sorry,” (and actually meaning it) is sometimes all you need to solve a sticky situation.

9) Learn from every moment- What is theater if not your classroom? Find in every situation something you can take away and use again in the future. Whether it’s a first time (first Shakespeare, first outdoor amphitheatre, first tour, first musical, etc.), or emulating the good habits of a fellow actor, or trusting in yourself that you can do something you’ve set out to do, or sometimes even learning from a negative (I don’t want to do that again), there is always something to be learned. You can take it with you.

10) Love it- Theater is a job a lot of people love to hate. But if it is to be your life you’ve got to love working in the theater. Maybe not every second of every day in every gig, but when you wake up in the morning you’ve got to want to go to rehearsal and when you get home at night after a show, physically and emotionally exhausted, you’ve got to want to get up in the morning and do it all again.

To sum up all of these habits, it all falls to one word- Respect. Respect your talent, your fellow actors, crew, staff and artists. Respect the show and respect the stage. Respect yourself and most of all respect the Theater, and it will respect you in return.

Thanks for reading.

Melissa

Melissa Daroff is an AEA Stage Manager and also a Theater Educator (amongst other things). She has worked regionally in New England and Dallas, TX and is always excited to be asked to blog. Especially when given a topic to write about.

It isn't a surprise than many of the items on Melissa's list are ones i have touted here at Advice To the Players.It must be true! :)-JT

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei.

Here's One For The Ladies!

All right, this is for my female readers, a very interesting article about the phenomena called "Vocal Fry". Many thanks to author Erin Gloria Ryan for permission to share.


http://jezebel.com/5867224/american-women-suffering-from-rampant-growling-speech-impediment


Don't just sit there, audition!

J.T. Turner
The Actors Sensei
Acting and Speech lessons for all ages.

More on audition pieces please!

I am always so delighted when people tell me they not only read this blog, but that they employ the advice we give here. (And by "we" I mean me, "we" just sounds like there is more to this blog). And better yet I love when people ask questions! So after a recent post about auditioning and monologue selection, a young actress wrote to ask for even more info on monologue preparation. I am so happy to oblige. So here are a few more ideas for you to test, adapt, and make your own.Now this is for prepared audition pieces that you have time to put work into, cold readings fall into another category.

Having selected an audition piece, (and please see prior blogs about selection), what sort of work might you do to build a character about the piece? As mentioned before, always, always, always...how often? Always! Always, start by speaking the words aloud. Put the words into the air, let them travel from you to the Universe. Things will often change when you take the simple step of invoking the words. Then, try this with the piece:

Make 3 lists for the piece, Facts, Assumptions and Guesses. Facts are the things you clearly know about the character, usually things the author indicates or other characters do. (John is a tall, middle aged man with a quirky smile). Assumptions are things that seem to be indicated, like the way John speaks indicates he is white, or he has a funny sense of humor based on his lines. Guesses are where your imagination fills in the blanks, perhaps a backstory about why the character is the way they are, or perhaps the character reminds you of a person you know or a celebrity you could borrow some pieces from to flesh the character out. Guesses should NEVER conflict with things the author has told you, or that the script states.

Now try to apply the 4 W's to the monologue piece. they are:

Where- physically where does this speech take place?

When- Time period, time of day, season?

Who- is the character talking too?

What-do you want from this speech? What does your character say these words for? There must always be a reason for the character to talk, what is the reason for in this monologue?

Sometimes, we can get to the next question, HOW? Meaning how will your character go about getting what they want, but that often is work that we save for full blown roles rather than auditions. But occasionally, the HOW is accessible in the audition piece, and fun to play with.

Try the above, you may just enjoy the process!

J.T. Turner, The Actors Sensei

Acting and speech lessons for all ages

Some inspiration

Someone is watching

 

A few years ago, I was in a production of a musical in Boston. I was in the green room during a moment when I wasn't on stage and the actor next to me said, 'Oh X, (not her real name), must have people in the audience tonight". "How do you know?" I asked. "Oh she always cranks it up when she has friends out front".


I was a bit stunned at that, and it got me thinking about performance. Of course, when we know that family or friends are out front, we all tend to be a bit more excited and want to do our best. But as an actor, or singer or speaker, isn't the proper way to behave  giving your best ALWAYS? I think we have all seen actors that react to having someone special in the audience, a bit more fire, passion, a twinkle to the eye. But isn't the real challenge for us to keep that level of performance at each and every show? Of course there will be variation, of course some shows will turn out better than others, but that should be in hindsight, not a decision made before you go on!


Because the truth is that someone is always watching you. Someone always wants you to take them on a journey, to move them, to entertain them. When I teach young actors, I always remind them that they must treat each moment onstage as though someone is watching them, hanging on their every word, rooting for them. And that is good advice for all ages, to treat each show as though someone special is out there watching.


When I was on tour with a show years ago, I had a rough show. I was tired, my timing was off, and i just felt less than 100%. When the show was over and I was leaving, a parent wheeled a child up to me in a wheelchair, a child who obviously had a lot of physical challenges.From his wheelchair, the child told me, "You are my favorite actor". I was floored. I wanted to go back and redo the show, because I felt I had been under par. Yet my work had still touched this child.

 I never have forgotten that moment. I often replay it in my mind, to keep me going when I am feeling tired or off in some way. Going into the lights of a stage is a tremendous responsibility, and we don't know how many lives we can touch and change by our work.


So treat each performance as though someone special is watching. Because, someone is.

                                    THE ACTOR'S SENSEI