I really need to break that habit, so your note is absolutely welcome - thank you! :)

I agree that I shouldn't try to change anything based on what she said. What I meant was that even if I wanted to, I'm not sure if I could; it didn't really make sense to me as something I could change.

On the other hand, a suggestion like, 'be more conscious of what your hands are doing' is something you can get on with.

A suggestion like, 'try to make sure your body is doing the same thing as what you're saying' isn't really a statement I know what to do with - even if I wanted to. It's not really specific enough.

Edited by micbarry - 8/24/12 at 2:45am

Originally posted by jayzehr I talked about this a lot on my last show.When trying to get control of this as an actor way back when I vividly remember looking down once on stage and seeing my arm moving seemingly independent of any conscious thought.

I sang a solo last year for the first time (only took 50 years to get to it) and I watched my daughter's video of a rehearsal. The entire time I'm singing, I'm opening and closing my hand like a crab. I don't know if I was keeping time or what, but I was completely unaware of doing it.

There is ALWAYS another show.

Originally posted by Rorgg That was four years and twenty-seven shows ago.

Were those all with one theater group?

(And sorry if I've asked you this before. Fuzzy brain :) )

28 different shows! That's amazing! :)

Can you tell me: do certain aspects of acting get easier the more experience you gain when you compare what you're like now with your first efforts? If so, which ones?

I went to another play last night and really paid attention to what the actors were doing. It was a non-professional show (ie. cast and crew not paid for their work). It was opening night.

This wasn't easy as there were up to eight actors on stage at once, so it was hard keeping track of them all, but in this 2 hour production with no intermission - and with a newly written script to boot - I didn't detect any hesitation at all in their delivery of dialog. No one tripped over their words or hesitated with their next line at all - or so it seemed to me.

In my show, even the actor with 20+ years experience tripped over his words at least once.

Even in regular conversation I can stutter occasionally - we all do.

But in last night's show, no-one seemed to miss a beat. I don't get it. How can they be that cold in their delivery on opening night? Or maybe if I was following along with the script in my hands in would have been a different story?

I've read plenty about famous actors going up on lines or stumbling even on Broadway. So...what gives?

Edited by micbarry - 9/01/12 at 4:35am