Originally posted by castMe Originally posted by tristanrobin . Though, I might add, if the actor was TRULY pondering what to eat after the show, I bet you wouldn't have been so moved! LOL But, Tristan, that's my point. It really, ultimately doesn't matter what the actor is thinking or feeling.....All that matters is what he's doing and how we respond to what he's doing. [snip] It doesn't matter how you feel....it doesn't matter what you're thinking or whether you're in a good mood or hungry or horny or if your feet smell. All the audience every knows is what you do.

Yes, but.  What you do, and how you do it, is colored by how you feel.  Ever ask your SO "What's wrong?" only to hear "Nothing" ?  Now, do you know whether it's really nothing, or whether you'd better start making up the couch to sleep on?  Sure you do.  Because what we think and feel reads in what we do.  Now, if you're a good enough actor to stand over Hamlet's dead body and make me feel "oh, crap, my best friend's dead and Denmark's screwed now" while you're actually thinking "man, I'm hungry and horny and my feet smell," great.  You're a rare exception, but great.  I'm not.

Originally posted by Mike Polo Videotape as a rehearsal tool - discuss.

Yug.  I can barely stand to listen to myself; if I ever had to watch myself, I'd crawl in a hole and never come out.   I have two videos of performances I've given -- and I have it on reliable authority that they were pretty decent performances -- and I've never watched either of them.  Gave copies to my mom, though.

You?ve heard of the film editing experiment by Kuleshov where the exact same clip of an actor was used in different montages of various images? The audience read different emotions from the exact same expression depending on the combination of images. I think it can be the same in theater.  Now, note the following is from a community theater hack so take it for what it?s worth but: I?ve come to the conclusion that there is a lot of nonsense associated with method acting or at least what people think method acting is. Starting out as an actor, when I was trying to use this approach there were many times where I was ?feeling? something appropriate only to be told by the director that it wasn?t working. Often, I would ?feel? uncomfortable with what would work.  I came to the conclusion that it doesn?t always necessarily matter what you are feeling. I eventually did a number of plays with a director who used (approximately) the Meisner approach and that crystallized my opinion on this.  I think actors can frequently get into trouble trying to ?do? too much, not just with actions but with thoughts and emotion. I think the most important thing is to imagine yourself in the situation and to then pay attention to the other actors and to what is actually going on in the moment.  Sometimes trying to conjure up emotions or memories takes you out of the moment and gets in the way of that. Possibly related to this: recently, I?ve been reading some about Eugenio Barba and the ?pre-expressive? which, if I?m understanding it correctly (and I very well might not be) refers to a starting physical and energetic state (or stage presence) that communicates to the audience without the addition of any intellectual meaning.  Can anyone enlighten me on this?:)

Jay

The best book on acting I've ever read is "Directing Actors..creating memorable performances for film and television" by Judith Weston.

Don't be put off by the title...either by thinking it's exclusively for directors or only for film or TV.   Ms. Weston teaches directors how to think like actors and in the process, can help you to become a better actor.  The book is published by Michael Wiese Productions.  I read this book and had a feeling similar to that I imagine religious zealots feel when they feel "god".

If you have tried the method or any of its homely sisters and were left feeling "Nothing", I heartily encourage you to find this book.  I am on my second copy as the first fell apart from overuse in my hands.

POB...if you don't find this book to your liking, I will gladly take it off your hands.  No kidding.  Let me know what you think.  One thing that really piques my interest about Ms. Weston is that she offers individual one-on-one consults.  Very reasonable, too, according to her web site.  After I hit the Megabucks, I'm all over that.

Please let me know what you think of the book, Patrick.  If you want, I will forward my e-mail address.

By the way, I've always wanted to teach an acting class to show actors how to open doors, sit in a chair or sofa, put on shoes, etc, on stage.  Do any of you notice how people seem to deal with doors and sitting on stage like they've never done it before?  While I'm ranting, why do so many actors find it so hard to carry on a conversation with an actor upstage of them without turning around (and upstaging themselves in the process) just so they can see the other actor?  

Originally posted by Aimee Originally posted by castMe   While I'm ranting, why do so many actors find it so hard to carry on a conversation with an actor upstage of them without turning around (and upstaging themselves in the process) just so they can see the other actor?   Same reason they stand in the ONLY dark spot on the stage.  Manage to be in the ONE spot the mic doesn't work, and do the ONE thing  that will break the props as the curtain is going up.

And the same reason why, when they (we) drop something, they get an "Oh S$#%!  I dropped something"!" look on their faces and stare at each other like idiots instead of JUST PICKING THE DOGGONE THING UP!

CastMe, I'll start a new thread here with my thoughts once I get the book.  It is supposed to ship today. And I promise I won't make you pay for it -- I've yet to read a book on acting/directing that I didn't get something out of!