Larry's 02/23/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"For True Actors, coming to the end of a run is always extremely difficult. You have worked so intimately for months with the rest of the cast, each night venturing out into the unknown together, hanging on to each other as you ride the wave of new life risked in each performance, and eventually you must face closing night. The next morning, it is as if the whole experience has evaporated into a fine dust and you might wonder if the whole thing was just a dream. 

Natalie Symons, who gave a truly breathtaking performance as Becky in the play Becky Shaw, which I directed at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida, shared these thoughts with me after the run of our production ended on February 19th...

"I feel like a part of me has died and I am in mourning. I am having a terrible time letting go of Becky, the other characters and the whole creative process. I am having trouble sleeping, as I have lost a dear, dear friend. But with this production, the loss is even greater as I have been running into so many people who saw the show and they tell me that the experience of seeing the five of us on stage was so real and so true that they were overwhelmed and moved beyond words. They say that they did not feel like we were acting at all and that they left thinking deeply about their own lives. Of course, I appreciate the response to the play, yet it makes my longing to continue this production even greater, letting go of it more difficult and the sense of loss more profound. I feel so very lost at the moment."

As the director, I have been going through a similar experience as Natalie. With the end of our run, I have felt like a big chunk of me is gone and even though I was not present at every performance, I knew that the five actors were there at the theatre telling the story and giving life to our creation once again - there was such a deep comfort in this. But where has that life gone? How could it come and go so quickly?

Havelock Ellis said...

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."

Natalie Symons as Becky Shaw & Jim Sorenson as Andrew

Larry's 02/22/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Shaken Awake"

"In a continuation of yesterday's tip, let's talk about this thing I call "shaken awake." Most people walk through their lives very busy in their heads and totally self-concerned, disconnected from other people and the world around them. This is in fact, sleep walking through life rather than living it. It is impossible to talk these people into awareness because they can not really see you and they can not really hear you from inside the fog. Unfortunately, it takes an earth shattering event to bring most people back into actual contact. I remember watching a documentary about an earthquake and seeing a group of total strangers holding hands, hugging, crying together, suddenly and deeply connected to each other, needing each other, all barriers to relatedness melted away - they were "shaken awake." How long will this state of awakeness last, not long sadly. Do not allow this to be your story, do not wait for the wake-up call to come. Your acting and your life depend on your willingness, your relentlessness and your deep deisre to stay awake."

Larry's 02/21/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Most people think that to have an open and intimate relationship takes time. The truth is, it takes no time at all as the possibility for true communion is available in any moment and with people we have no prior history. This kind of event is quite rare as most people live defended by a thick, protective coat of personal armor. Also, isn't it interesting that so many long term relationships lack the very quality of emotional intimacy that we strive for in our acting? So, time is not the issue. 

The craft of true acting requires a softening of the mind and heart, as well as a very strong desire to allow the coat of armor to melt away. Here's a story to reflect on...

"Hakuin, the fiery and intensely dynamic Zen master, was once visited by a samurai warrior.

"I want to know about heaven and hell," said the samurai. "Do they really exist?" he asked Hakuin.

Hakuin looked at the soldier and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am a samurai," announced the proud warrior.

"Ha! exclaimed Hakuin. "What makes you think you can understand such insightful things ? You are merely a callous, brutish soldier ! Go away and do not waste my time with your foolish questions," Hakuin said, waving his hand to drive away the samurai.

The enraged samurai couldn’t take Hakuin’s insults. He drew his sword, readied for the kill, when Hakuin calmly retorted, "This is hell."

The soldier was taken aback. His face softened. Humbled by the wisdom of Hakuin, he put away his sword and bowed before the Zen Master.

"And this is heaven," Hakuin stated, just as calmly."

Larry's 02/20/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"As a once obsessed basketball player, I became well acquainted with the phrase, "To leave it all on the court." Here's what it means:

"To give your all, to summon every bit of your desire, hunger, concentration and energy and harness it, channel it all into one pursuit. Leaving it all on the court renders you completely exhausted, unable to go on, spent… but basking in the complete attempt to fulfill your deeply held need."

In every performance, you must come on to the stage with the mindset that tonight, you will leave it all on the court. Tonight, the play is not "just another night" it is the "only night" and you must accomplish what you are here to fight for, right now. Right now is your only chance, not later, not tomorrow and not next week.

It's the matinee and you have another performance tonight? Leave it all on the court in the matinee. Tonight, you will leave it all on the court again. It is Thursday and the critic is coming on Friday, leave it all on the court on Thursday. On Friday, you will leave it all on the court once more.

When you accepted the role and signed the contract, you made a vow that every performance, you would leave it all on the court. Many people are depending on you now to keep your word."

Larry's 02/17/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

Many actors become deeply attached to particular emotional results in various moments of the play. But what if, tonight, you have a different response to the moment? What if, unexpectedly, you are taken by storm by the force of your acting partners behavior towards you?

Do you really think the audience comes with any pre-conceived notion of how you should be responding emotionally to the events of the play? Do you think that they care if your emotional life is really big? Ridiculous. The audience only asks that you be true, that you do not lie to them. Make "being authentic" your practice wherever it may lead. Make "embracing everything, denying nothing" your practice and go for the ride. Let go of your tight grip on controlling, forcing, manipulating the moment.

Some useful words from the world of Zen...

The process of practice is to see through, not to eliminate, anything to which we are attached. We could have great financial wealth and be unattached to it, or we might have nothing and be very attached to having nothing. Usually, if we have seen through the nature of attachment, we will have a tendency to have few possessions, but not necessarily. Most practice gets caught in this area of fiddling with our environments or our minds. " My mind should be quiet". Our mind doesn't matter; what matters is non attachment to the activities of the mind. And our emotions are harmless unless they dominate us, that is, if we are attached to them, then they create dis-harmony for everyone. The first problem in practice is to see that we are attached. As we do consistent, patient practice, we begin to know that we are nothing but attachments; they rule our lives. But we never lose an attachment by saying it has to go. Only as we gain true awareness of its true nature does it quietly and imperceptibly wither away; like a sandcastle with waves rolling over, it just smoothes out and finally Where is it? What was it?"

You might also say

"Weeds only grow when we dislike them."

Larry's 02/16/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Down to the bone: To reduce something to a level at which only what is necessary is left.

Please take some time today to reflect on the driving force inside your desire to act. What is it that is driving you forward through all the challenges and difficulties of carving out a life in the theatre? What is it that you long to say to the world and how? What do people need to hear that you have come to understand down to the bone? 

Albert Einstein said...

"Try not to become a man of success. Rather, become a man of value."

Larry's 02/15/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Very, very few actors rise to the level of fame like a Marilyn Monroe or a John Wayne or a Burt Reynolds. And, it is impossible to imagine what it is like to have the whole worlds' attention on you, thinking of you in a specific way and imagining that they know you.

A few years ago, I received a call from Burt Reynolds. He was teaching an acting class and using my Meisner books with his students. Burt invited me to come down to Jupiter, Florida to co-teach the class with him. It was an interesting week, teaching along side Burt in the evenings and meeting with him in his office during the days. He talked a little bit about living with fame and what it was like to be at the top of the acting charts for twelve years in a row.

Burt told me one story about a woman who had herself heavily taped into a large box and shipped to his home. Unfortunately, the woman didn't know that Burt was out of the country working on a film and when the box was delivered and placed in his office, no one knew that she was taped inside. She remained in that box for days, trying to get out, and by the time she was able to break through the tape, she had almost died.

At any level of success, being a True Actor and staying healthy, sharing your heart, your mind, your soul with an audience requires a grounded center. We need to return each day to where we actually live and find ways to replenish the energies required to step back onto the stage for the next performance.

Marilyn Monroe said... 

"Fame will go by and, so long, I've had you fame. If it goes by, I've always known it was fickle. So at least it's something I experience, but that's not where I live."

Larry's 02/14/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Many actors do not enjoy being surprised in their performances because it takes them out of the comfort zone of what they already have done and what they already know. This is called "sleepwalking" through the play and it resembles the same kind of sleepwalking state in which many people travel through their lives.

The True Actor has been trained not only to naturally handle all surprises that occur on stage but to invite and welcome them! In this mindset, the surprises that will invariably happen in the run of the play offer many new discoveries and they become a great source of fun and aliveness. What a joy to work with actors who have the ability to work in this way and who relish the unforeseen and the unexpected.

Joseph Addison said...

"Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination, because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise, gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed."

Larry's 02/13/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"In our work, we are often our own worst critic. What Martha Graham called a "divine dissatisfaction," propels us deeper into the creative journey of bringing the character to life. The relentlessness that is the outcome of this internal driving force, is both useful and necessary. On the other hand, many actors and acting students attack themselves in ways that are not beneficial and only lead to paralysis, immobilization and depression.

Have you ever had the experience of being in the midst of profound suffering due to negative thoughts about yourself and treating a passerby to a bright smile and friendly hello? Have you ever stopped to consider why you don't give yourself the same kindness?

Buddha said...

"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection"

Larry's 02/10/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Have you heard the word "indication" used in acting terms? "Indicating" is when an actor tries to make it look like something is happening when nothing is happening. Simply, indication means the faking of emotional responses and it is a lie.

Where does this bad habit come from? It comes from a few sources. One is that many actors do not trust that to be simple and true is enough, so they comply with their own internal pressure to make moments in the play bigger and more profound than they actually are. This kind of acting always communicates as false. Another pressure comes from the director who immediately demands huge emotional results which many actors have no skill in achieving authentically, so they fake it.

Also, the trend in indicating comes from an actors misunderstanding about acting in total, thinking that the focus of acting is on emotion. It is not! The focus of all acting must be on what you are doing. When you are fully and really doing something, and the doing of it has great meaning to you personally, your emotions come to life organically and naturally. Although this is rare to see on the stage, it is always thrilling when it happens.

Let's stop for a moment and reflect on something I just said. I said that what you do must have "great meaning to you personally" and this where the techniques of "personalization" come in to play. In the Meisner technique, the actor learns how to specifically and vividly use both his imagination and truthful elements of his life, interweaved together, to deepen his intimate connection to what he is doing in the play. To me, this is the most effective and liberating way of working on the emotional demands of the part. 

Group Theatre actor, Robert Lewis, had these words...

"The emotion that we observe in some acting on the stage today seems more like an illustration of feeling then the real McCoy. It is as if the actors are describing some feelings that are happening, or have happened, to someone else. What is wanted is the true emotion that is the direct and natural result of the particular experience of the moment. It seems to me that the skill is to be able to summon up those feelings that will be true to us because they are arrived at from experiences of which we have some real personal knowledge. This knowledge can come from many sources: from having, in life, participated in something more or less similar to what is transpiring in the part, from sensitive observation of someone else having done that, from reading, from imagination; in fact, from anything that has strongly impressed us emotionally."

Larry's 02/09/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Many students who have come to my classes have shared with me that they had always felt in their lives, they were only expressing a small piece of who they actually were. Isn't this the case with almost all human beings, limited in self expression by severe social training in what is "appropriate" and the intense fear of not being liked. Of course, in the beginning of training, the highly developed internal critic must be moved to the side so that one can re-invigorate the magnificent quality of freedom that we were born with. Our creative self only functions when we are able to completely follow the lead of our instinct rather than the intellect.

Joseph Chaikin said...

"I have a notion that what attracts people to the theatre is a kind of despair. We despair with life as it is lived, so we try to alter it through a model form. We present what we think is possible according to what is possible in the imagination rather than what is socially possible. Perhaps the ultimate in acting through an exploration of behavior is to show not so much another kind of society, but rather another kind of man."

Larry's 02/08/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Last week, we had our first week of performances of the play Becky Shaw, which I directed at freeFall theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida. And as is always the case, it is only after you bring in the audience that you really know what it is you and the actors have created. In the case of Becky Shaw, we all knew there were funny moments in the script but we had no idea how funny the play really was until we heard the riotous laughter from the audiences, laughter that has remained consistent very night of the show!

Viola Spolin said this about the audience...

"The audience is the most revered member of the theatre. Without an audience there is no theatre. Every technique learned by the actor, very curtain and flat on the stage, every careful analysis by the director, every coordinated scene, is for the enjoyment of the audience. They are our guests, our evaluators, and the last spoke in the wheel which can then begin to roll. They make the perfomance meaningful.

When there is understanding of the role of the audience, complete release and freedom come to the player. Exhibitionism withers away when the student-actor begins to see members of the audience not as judges or censors or even as delighted friends but as a group with whom he is sharing an experience. When the audience is understood to be an organic part of the theatre experience, the student-actor is immediately given a host's sense of responsibility toward them which has in it no nervous tension. The fourth wall disappears, and the lonely looker-in becomes part of the game, part of the experience, and is welcome. This relationship cannot be instilled at dress rehearsal or in a last minute lecture but must be handled from the very first acting class."

Larry's 02/07/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Preconcieved: An idea formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness.

Many actors come in to the first read through with preconceived notions of how they will act the part and they carry out these ideas at the table with the other actors and with the director. These kind of actors never progress and you will see in performance what you have all ready seen on day one. External, intellectual and slick are ways you might describe these actors and there are directors who, interested only in safe and immediate results, love to work with them. 

The true process of bringing the character to life takes quite a bit of internal "baking" and a willingness to allow the continual flow of organic impulses to lead rather then the cliches of the mind. In other words, it takes a constant willingness to go where you don't know you're going for this is where life and aliveness is to be found.

Producer and director, Charles Marowitz, had these comments...

"The hallmark of a good actor is his attitude toward change. Most actors make their decisions in the first stages of rehearsal, chart the shortest distance between two points and then proceed in a straight line. Another sort of actor retains the ability to reorganize his role throughout. He follows every lead and yields to every permutation, and isn't put off by detours and secondary routes. He may take longer to arrive but when he does, he brings a better rounded result."

Larry's 02/06/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"In every well written play, from page one, you are introduced to characters who are in the midst of a difficult problem and they are set on a course to fight through many hurdles to solve it. As the actor, you must identify specifically what the problem is and why it is vital that you relieve the pressure that it has created in you. This all get's back to a fundamental desire which serves as the springboard for everything that you do in the play.

If your acting is effective and the play is a true work of art, the audience will leave wondering what in the world will become of these people after the play has concluded.

The great Group Theatre actor, Morris Carnovsky, said...

"The curtain rises. Within the music of the playwright's words we begin to perceive an issue that embodies a basic struggle. The decision lies in the hands of a group of characters who battle it out to the final curtain, and even beyond, in the aroused responses of the spectators. That would be the summary of almost any play in the doing."

Larry's 02/03/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"You can not deny the excitement and the power of opening night. From the time you first pick up the script, throughout the rehearsals, the costume fittings, the tech-runs, the sleepless nights personalizing the text, particularizing challenging emotional moments, closing in on the spine of the character and learning the words, you are continually on the "production runway" getting closer and closer to the ultimate lift-off of the play. And just like the young chick who has been relentlessly chipping away at the egg, on opening night, you have finally arrived at the moment where you break through the egg, lift off its top and emerge into a new and unforseen world.  

Without opening night, a production would be aimless and lost at sea. Opening night adds pressure to everything you do, a reality based and literal pressure which is as necessary to the creative process as is fantasy and the imagination. We always ache for more time, "Oh, please give us an extra three days," yet, when you work with the best of the best, as we have with Becky Shaw, you can accomplish more than seemed humanly possible in the brief hours the Equity contract permits. 

BECKY SHAW opens tonight. We are ready to break through the egg shell, we are ready to enter the new world and discover a deeper path of life and of living."

The Cast of Becky Shaw at freeFall Theatre

Larry's 02/02/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"Thursday BECKY SHAW report. Tonight we have our first audience, and we are just about sold out. We consider this performance a "preview/rehearsal" and I have the freedom to stop the play at any moment and continue to work with the actors. Last night was our first full dress rehearsal and I saw a few moments in the play that I look forward to helping the actors make more specific tonight.

Of course, it will be the addition of our first audience tonight that will take our five actors to a new and deeper understanding of what their journeys are all about. We have been working privately and in seclusion with our little story and we are ready now to include the rest of the family, the audience. Without the audience, not only does the theatrical event not exist, it is their presence, their "witnessing" the life onstage, that truly launches the actors into unchartered territories of the character's soul.

I compare this relationship between the actor and the audience, to an electric circuit. A circuit is an unbroken loop of conductive material that allows electrons to flow through continuously without beginning or end. If a circuit is "broken," that means its conductive elements no longer form a complete path, and continuous electron flow cannot occur in it. The location of a break in a circuit is irrelevant to its inability to sustain continuous electron flow. Any break, anywhere in a circuit prevents electron flow throughout the circuit.

You see? The audience completes the circuit! Without them, the circuit is broken and the life does not fully flow."

Natalie and Christina as Becky and Suzanna

Larry's 02/01/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"One thing that I know for sure, if you are going to make progress in your acting training or in your career, you must become unreasonable with yourself, you must develop the willingness and the desire to work harder than you ever thought possible. And the pressures placed on your energy will be greater than you ever could have imagined. Believe me, there is no room in this arena for anyone who whines that they are tired, no one wants to hear it.

"You're tired? Good for you, I am replacing you with an actor who isn't."

Simply, you must take the words "I'm tired" out of your actors vocabulary. In acting class, you will work with many partners who are too tired, people who will schedule scene rehearsals with you and then cancel at the last minute because it is inconvenient to carry their props to your apartment. In rehearsals for a play, you will work with actors who give half-hearted attention to the work because they drank too much the night before. Keep your distance from these kind of actors, they will make every attempt to drag you down with them into the quick sand of "I don't really care about this."

One of the great pleasures of working on Becky Shaw has been working with a cast, crew and technical staff who continually work at 110%, never ceasing to fulfill the needs of the play no matter the time it takes to accomplish the task at hand. This is a great joy."

The Cast of Becky Shaw at freeFall Theatre

Larry's 01/31/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

Four more days until we open Becky Shaw! If you have been following the tips, you know I am directing this brutally funny play at the wonderful FREEFALL THEATRE, an award winning Equity Theatre in St. Pete, Florida which is also the home of the True Acting Institute in the United States. If you are anywhere in the area, our new series of Meisner classes begin on February 8th at freeFall. 

As it is the main focus of my life at the moment, this week, I am devoting the True Acting Tips column to Becky Shaw. For further reading on what we have been doing in the rehearsal room, please read the fanatastic blog created by professor Gaye Burgess, who has been sitting in and observing. Click to visit the BECKY SHAW BLOG.

On Sunday we had our first "ten-out-of-twelve", working from 10am until 10pm with a two hour break in the middle. This day was devoted to working out technical demands of the play which has nine scenes and seven different locations, each requiring a totally unique setting! Eric Davis, the Artistic Director at freeFall is our set, sound and costume designer for Becky Shaw and he has truly outdone himself in every department. The multi dimensional set Eric has designed, (with a huge back wall covered by a "wallpaper" revealing the faces of the five characters), utilizes swinging walls to give us new configurations for the different settings of the play. Most stunning of all, Eric has created a series of beautiful, cinematic videos that are being projected onto the two outer walls of the set during the show. These videos, at times, give us a tour of the physical locations and other times explore the psychological landscape of the characters' minds and as each scene begins, the stage lights come up as the videos morph into a still image which becomes an integral part of the current location of the play. 

Obviously, all these technical elements of Becky Shaw needed much attention on Sunday, which was also the first time we had the opportunity to rehearse the light, sound and video cues as our four person crew moved the furniture and props in and out of place for each location of the play. And, as we worked through these issues in the theatre, the five actors were using the time to sit in the green room and do a four hour line rehearsal.

Truly, one of the best things about working on Becky Shaw at freeFall, is the continual feeling that every single person involved - both cast and technical staff - are on the same page, focused intensively on our common mission of telling the story in the most authentic, specific and passionate way. Unfortunately, many times in this industry, you have to work with people who make the project only about themselves out of a desparate need to feed their own egos. So, it is a breath of fresh air to work with our extraordinary cast and production staff, in a most colloborative environment, where the play is the thing!

Here's the tip, the best results are always achieved through true collaboration...

Collaboration: is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people work together to realize shared goals. This is more than the intersection of common goals seen in co-operative ventures, but a deep, collective, determination to reach an identical objective, for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature — by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus."

Larry's 01/30/2012 "True Acting Tip Of The Day"...

"If you have not yet worked in the theatre, you may wonder what exactly a Stage Manager does. This is a good question beacuse when you are involved in a stage production, the Stage Manager is one of the most important people in your life. 

As you may know, I am directing the the Equity production of Becky Shaw at the award winning freeFall Theatre in St. Pete, Florida. The play opens this coming Friday and we have been working in rehearsals these past two weeks. The cast and I are blessed to have the most wonderful Equity Stage Manager that I have ever worked with. His name is Daniel Lemien. Daniel is not only terrific at all the physical and technical aspects of his job, but even more importantly, he has a gentle, positive and loving spirit that has made the environment in our rehearsal room one of calm assurance, clarity of purpose and good cheer. Daniel is always right there when we need him and, in every moment, I feel his support and care. I know the actors feel the very same way.

So, the question, what exactly does a Stage Manager do? Here are some details... 

A stage manager is essentially the head traffic controller. Once the director has issued his or her final notes to the cast, the stage manager usually assumes command of the physical stage area. All of the various technical crews, such as lighting, sound, props and scenery, report directly to the stage manager, who in turn remains in constant communication with the director by in-house phone or wireless headset. The head stagemanager has a number of duties to perform, some of which may be delegated to other stagemanagers or assistants.

During the rehearsal process, the stage manager's most important role is to record all of the blocking, lighting cues, prop usage, costume changes and entrances of all the performers. This usually requires shadowing the director and taking copious notes. A stage manager is also responsible for scheduling rehearsal times and making sure those times are respected. During rehearsals, it falls on the stage manager to make sure understudies have sufficient time to learn their roles in case of an emergency. The stage manager is also bound by theater tradition to supply the daily coffee before rehearsals begin.

On the day of the live performance, a stage manager may have to deal with both technical and human crises. An actor may not be able to perform due to illness, or a crucial prop may disappear. A good stage manager must learn to think under pressure while maintaining some semblance of order and timeliness. Actors often depend on a stage manager or an assistant to count down the time until the curtain rises. Indeed, it is the stage manager's job to issue the familiar call of 'Places Everyone!' shortly before the performance begins.

During the performance, a stage manager might also be responsible for cuing the lights, sound or scenery changes. Notes for all of these cues are often contained in a notebook, which inspired the theatrical description of a stage manager's job - "running the book". A stage manager may also have to track down a performer who forgets an entrance or has a wardrobe malfunction. Emergency messages for the cast or crew are also routed to the stage manager for delivery.

Ideally, a stage manager should be the most visible person backstage and the most invisible person onstage. Becoming a stage manager requires both artistic and technical stagecraft skills, since it often requires dealing with creative temperaments and technical glitches at the same time. Many stage managers go on to become directors or producers after years of on-the-job-training."

Daniel Lemien