Using the body

In addition to using language and the words of the script, actors have another weapon in their arsenal for creating character - physical action and body language. Some companies really focus on the creation of physical theatre, ranging from commedia dell arte to dance masquerading as theatre. But I refer to the more basic notion of actors using posture, hand gestures, or body position to help tell the story. Of course, holding your body in a certain way and moving in a certain way will instantly create an element of character. Cowboys walk differently than businessmen, and they would both move differently than someone who is 90 years old. But I'm also referring to conveying story through such physical movement.

For example... there are two scenes in 12th Night where I have the exact same exit. Down the steps, across the platform, and then offstage. Both of those exits come out of different scenes with Viola in disguise as a boy. The first scene ends with Viola secretly pining over Orisino, and so I leave the scene in a full-on business manner, striding confidently away until I disappear offstage. The second scene develops the relationship between our characters, and it ends with a semi-awkward moment where maybe my character develops some inappropriate feelings toward this young boy. My exit for that scene is much less measured, much less controlled, and I even take a moment to pause and look back at her/him. It's a physical moment of storytelling that I found in the rehearsal process, showing the relationship as it develops between us. It's a subtle thing, and I don't think the audience would ever notice it consciously. But I hope that they pick up on it and realize what's going on.

Solid weekend

We had some solid, enjoyable performances of 12th Night this last weekend. I had been having a rough week when it came to the shows, and our weekend was enough to remind myself why I'm into this business in the first place. As much as friends may laugh at me for saying this, I really don't get into all the glory-hogging and fame-and-fortune that acting provides. I like doing my job, and I don't always need the accolades that go with it. In fact, I generally enjoy that I can change into ripped jeans and a baseball cap, take out my contacts and put on my glasses, and slip away into the night unnoticed, a theatrical Clark Kent changeover.

But this weekend I had friends in the audience, and I will generally always go out after the show to say hello if I know someone in the crowd. So I went to talk to people two days in a row, and they were so genuinely excited about the show that it was a wonderfully uplifting experience. It gave me just the right shot in the arm to get me through the weekend of performances, propelling me into the final week's worth. Overall, it was a nice reminder of why I do what I do.

Double-up - Plays

Over the last week, I went into Philly to see two different shows that both close this coming weekend, so it was my literal last chance to see both of them. First up was WWGUTS at InterAct Theatre, a show that focuses on the "adventures" of George W. Bush as he awaits his trial at the Hague for war crimes. It's a comedy. Only three actors in the show, and the whole production was solid and enjoyable. I felt as if I were being hit over the head with the idea of the show, and the metaphor of the ocean was layered so heavily into the script that it eventually stopped having any resonance at all. The performances were all strong, especially the actor playing Bush, and they all worked really well together. I did think that the playwright missed some opportunity to deepen the script and explore the issues and relied instead on some cheap laughs and some too-obvious moments of liberal grief. The production moves on to a run in NYC in the summer, and I wish them the best of luck!

Second on the docket was the current show with Flashpoint Theatre, closing Saturday night. In it, a mother and her daughter try to cope with the death of the father, but they do so in different ways. Other characters include the Apartment where they live, and an actor who doubles as Justin Timberlake and Harrison Ford. The show was enjoyable, even if it did feel a little bit scattered. The script called for a heightened level to the acting, but it occasionally felt like the actors were all in different plays from each other. Most problematic, however, was the "happy ending" that came about in the last fifteen minutes of the play. It felt largely tacked-on, but most of all illogical. The playwright had set up very clear characters, and the ending the play found felt out-of-step with those characters.

Double-up - Auditions

I had a busy day of auditions on Tuesday. First up was Walnut Street Theatre, trying to sing my way into the understudy company for "Fiddler on the Roof." They called me in for it based on my headshot in their files, and I generally make it policy to go in for any audition that the theatre calls me for. (That's how I got the gig in EECD, so it's a good policy.) So I hopped on the train, popped in the ipod, and was down in Philly, singing for the casting director. She asked me to sing a second song since she hadn't heard me before, and I did pretty well overall. I haven't auditions for many musicals of late, but I held my own and did a solid job. I don't know if they will call me for the gig, and I'm honestly not sure if I want the gig. Understudying is somewhat of a stressful gig, and some people are suited to it. I, with my current jobbing lifestyle, am not.

After coming home for dinner and a quick episode of Star Trek ("Tomorrow is Yesterday"), I got in the car and drove into the city for my second audition, a reading of a play called El Lion. I had been sent audition scenes, and I went into it just planning to have a whole lot of fun. When I actually got to read the scenes, I was lucky enough to be working with two actors in the scenes with me. Sometimes theatres just provide a "reader" to work with, but it is always better to have another actor playing the scene with you. We jumped right in and knocked the chemistry out of the park. It was one of those wonderful and rare auditions where I had a blast working with the other actors, and I ended up having so much fun working the scene that I lost all that "pressure to perform" for the director. Even if I don't get the role, this audition was a good time.

Field Trip!

This past weekend, some of us from the Philly production went up to NYC to see the Chicago-based NYC run of EECD, the wrestling play I did back in Oct-Nov that was satisfying hard work. Our director had gone to see the show in Chicago, and they brought their whole production over to NYC. I was really looking forward to seeing what the show could be with New York money behind it, and I was also excited to see Michael T. Weiss, one of my favorite TV stars, as EKO. All of this excitement, plus a trip to NYC, and there was really nothing to prevent what seemed like an awesome day. And we learned there would be a talk-back after the performance, so we were all excited.

Unfortunately, the show was somewhat of a letdown. I know it's mostly unfair to compare this production to mine and to say that mine was so much better, but both productions were very different and focused on different things. Our production focused hard on the political angles of the show, trying to give the story teeth. This production seemed more interested in the larger-than-life cartoon elements of professional wrestling, playing up all the comical elements of the show. The show, as a result, was very funny, very fast, and very empty. Without those deeper themes being explored, the show felt very shallow and insignificant instead of hard-hitting.

The wrestling was even less impressive than ours; it didn't seem like it hurt, and it was over too quickly. I was looking forward to seeing the big-time stuntmen do some wrestling, but it wasn't all that cool. I liked seeing some other Joe Jabroni get hurt, and I really liked the costumes for their wrestlers. But overall, the show was a little disappointing.

Matinee-ing

This morning was our first matinée performance for school children. Yup, Shakespeare at 10:30 in the morning. And not just any Shakespeare.... 12th Night. That's not exactly the kind of show that's easily accessible for anyone just coming to the party. But we were up to the challenge. The show went off without a hitch, even if it did go a little quicker than usual. A lot of my fellow actors were satisfied with the show, and they thought that today we had one of our best crowds to date. I, however, am taking a second to disagree. I've done a lot of shows for students, so I speak from experience. This was one of the most frustrating student crowds I've ever performed for. In my scenes, the kids were somewhat restless and it was slightly distracting. When we got to the final scene, however, I did get an "awwww" when I ended up with Viola, so at least some of the girls in the audience were rooting for me. But overall, I thought that the show was just about average, as the student crowd was a little frustrating to me. We have another one scheduled in a few weeks, and we've been told to keep a certain day open for another potential show. Bring it on, I say. But kids, please try not to talk to each other during the show...

Fight Call

Before every performance of a show, actors will engage in a practice known as "fight call." This nightly ritual gives the actors a chance to rehearse all the physical moves and combat in the show, only hours before they are supposed to go onstage and do it for real. The idea is to just get it fresh in the body so that everyone remembers what they are supposed to do, and that there are no new surprises during each performance.

During my time with Chad Deity, fight call was a group bonding moment. All of us had some sort of combat in the wrestling ring, whether it be extensive or just incidental. It was great to have all the actors gathered round, watching what we would do. Donte and I would know how our fight was going based on nothing but the reactions during fight call, and it was always satisfying to hear our friends go "ooo!!!" (even when they knew what happened in the show). And Donte and I would be great judges on our own about the fights, able to talk to each other and discuss what had gone well and what we should improve on. Plus we felt like the coolest kids in school when we got to show off for the various women in the room, and the male-bonding that went into the fight call translated really well into the male camaraderie of the wrestling world that our show was portraying.

I'm sitting here watching the fight call for 12N, slightly glad that I do no fighting in this show. The fighters have been struggling with finding the correct speed for their combat, often running through things much too quickly for the director and the fight captain. Because of this, fight calls seem like full-on "actual" rehearsals instead of just a fresh reminder of something that they already have in their bodies.

I've had this moment in the past, and I'm feeling it again now. I miss being powerbombed... Here is a picture, right before I hit the mat hard.