“Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good.”
-Terrence Mann.
Theatre is more than just entertainment; it is a way of life. I think that theatre is different from other forms of art in that you are:
-directly exploring yourself and who you are
-finding similarities in yourself and other people.
1. Theatre builds your empathy.
When you explore a character, you need to figure out their weaknesses and strengths, and know what matters most to them. This process allows you to recognize what you have in common with your character, and how you can draw on your own experiences to act this character.
A character could initially seem like it doesn't have anything in common with you, but you will always be able to find similarities in the emotions felt by the both of you, mutual desires or fears, etc.
Finding yourself in characters allows you to apply the same technique to people. I really think actors can be very understanding of others.
Working with a cast builds your empathy, as well developing your teamwork. In order for a show to run seamlessly, you are forced to get out of your own head, and start thinking of the other actors' needs and start connecting with everyone else, in order to help them when you notice that they forgot their line, they missed their stage cue, or they forgot a stage prop.
2. Theatre makes you more confident. It forces you outside of your comfort zone, when you're asked to improvise a silly character, or try a new accent, or portray intimacy with other actors (even eye contact, which is essentially to good acting, can make new actors nervous). You really learn what you're capable of every time you take on a new character and analyze them to find out what you have in common. You really get to know yourself, which I think is an essential part of being confident. 3. Actors have more fun than other people. I guess after actors have already made fools of ourselves and exposed raw emotions on stage, it really liberates us to not care as much about what people think. That's why you might see actors walking around singing on the bus, wearing their costumes outside of rehearsal, or doing generally crazy things. While working so closely on a show, it is also normal for actors to get together lots, since actors usually build very close bonds with each other.
4. Acting cultivates an appreciation for culture and history. Many plays are based on historical events and historical places, and when you act in such a play, you're learning about the history since playwrights usually take care in researching true facts.
You're also in a sense, getting to be a part of history and experiencing it by acting in a historical story. As well, much of the history is very dramatic. I was recently in the Crucible, which is based on the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusett's in the 1600's, and getting to feel the fear and power that the girls likely felt when they were falsely condemning people as witches back then made that event in history a thousand times more interesting for me. Have you ever acted, and do you think it has affected who you are as a person now?
I myself have never acted, but you raise some really good points as to why it would be beneficial for me to try it. What would you say you personally have gained the most from acting?
ReplyDeleteIt might just be that I'm heavily critical of myself, but I don't think I could pull off acting. I give you much respect for being able to let loose and be silly in front of a crowd of strangers. What was your most favourite performance and what role did you play?
ReplyDeleteI was in this play called the Crucible a few years ago, which is about the Salem Witch Trials. I played a girl named Mercy, who's basically one of the leaders in calling out people as witches. She's sort of a nasty character, which was super fun to play.
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