The First Thing About Acting

The first thing about acting is re-acting. As an actor, you must connect with the other performers onstage; it is this connection which creates dramatic tension, believability, and character depth. We've all been to a play or a movie and seen some bad actors. It is a lack of re-action that makes these performers seem dim, one-dimensional and uncommitted to their roles.

Once you have committed your lines to memory, the greatest favor you can do yourself and your audience is to forget them! (Not literally, of course.) But do be extremely aware of yourself as you rehearse; are you speaking your lines in re-action to your cue line, or are you simply reciting your line because it's your turn? There is a very distinct difference here. Do not simply wait for your turn to speak - listen! This will help you find the heart of your character by creating meaningful relationships with the other actors onstage. An audience can tell very quickly if a performer is truly committed to the reaction of a moment, or if he or she is simply stuck in recitation mode.

Recitation mode is any easy trap to slip into and a difficult habit to break. Memorizing lines means much repetition of the words and cues which compose a particular scene and this repetition can make the words lose their meaning to the performer. Remember that each word was written by the playwright for a reason; each word is meaningful. A scene is not a ping-pong ball conversation where one actor speaks while the other waits idly for his turn to speak. Each actor should be actively engaged in listening and speak lines in direct emotional reaction to the previous line.

You must not know what you're going to say before you say it. This is why we tell acting students to learn, and then forget, their lines. In everyday life, we stumble for words occasionally. We pause. We observe. We live each moment as a reaction of the previous moment. So it should be in your performance. The more naturally human you can make your character, the more believable and endearing your performance will be.

Harold Pinter, a gifted playwright, believed that much more was said in silence than in speech. This philosophy creates great actors. Review your favorite film performers and watch the actors you admire. Likely you will find that the most meaningful moments of their roles come not during long, dramatic soliloquy style speeches, but rather during simple reactions to other characters. A smile, a whimper, a laugh, or a wail in reaction to another actor's line can prove more moving than a performance of the most beautiful Shakespearean soliloquy.

It is the small moments which make our lives worth living. And it is how we react to small moments that defines us as individuals. Create your character's own unique individuality by perfecting the art of listening and reacting in character. And your audience will love you for it!