“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” – Oscar Wilde
THE ACTOR AS STORYTELLER
The actor’s performance is a service the actor provides to the telling of a story. Therefore the actor has a responsibility to the play. A strong connection to the story and the role can only come from long periods of living with the material and the role.
Ultimately the actor must service the material in performance, but too often actors don’t spend enough time being irreverent to the material in rehearsal. Instead they make choices and set them in stone too soon. Artistic actors need time to deepen into the material. It means being willing to let go of your first choices. Being open to the unknown. Waiting for your work to ripen. This is the way to create art.
ACTING WITH SOUL AND DEPTH
In times past, great directors like Stanislavsky and Chekhov and Grotowski rehearsed plays for an entire year before putting them up. Space was made for research, trial and error, discovery and deepening in. The result was a soulful, truthful performance.
An actor in one of our Toronto acting classes deepens into the soulfulness of her preparatory work
We need to stand up for our Art! Not settle for anything less. When the artists settle for less, the audience tends to settle for less as well. It concerns me that our audiences are cheering work that at times has very little substance and depth. Good physicality on stage and good acting choices are necessary in order to tell the story but do not mistake those things for truth and depth. An actor and director have to let the work brew. They have to live with it for a while. They have to be pregnant with it for nine months before it is ready to be birthed.
Artists change our world not only by what they communicate to our audiences but also how they communicate to our audiences.
Fast food is never as nourishing to the soul as food that has been slowly left to simmer.
I would love to hear from you at cindy@cindytanas.com if you have any questions or comments regarding my blog articles.
You are enough! Believe in that.
Cindy Tanas Actors Studio teaches acting classes for Theatre and Film in Toronto and the GTA, Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Acting Teacher / Mentor / Life Coach Cindy Tanas, has run a highly reputable and successful Toronto acting school for over 25 years. She teaches Acting Classes for beginners and experienced actors. Cindy is a member of ACTRA, former Chair and member of TAAS (Toronto Association of Acting Studios) and member of Theatre Ontario.
Cindy Tanas Actors Studio offers a holistic approach to acting in Toronto since 1995. Both in person and online acting classes are available.
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