Welcome steemers!
The acting work is a beautiful art to know. Who ever pretended to be a character in front of the mirror? Or who did not fake it true enough to believe it? With this premise in mind, I come to talk about The Truth in the Actor.
“Look, it's good what you do, you speak well, you act well,
but there's no character on stage, it's you.
And I want to see a character”
(Aníbal Grunn. THE REASON...OF MY ACTING)
For actors and theater makers, receiving this kind of criticism from a theater director is a stabbing pain in the chest. Moreover, if it comes from a person whom we value very much. But ... what is this criticism for? Well, nothing more and nothing less than The Truth.
The Truth of the actor is his ability to interpret a character organically, alive, a performance with a true feeling (here is the paradox), that at first glance you see the effort, and that it is not the person we knew, but The Character in scene.
An actor is not a fraud, nor a pretender of passions and emotions simulator. An actor should never be a liar. But, being an actor, it is understood that it is like a kind of Interlocutor, a person who recreates or interprets a character that is not him. But despite its terminology, an actor has and should, act from the truth to make it credible.
But that truth is not magic, nor does it arrive overnight: it must be built. How? With perseverance and dedication. It is also important to know several aspects that will make us very helpful in building a character from the truth. These are:
WORK TABLE: In this the director of the theatrical work will make a general reading with the cast, as many times as necessary. They will also discuss aspects of the work, such as the context, what the dramatist meant and the social plot.
READING THE TEXT ACCORDING TO THE CHARACTER’S VISION: It is necessary to read the theatrical text several times in order to deepen it. Write down every detail, every idea, every proposal. To read it is to discover the character, the plots and subplots, the subtext and the emotions; study it so much that when interpreted, feels honest.
PROPS, COSTUME AND MAKEUP: This is another part that contributes greatly to the attitude of the character, and even creates an atmosphere for the development of it. I had an experience years ago in a musical adaptation of Uncle Tiger & Uncle Rabbit. I (Uncle Tiger), I began to feel like the character, since I started to have my tail, use some claws and make up some spots; I changed my way of walking and talking. It was a great experience.
All these aspects work in a positive way for the actor's craft and his search for the truth in his performance. After having understood the text and the subtext of the play, the best moment arrives: the staging. It is there where at each step, and with each indication of the director, you will go into that trance that takes you to personify the character little by little.
One notices when a person is a bad actor, and when not. When he personified with truth and when he lied in his performance. Many times I have heard the cliché of " to play a prostitute, I have to live with them." No! No! And No! As an actor, you must be able to create a unique character, not all thieves are the same, not all homosexuals are effeminate. Having analyzed the character's life, its relationship with others and its emotions, you should be able to create a new thief, prostitute or Homosexual …
... And it is there, where without a doubt, the truth begins to emerge. You make it so unique, it is so well constituted that you make it organic, you make it natural, you interpret it with truth, you feel it.
So, every time you play a character, investigate it deeply, live it, feel it, take it, make it so yours that when you find yourself on the scene, the audience does not recognize you because of you, but because of your character.
“Everything must be studied, previously rationalized and in that way you can 'feel' with more 'Truth' during the performance”
(Aníbal Grunn. THE REASON...OF MY ACTING.)
