Acting

Think of yourself as having a multiple personality disorder and it will pry the door wide open. It's what they call method acting - visualize the character, step into his shoes and you're rocking ~~~

I do not think at my age (senior) I am afraid of anything performative anymore. To be honest, nothing would scare me to do, reveal, perform. I could not say this about my younger self.

Without overthinking it one key thing I find challenging, not scary but challenging, is either physical transformations or accent changes.

Thanks to Head of Community, Ashley Renee Smith for providing the answer in her email. Cheating? Oh well hah.

I was in a community theatre production of the 1967 film, Wait Until Dark, in 2018, playing the lead villain, Roat. He tries tricking Audrey Hepburn's blind lady into thinking three separate people are visiting her on different occasions, in order to steal some expensive possessions. One of those three people is a 70+ year-old man.

I was highly concerned about how to make the audience understand the co-star playing Hepburn's blind character, knew someone was trying to get in the apartment by faking other identities. She later reveals knowing this to a safe contact.

I chose to walk slower, make my voice husky and my footsteps "clumps" instead of my young, silent steps.

No pain, no gain...!!! No fear, so hold my beer...!!! I am typically ready to stand & deliver. Concerns only arise when the script does not match the character (e.g., Wallstreet Investor, Ivy league graduate, Rhodes scholar who grew up in the hood and speaks Ebonics fluently and authentically.... WHAT???). My other concerns are dance routines. That's when I pray that weeks are allowed to master the routine or have a stand-in who can move better than Jagger.

I could have answered this question more easily 10 or 15 years ago. However, in that i am now what one might refer to as an "agèd" actor, any fear is considerably less pervasive than it used to be. At my age, in that I am limited to certain character roles, the biggest fear rarely lies in the dialogue or its delivery, but in the physical directions therein. A role that appears to be too physically demanding, leads me to refuse even the audition. Nevertheless, roles suitable to my age, appearance, style, language and emotion delivery, foreign language abilities, and general knowledge which allow me to be creative without being heavily physical, are still fun to play. However, in that I have become a screenwriter in these last two years, the only fear I have, is that my lack of experience. may be easily seen in the script. My screenwriting partner and I are working very hard to keep that fear in abeyance. We'll see!!! Cheers!

Good luck! Salustiano Berrios

For theater, think big. Big voice, big movements, big emotions.

Thank you Suzanne Bronson in that case I might have done very well. Maybe not so much with the movements, but I promise you, I have one of the deepest voices ever, so let’s hope that translated well!!!!

great question Suzanne Bronson - for me, I look at my job as having to find a way to justify every word in the script as if ...well, as if someone WOULD say that lol sometimes I've worked with directors that gave me some flexibility but, frankly, I always try to make the script work.

But, as you pointed out, sometimes the writer does leave justification gaps and then it's a journey. I once worked on a scene from a play I absolutely loved but had major trouble finding the character. When we presented it, the teacher basically said our scene 'didn't work' (nice for 'it sucked') but he did add "It's not totally your fault - it is a very badly written play." I still don't know how to feel about that haha

I have done some bad plays myself Sebastian Tudores We, the cast, just embraced the suck. We had fun even though there was hardly anyone in the audience and just enjoyed being on stage. Had to believe in the imaginary circumstances, and stay present or it wouldn't have worked.

Suzanne Bronson, this is such an interesting question! I’ve heard many actors talk about approaching those moments by focusing on the intention behind the line rather than the exact phrasing. When the objective, emotion, or circumstance becomes clear, even unusual dialogue can start to feel more natural because you’re grounding it in the character’s need in that moment.

Suzanne Bronson "embraced the suck" is going in my directing lexicon! lol

I love it Sebastian Tudores! Sometimes I need to remember the WHY to get there the WHAT. haha

Hi Aaron Newman both of those roles sound like an intriguing challenge to me!

Thanks for reaching out and for the comment..These are both really great female lead roles. Trying to find actresses who would champion them to their management and want to see them come to life.

I really connect to what you’re saying here.

For me, it always starts with loving what I write, otherwise it has no weight. But at the same time, I’m very aware that film is also a commercial space. I don’t separate the two.

The story stays true to itself, but the way it’s told, the pacing, the visuals, the structure — has to invite an audience in. That’s where it becomes cinematic and accessible.

I’m currently working on a sci-fi feature, THE SINGER, which lives exactly in that space. A high-concept world on the surface, but something emotional underneath.

LOGLINE:

In a silent future where music is outlawed, a girl whose voice pierces the atmosphere awakens a city—and uncovers the truth about who she really is.

I think the goal is to make something that people feel — and still want to watch.

Curious how you navigate that balance in your work.

This is fantastic! Actors if you are first starting out, this is a must watch!

Thank you so much, Suzanne. If you know of any ways to have this reach even more actors, please let me know.

I've done stand up comedy on stage and I try to keep the emotional stakes new by performing material that I feel connected to and feel passionate about. There have been a few times when I've messed up some lines and forgotten some lines and realize my mistake after I've left the stage at an open mic, but I remind myself that I'm the only one who knows how my script goes as I wrote it, so I shouldn't beat myself up over it. It can feel exhausting to put in that same enthusiasm when you've been going over lines over and over again, but I find if I'm passionate about the material and connected to it, it makes it much easier to perform more than once.

Thank you for sharing that Haley Mary

For me, repetitive takes allow for me to really get into that scene. There would always be some rigidity to doing a scene for the first time, so as I go along and the proverbial iron becomes hot, the blood really starts to flow and that keep the emotional stakes fresh as ever. I remember one time my character had to get into a heated argument with his wife, and my scene partner and I really had at it over multiple takes. When filming was over, I kept arguing with everyone I talked to in real life until I took a conscious minute to exit that state.

I love it Amanda Toney Acting is an ensemble.

HI Jose Harmon here is a link to previous post on this topic:

Suzanne Bronson I just want to say thank you for all the advice you have given me. I have seen a lot of growth in my career since I've joined stage 32 and i would attribute some of that success from you helping me so i just want to say thank you!

You are very welcome Jose Harmon That is what this platform is for.

I was 8 years old, doing Grade 3 in 1974, and my Teacher organised us to prepare for a year-end drama piece. We chose to do the "Prodigal Son," and it should be borne in mind that I had never acted before, but was eager and curious to do it as my first love was choral music. On the day of the performance, after intense rehearsals, I received a standing ovation for portraying the lead (the prodigal son). That is what inspired me at that tender age, but when I reached Higher Primary school, it was back to choral music, and when I arrived at High School, I was spotted by a poetry group that was also doing stage plays (theatre). In all the theatre productions they produced, I played the Leads. It is after this realisation that I thought that I could pursue this talent in a tertiary institution, but I had no money as my parents had divorced when I was doing my final year at High School. After high school, I auditioned with the legendary Gibson Kente Productions, who is regarded as the "Father of South African protest theatre". I was accepted and later got a scholarship to study drama and speech with the Soyikwa Institute of African Theatre

I grew up in a cultural desert in post World War II Hull, East Yorkshire. Life was in shades of grey, and the city was still straddled with bomb craters from the Nazi assaults. Then one day, I was taken for an extremely rare visit to the theatre - not to see a play, but a production of Swan Lake. I didn’t fully understand what I was watching, I just knew I wanted to be part of that magic in some form or other. I didn’t train as a dancer, but instead went to The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London to start my journey. But that rare, precious trip to the theatre was the experience that started it all.

My inspiration happened at the age of ten. My

uncle, Don DeNatale had just returned from

Hollywood filming his first Merchant/Ivory, The Wild Party with Raquel Welch, James Coco and Perry King. He was my childhood hero along with my father and brother and my cousin. My uncle spoke of the experience and something clicked in me. Or was at that age I started to understand things and from that point on my love for acting, whether it was film, stage or television grew and grew. I am grateful for that beginning moment.

That fall, I was in my first school play. It was about the first Thanksgiving and I played the Native American Indian. I had one line. I still remember it today. It was so pure, innocent and a lot of fun to play.

Paul Robeson and James Earl Jones; Carl Anderson and the cast of JCSS which I saw several times as a child. Then Colm Wilkerson and the cast of Les Misérables in Kansas City (1987) and subsequent cities during my travels.