Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Rehearsal Process...

I have observed in my years different actors tackle the rehearsal process in many different ways.

The one rule that we must adhere to is this: In Rehearsal (mind you)

No one cares about your process!


We, as actors, are tools of the theater, yes we are artists as well - but we must be mindful, or at least aware of the bigger picture. Yes, rehearsal is about exploration, trial and error - but there is a balance of which the actor should be mindful.


Here's the thing, while a good director might be aware of an actor's needs and work with them - bottom line - it is not their job to do so...


Furthermore, directors work in different ways. As Robert Brustein explains in his wonderful book, Letters to a Young Actor:
"First, dear Actor, you must recognize the existence of at least three distinct species of directors, each of whom regards you as a different type of prey. There is the interpretive director, whose primary obligation, at least in theory, is to understand the intention of the playwright and realize it through the medium of the actor's performance. Then there is the conceptual director, dedicated to reinterpreting and refreshing existing works, primarily the classics, and so making them more immediate to the present day. And third, there is the auteur director, who is generally concerned with inventing his or her own texts in a production almost totally controlled by one imagination."

If you gleen nothing else from the above passage, note the lack of attention to the actor's process in the description of director styles and goals. 

Process work is for the classroom, that is why it is important for Actors to be in class constantly when they are not working. Work, is work. 
Show up, do the work, take your notes, apply them, go home. 





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