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beginning actor looking for help.

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – << Good quote.  Your mission:  credit it properly!! huh? ya lost me there. LJB New York "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly He means: give the originator of the quote the credit for thinking it up! (Unless that would be unwise…..)

oh. i get it. he thinks i didn’t come up with it. well, i did. i’m a thinker/philisopher/thespian… i think every chance i get. (for example, next time you’re in the john, rather than staring blindly at the tiles, think about the meaning of life. if you get a good answer let me know and we’ll see if they match.) "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

Response:

<< oh. i get it. he thinks i didn’t come up with it. well, i did. i’m a  thinker/philisopher/thespian… i think every chance i get.  "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"          -yours truly …nice work if you can get it….but doesn’t it directly contradict your sig?…                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

Response:

<< oh. i get it. he thinks i didn’t come up with it. well, i did. i’m a thinker/philisopher/thespian… i think every chance i get. "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly …nice work if you can get it….but doesn’t it directly contradict your sig?…

actually it doesn’t. the sig is that if you think you are wise, you’re cocky, but what i’m saying is that i think. i think… period. i don’t think that i’m wise, i just, think. how many times have i said ‘think’ in the last 2 mins? ;) "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

Response:

Baggend — Stay with me.  This is a long one. A few questions.  One, are the other actors in the piece using an accent? not yet. they will start in about a week or so, but i figured it would be easier for me if i started it right from the beginning. obviously, i was

wrong. I don’t think you were *wrong*.  I think that your impulse to work on your own and get a jump on your own work is quite good.  Dialects are difficult, requiring an elimination of existing dialects in normal speaking voice first and intense study of the desired dialect applied to neutral tone second.  (See string about American Standard for some debate on this issue).  I do, however, think it’s dangerous to be worried so much about dialect at all, when there are are still basic acting issues in the mix (See further along this post).  Concern yourself more with your character, and dialect will fall into place.  While affecting a dialect can sometimes help you to key into a character that you just can’t seem to connect with (as can a pair of shoes, a bodice, a smell, a gesture, ad nauseum), it should not be the *primary focus* of your work.  Any thoughts on my earlier advice for simple dialect exercises? Me: The most important foundation for good acting is the realization, and I paraphrase you here, that "I am Me."  You are always you.  To play a vampire, find what in *you* is *like a vampire*. Find what in *you* is *like Lomov*.

You: i don’t know if i said that clearly enough. what i mean is sometimes i can ‘feel’ the play. i can feel like i’m really there, kind of looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. but that one night, i was on a stage, in a high school, running around props. that’s the problem. the worst part is that it showed through, so obviously i had something missing since my actions were just working from muscle memory.

A couple of thoughts here.  One, you did communicate your message clearly enough, and you’ve reiterated it here.  Let me see if *I* can be clear. You CANNOT look at the world through someone else’s eyes, unless you are Shirley MacLaine (and even she looks through her own eyes…just in other time periods).  You are ALWAYS a high school student running around props on a stage (until you graduate — then you’re a high school graduate running around props on a stage).  Acting is NOT hypnotizing yourself into believing that you are someone other than yourself.  Acting is making truth of *admittedly* untrue circumstances.  The only thing that’s "missing" is your willingness to resign to that.  The more you think "I can’t *feel* it, I’m not in it, I’m just some kid up on a stage…" etc., the farther into your head you’ll be and the farther you’ll be from where you need to be. ("In The Name Of The Farther.")  You are you.  Be proud of that.  Be happy about that.  Most importantly, use that. I just read an interview with Jeremy Irons where he says (and I paraphrase liberally), "When I was younger, I took to acting to get as far away from myself as possible.  Now that I’m older, I realize that I’m actually getting closer to myself, and enjoying it more."  Can we agree that this is a wise observation from one of our greatest living actors? Look, I know what you mean by *feel* it.  I’ve "felt it" (and the police are on their way).  However, I think what we mean with "feel it" is not "I became convinced that I was really someone else," but rather, to use a baseball analogy, "I was in the zone."  Meaning, I was so "in the moment" and spontaneous, that everything was in synch.  I’ve also not felt it, as you mention.  When that happens, forget it.  Let it go, and just dive right back in.  The challenge of acting is what to do when it’s not there. Relax.  Get out of your head.  Don’t think so much.  

(sic) Enjoy the sense of power (or whatever keys you in to Dracula).  If you are counting pauses while you’re on stage, you are thinking *way* too much.  Focus on how great it feels, how much exhilaration…(etc.,etc. a propos your characterization) and you will naturally slow down. well, see, that’s just the problem. the exhileration is like, ‘oh this is so exciting’ etc, and my whole being just speeds up. i talk fast, i walk fast, etc. i’m trying to figure out a way to forget that people are watching so that i can just focus on what it is i’m doing, rather than what it looks

like. You are not "in it" when this happens.  You are not thinking about your character, you are not thinking about your motivations, you are *certainly* not behaving spontaneously in the moment.  I say in anticipation of your response to this:  "Thinking about motivation does not mean *becoming* someone else, and thus, schizophrenic."  Do your homework, and then let it go, relax, and enjoy. How can you forget that people are watching?  There is something intrinsically voyeuristic about acting at all.  Theatre *requires* an audience.  You can no more forget them than you can *become* Dracula.  Use them.  There was a string in here somewhere about changing characterization to suit differing audience energy from night to night. It’s true.  The audience is not simply a mob of strangers staring at you, they are a part of the production.  Their energy contributes to the show…positively *or* negatively.  If they are not there, you are not in performance, you are in rehearsal. Admittedly, rehearsal is the more creative, more intense part of the process — but what are you creating *for*?  With no audience, it is a learning experience, a workshop, a class.  With an audience, it is…well, it is something that sort of defies description.  Take their energy and use it.  Don’t try to ignore them or pretend they’re not there.  They’ll know. "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly Good quote.  Your mission:  credit it properly!! huh? ya lost me there. "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly

If you’re going to use a quote as a signature tag, you should at least know who said it.  That’s all. I admire your energy and drive to be a good actor.  I don’t mean to sound short; if you’re thinking so much about acting at 16, I think you’ve got a big future ahead of you.  Why not take a class away from school somewhere? Good Luck!! LJB

Response:

<< Good quote.  Your mission:  credit it properly!!  huh? ya lost me there.    LJB  New York  "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"          -yours truly He means: give the originator of the quote the credit for thinking it up! (Unless that would be unwise…..)                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

Response:

I’ve got a couple of thoughts for you.  Don’t know if they’ll help, but…well…here they are!! A few questions.  One, are the other actors in the piece using an accent?

not yet. they will start in about a week or so, but i figured it would be easier for me if i started it right from the beginning. obviously, i was wrong. Well, really, it’s never not you.  You shouldn’t really ever believe that you are actually a vampire.  That isn’t acting, that is psychosis.  They lock you up for that. The most important foundation for good acting is the realization, and I paraphrase you here, that "I am Me."  You are always you.  To play a vampire, find what in *you* is *like a vampire*. Similarly, you should never believe that you actually are a Chekov character (easier said than done.  Sometimes in my everyday life I feel like a Chekov character!)  Find what in *you* is *like Lomov*.

i don’t know if i said that clearly enough. what i mean is sometimes i can ‘feel’ the play. i can feel like i’m really there, kind of looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. but that one night, i was on a stage, in a high school, running around props. that’s the problem. the worst part is that it showed through, so obviously i had something missing since my actions were just working from muscle memory. Relax.  Get out of your head.  Don’t think so much.  Enjoy the sense of power (or whatever keys you in to Dracula).  If you are counting pauses while you’re on stage, you are thinking *way* too much.  Focus on how great it feels, how much exhilaration…(etc.,etc. a propos your characterization) and you will naturally slow down.

well, see, that’s just the problem. the exhileration is like, ‘oh this is so exciting’ etc, and my whole being just speeds up. i talk fast, i walk fast, etc. i’m trying to figure out a way to forget that people are watching so that i can just focus on what it is i’m doing, rather than what it looks like. "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly Good quote.  Your mission:  credit it properly!!

huh? ya lost me there. LJB New York

"If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

Response:

I’ve got a couple of thoughts for you.  Don’t know if they’ll help, but…well…here they are!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  first, how do you ‘get out’ of character. what i mean is this. now, whenever i try to act, especially with an accent, i turn into dracula instead of the proper character.  now, here’s my problem. i have finally gotten the character down, but now my accent, instead of being russian, is transylvanian.  but i also have almost no accent when i speak english regularly, so what i’m kinda doing is faking an accent that i already have and then exaggerating it.  so, how can i UNtrain my mind from that accent??

A few questions.  One, are the other actors in the piece using an accent? Two, why not work on the piece with your regular speaking voice.  If you have a slight *authentic* accent to your normal speaking voice, it might be better than doing a fake, cartoony accent.  If you’re really getting bogged down in trying to "fix" a dialect, try a radically different approach — rehearse with a Chinese dialect or a Southern American dialect.  Get as far away from the Transylvanian/Russian as possible to clear your head.  When you come back to it, it will be easier to get started working again. Also, and more importantly, don’t get hung up on accents.  Worry more about your actions — what you’re actually doing — and your motivations — why you’re doing it, and the "trimmings," so to speak, will fall into place much more easily.  Work with a sense of self (*your*self) rather than an accent.  i kind of ‘felt’ out of character. i was doing everything i did before, but i knew i was me, and i wasn’t really afraid of the cross. how can i fix that. i watched the tape and it looked terrible.

Well, really, it’s never not you.  You shouldn’t really ever believe that you are actually a vampire.  That isn’t acting, that is psychosis.  They lock you up for that. The most important foundation for good acting is the realization, and I paraphrase you here, that "I am Me."  You are always you.  To play a vampire, find what in *you* is *like a vampire*. Similarly, you should never believe that you actually are a Chekov character (easier said than done.  Sometimes in my everyday life I feel like a Chekov character!)  Find what in *you* is *like Lomov*. oh, and one last thing, how can i ‘remember’ to speak slower. one of my lines, "I am sorry Mr. Renfield, but I never drink. (pause) . wine." is supposed to have a rather long pause there, and i felt like i was doing it plenty long enough, if not too long, but when i saw the tape, i noticed that that was how fast my normal speech should have been, and that should have been 10 times slower. what can i do about that???

Relax.  Get out of your head.  Don’t think so much.  Enjoy the sense of power (or whatever keys you in to Dracula).  If you are counting pauses while you’re on stage, you are thinking *way* too much.  Focus on how great it feels, how much exhilaration…(etc.,etc. a propos your characterization) and you will naturally slow down. "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly

Good quote.  Your mission:  credit it properly!! LJB New York                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

Response:

well, i finally got onto the list. ok. now, onto other things, i am a VERY ‘beginning’ actor… so far i have only been in one presentation, that being dracula… oh, before i forget, i’m 16 (almost 17), and that was a HS play… the surprise, however, came when i got the lead in my first ever play. (correction, title role. i was dracula. van helsing is the lead.) so far i’ve been having lots of fun doing this kind of stuff but i’m having some problems. don’t worry, i’ll ask any others that i remember later but for now there’s only a few. first, how do you ‘get out’ of character. what i mean is this. now, whenever i try to act, especially with an accent, i turn into dracula instead of the proper character. right now i’m doing A marriage proposal by anton checkoff, some of you have heard of it i’m sure, for contest. i’m lomov and stepan stepanovitch has been rewritten into a female part, so, in other words, i’m the only male. now, here’s my problem. i have finally gotten the character down, but now my accent, instead of being russian, is transylvanian. one thing that may help you to help me is that i am a natural born serb, i was born in sarajevo (yugoslavia) and lived there till i was 8. so i have no problem with the accent. but i also have almost no accent when i speak english regularly, so what i’m kinda doing is faking an accent that i already have and then exaggerating it. (pause for you to reread that about 10 times so you can understand what i just said.) so, how can i UNtrain my mind from that accent?? the other thing, when i was doing the performaces, of which we only had 3 unlike the big shows that go on a few hundred times (proffesional i mean) i noticed that in the 3rd one i kind of ‘felt’ out of character. i was doing everything i did before, but i knew i was me, and i wasn’t really afraid of the cross. how can i fix that. i watched the tape and it looked terrible. oh, and one last thing, how can i ‘remember’ to speak slower. one of my lines, "I am sorry Mr. Renfield, but I never drink. (pause) . wine." is supposed to have a rather long pause there, and i felt like i was doing it plenty long enough, if not too long, but when i saw the tape, i noticed that that was how fast my normal speech should have been, and that should have been 10 times slower. what can i do about that??? (i tried counting the pauses and either i count too fast, or if it works, i still go back to regular speed while talking which isn’t supposed to happen.) and the last thing, if any of you out there have played lomov in marriage proposal before, i would appreciate any input on how to best play the character, etc. my next message is probably going to be about how to act NOT your age, since i saw that many of you were offering help to people on how to change from the sexy model type to the old hag type, so i figure this will kinda fit in with that. until then, asta la vista. :-) "If one would think himself wise, one would be wise to not think at all…"         -yours truly                                 * * * * * [This message was posted to the ACTING-L mailing list and relayed to this newsgroup.  You may followup to the newsgroup or, if you are a  member of ACTING-L,  reply  to  the  list.   For  more  information  send E-mail to

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