Method Acting

Every once in awhile, one of my students shares an "ah, ha!" moment about what we have been practicing in drama class.  I asked one of them to share their experience with us:

My director told me today that I did an great job in practice today and said she could see me really becoming my character. She asked what I had done differently. Here is my secret:

1. Recording: I recorded myself during rehearsal.  I naturally talk really fast and I usually get told to slow down or asked to repeat what I said because I can't be understood.  In drama and speech class I'm constantly being told to slow down. The thing is, I can't tell that I'm talking fast because to me it sounds normal. So, this time, watching one of my recorded rehearsals, I saw how fast I was talking and have tried to be slower.

2. Staying in Character:  I love anime/Japanese culture, and I found a musical to one of my favorite animes Kuroshitsuji, or Black Butler. Along with a video of the show itself, they had behind the scene videos. I noticed that even in their rehearsals they were always in character. Even though they were just wearing sweats and baggy t-shirts with a couple costume pieces on, they were still in character. This helped me figure out this drama truth: That the people on stage are not the people who show up for rehearsal.  "Sir Percy" is not my friend Kevin, he is The Scarlet Pimpernel that saved me from the guillotine; Sir Andrew Ffoulkes is not my friend Johnny, he is the man my character falls in love with; and I am not Hannah. I am "Suzanne de Tournay." a young French girl who just escaped from France as a boy with the plague. And if you take this attitude to the stage, it will be seen on stage.

You see, being in character spreads from beyond the stage. Getting in costume, in between scenes, or just while reading over your script at home, you need to be thinking, seeing, and breathing that character. That character must become a part of you. Just liking the character won't help much. Connecting and seeing your character will help you become that character on stage.  Even when playing an extra;  like the "Citizen," screaming Liberté, égalité, fraternité, You must feel their hatred and ambition towards the aristocrats while in the wings, before stepping on stage!

Sincerely,
Suzanne de Tournay