Breakfast with the littl'un. It's fun to look at the window at the world outside as opposed to watching TV some mornings.
Off to rehearsal. Full light rig and tabs today. Tried new stuff and lost some old stuff. All volunteers started today so there were people everywhere.
Had some insight as to my fellow performers today. Chatted to one chap about him trying to 'act' too much in auditions. He doesn't seem to understand that 'less is definitely more' for LA TV and Film. "Casting directors in LA seem to want you to have real conversations and not look like you're acting". "Yes, that's right", I continued, "That's the whole point. When you watch TV and film you are only drawn to the performers because they're acting naturally and having REAL conversations". I said. "But anyone can do that. Anyone can have a real conversation", he said. Oh my god! "Er, no they can't! How can you have a real conversation using somebody else's words, be in an emotional place that actually belongs to you in the imaginary circumstances you are in, not the emotional state you are in in the real world just after someone yelled "We're losing the light, let's nail this one... scene 23, take 6". Have a POV about the person you're speaking to and remember where the camera is", I said. "You have to train SO much in order to look like you're not doing anything, least of all, 'acting'". "But, it's so different to the style of acting we do on stage"! "Of course it is"! I said, "stage isn't TV or film and vice versa". Reeling from that one I was speaking to someone else about, of all things, smell being evocotive of times past and memories of various things. "Yes, it really helps sense memory", he said. Oh my god, I thought. This chap practices sense memory. I told him that "I don't use sense memory". "Oh", he said.
If you have no idea of what I'm on about, basically, 'sense memory' is the WRONG method to prepare yourself for a particular role or scene where you have to change your current emotional state to one more accurately atuned to the emotion you are feeling at that time as the character. You can read about this incredibly damaging & limiting method here. Why damaging and limiting? Well, two main reasons I can think of straight off the bat: 1) Recalling a traumatic experience that you may have had in your life (e.g. the sudden death of a loved one) may even be psychologically damaging, putting yourself through the experience again. It certainly isn't healthy, chaps! and 2) How can you hope to have had all of the experiences in life that you will have to have as an actor in many and varied roles? What happens if you haven't had a particular experience? What if you have to be a person who has just murdered someone? Erm... not sure about you, but most actors I know wouldn't have any experience of, or emotion to draw from (recall). Death of a spouse? How are you going to recall it if you are single or even happily married with your better half currently very spritely and calling you on the cell? Slightly flawed method then I think. Certainly Adler, Strasberg and Stanislavsky dropped it from their teachings when they realised how ineffective it ultimately was.
Back to my ramble... Most of the guys in the show are long term stage actors, mostly from NY. I have total respect for all of them, they are all very talented and so much fun to work with. They are just letting LA kick them in the nuts. The same guy was talking about how he was totally phased on one audition when he saw everyone else who had turned up and convinced himself that he had no chance before he even went in to the audition room. Professional suicide. It's all about faith. Having faith in yourself. Knowing you're the only you that there is. That 'they're' looking for you and not someone else. Not trying to be someone you thing the director is looking for. KNow that a good director will cast the person (i.e. you) and not the part (a character based on a list of prerequsites). Case in point, another guy in the cast talking about when he went into an audition behind a guy who knew the director (hugs and kisses with him), was cock-sure of himself and managed to make the entire audition panel roll around laughing. The first guy (waiting outside) even checked the sides for comedy as he hadn't seen it when he looked at it. BUT, he went in and decided not to change any of his points in order to suit what he thought would be a character choice more 'attractive' to the director. He just went in, it was him, only him (not someone he thought he should be) and he booked it!
I know I'm rambling but I am passionate about this thing - it's my career and it's going to pay for food and rent for my family. I have to know who I am and what I'm doing. I need to be confident, make strong choices and not try and be someone I think people want me to be. For that I make no apologies.
On a totally different point, I guess Howard Stern, the Shock Jock, has just debuted on Sirius satellite radio and I snapped a picture of this amuzing billboard on Sunset Blvd....