WeÕve all
heard the following clichŽ:
Upon receiving a compliment from an audience member, the flakey actress says:
(read as
an over-dramatic Norma Desmond type)
ÒI am not
responsible for my performance. I
am justÉ
(pause
for dramatic effect)
-the
vesselÓ.
Makes your
skin crawl. But why is that? Does it sound like the person is full
of herself? Does it make you want
to sarcastically say ÒOh, so YOUÕVE got a direct communication with GOD, who I
guess has taken an interest in theatrical presentations now?Ó
Well, maybe
he has.
Many great
artists describe the act of creating their art as something theyÕre involved
in, but not in control of. They
say that they donÕt necessarily know what the final outcome of a piece of art
will be, but instead are more interested in the process of allowing it to
happen.
Thomas
Harris, who wrote ÒSilence of the LambsÓ, and many other terrific novels,
describes it like this, ÒThe story already existed and always has. All I do is be open to it, and write it
all down.Ó
When asked
how he writes music, Michael Jackson says, ÒArtists seem to get in the way of
the music. Get out of the way of
the music. DonÕt write the music. Let the music write itself.Ó
When I used
to go into an audition I thought I had to be ÒperfectÓ. I thought that the actor, who does the
most ÒperfectÓ audition, would be the one who books the job.
But how do
we create ÒperfectionÓ? The answer
is WE canÕt.
ItÕs
impossible to ÒcontrolÓ a scene to perfection. Any kind of result-oriented ÒneedÓ an actor has while
performing stands in the way of that actor truly connecting to the journey of
the scene.
There is an
alternative to you controlling your performance, and that is allowing the
universe to control it. Before auditions,
I say the following affirmation:
ÒI release
my need to control this audition.
I know that I am not strong enough to control it. I therefore allow my higher power to
lovingly guide me through it.Ó
You see, a
person can draw a picture of a flower, and it will only look as good as a
drawing could look. But, on the
other hand, the Universe can make a real flower; beautiful in its intricacies
and details. Even its flaws are
sublime. Not even Vincent Van Gogh
could create a flower as beautiful as the ones found in nature. (But he came awful close, and you can
bet he was communing with his higher power when he did so.) Therefore it is not
up to us to control a performance.
When you
release your control of a scene, you will stop watching your performance. You will stop being concerned with how
your performance is being judged by the audience. Instead, you will trust that if you jump into the scene,
with your only interest being to allow things to happen, that the universe will
take care to make sure everything falls into place.
There is no
ONE correct way for a scene to look.
It should look different on every actor who does it, and it should look
different on one actor each time he does it depending on exactly where his whim
takes him on that day.
But some people might respond, ÒIÕm not willing to let a scene just unfold as it may. What if unfolds poorly.Ó
To that I
say, ÒThen it was meant toÓ. They
say, ÒRejection is GodÕs protectionÓ.
It may be a stroke of luck that you didnÕt Ònail that auditionÓ. Doing that job may have led you down
the road to ruin. It helps to
trust that everything is happening for your greatest good.
You may be
afraid to let go of your control, out of fear of what may happen if you donÕt
control your performance. What are
you so afraid will happen if you let go of your control? YouÕre not going to pull your
pants down and start shouting obscenities. What is the worst that can happen? The scene wonÕt Òtake offÓ, or be ÒfunÓ for you. ThatÕs the worst thing. But at least it has a shot of taking
off. If you control it, it will
never be any fun for you.
There is a
well-known quote that goes, ÒThe freedom to make mistakes provides the best
environment for creativity.Ó
There is
magic in a piece of paper that has a scene on it. The power is in the words - the writing. When you take out a piece of paper that
contains a scene, or a monologue, something magical happens, which is that the
scene already exists in the air.
The magic of that scene is all around you, and is just waiting for some
vessel to appear, and allow the scene to filter through it into the real
world.
You should
think of a performance/audition as the act of jumping off a diving board. Your preparation beforehand (reading
for comprehension, daydreaming, rehearsal) is the stepping up the ladder and
out onto the board. But then all
thatÕs left to do is dive. ThatÕs
the fun part.
You jump
out into the air and let whatever happens, happen. You donÕt control it.
ThereÕs a
saying that goes, ÒJump and the net will catch you.Ó The universe will always be there to catch you when you take
a joyful risk. This can be applied
to scene work as well. Trust that
you can let go of your control, and have faith that something bigger than you
will be there to help you out.
Imagine the
heavy weight on your shoulders if you had the thought just before stepping in
front of an audience. ÒOkay, itÕs up to me to make this happen. IÕve got to make this perfectÓ. ThatÕs no fun.
And on top
of that, your negative ego tells you that youÕre not going to be able to pull
it off.
But, if you
choose to let the universe control the sceneÉ Ah! The weight
has been lifted. It is no longer
your responsibility. Ugh. Who wants responsibilities? You are now free to play again!
ÒWhat is an artist? HeÕs a man who has antennae, who knows how to hook up to the currents which are in atmosphere, in the cosmos.
An artist earns the right to call himself a creator only when he admits to himself that he is but an instrument.Ó
-Henry
Miller, Author
ÒI donÕt even consider that I wrote it when I got doneÉ. The song was there before me, before I came along. I just sorta came down and just sorta took it down with a pencil, but it was all there before I came around.Ó
- Bob Dylan
ÒI did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did his dictation.Ó
- Harriet
Beecher Stowe, UNCLE TOMÕS CABIN
ÒThe creative process takes its own course. If it did otherwise, it would not be creative.Ó
- P.W.
Martin, Author