Acting is about story telling! This is the one thing that I often see missing in actors’ performances…that can make all the difference in the world. Actors put so much emphasis on how to deliver their lines that they end up forgetting that there is a story being told. You gotta read the whole script or play, and figure out what purpose your character serves in telling the story.
I taught a workshop last weekend and had the same issues come up over and over again. The students were either reading their lines without emotion or they were just focused on how they were saying them. What was missing was their use of their imagination. People always say “oh it must be so easy for kids to act because of their vivid imaginations”. Well I find they somehow shut them off when it comes to acting! It’s hard to be free to use your imagination when you are concerned with your performance or what others may be thinking about it. It takes practice. As the class progressed I found myself asking them ”please just tell me the story… paint the picture for me…do your duty as an actor and take us on a journey with you.. we should forget that you are acting”. The definition of acting is “creating believable behavior in imaginary circumstances.” This is why we study acting to learn how to practice this.
Here’s an exercise for you: Adults and kids can participate. Find a book that is age appropriate and make time to read it out loud once a week for a month. Be sure the book features a variety of characters. Have the child read the book to the adult as if the adult is the child and vice versa. The child should use a different voice for each of the characters. Each character should have distinct characteristics. The goal is for the child to read the book out loud and “make” the adult understand the story. It should almost be like the child is teaching the adult. This is a great way to get kids to focus on the details of story telling. I recommend “Charlotte’s Webb” but of course the sky is the limit on choices.
Good luck with this. It can really help your acting process and be a fun time for kids to share with their parents.
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