Be brave!

Bravery… Courage… These words traditionally pervade the domains of Firemen, Soldiers, Rescue Workers and alike… these brave people put their lives on the line for others. We respect them for their feats; we respect them for the fact that even though they may fear for their safety, for their lives, they still do it for the benefit of others.

Could “Bravery” be applied to actors? We tend to think of bravery in terms of risking ones life for a noble cause; after all, risking ones life for no reason… well that’s just… But does one have to risk their life to be brave?

I am fortunate enough to teach an amazing bunch of Students at the Wesley Institute. (http://www.wi.edu.au/) Now while I am yet to have a student die on me or even have one missing in action, these Degree students are continually putting themselves on the line in order to become better actors; to be able to share the human experience in all its glory. In order to do that, ideally, actors would to have access to the full emotional range. Like a concert Pianist needs to have access to all the piano keys in order to play their instrument to its full potential, so an actor should have access to their full emotional keyboard. Alas as we grow from infant to child to adolescent to adult we are emotionally conditioned to deny ourselves certain feelings, to suppress some of our God given states in order to appease our societal overlords; to fit in; to be accepted; to be loved…

Now as I watch my students daring to delve down in the cellar, to those near inaccessible places where lay well hidden personal secrets of the soul, the guilt ridden emotional longings that should they see the light of day would spell doom. For certainly if the world should see who they truly are their fate would be sealed; branded an outcast, deemed not enough, totally unworthy… “I have to be strong; I have to show that I am tough; I am not weak!!” Careful that your eyes don’t leak to betray you… And yet, with a lifetime of well orchestrated suppression; these students dare to bare their souls, expose their innermost vulnerabilities, attack the walls of denial and with the utmost bravery show their intimate emotional core so that they may share their humanity, share their loves, fears, hopes and desires so that an audience may not feel so alone in this huge world…

So my amazing and wonderful students and actors around the world who dare to expose their soul so that others may gain insight into themselves and not feel alone, I applaud your courage; your strength and I thank you for your bravery.

And so wonderful Wesley students, I look forward to seeing you all when the Semester resumes. Love you all! Xx

Footnote: Given the sometimes confronting and highly personal nature of some exercises students encounter while freeing their emotional instrument, I find it crucial that all care is taken in a student’s well-being. All exercises are clearly explained and all questions answered. In addition, any student, at any time, for any reason, may choose not to participate in any given exercise. And any student may opt out of an exercise at any time without explanation and for any reason. It is only with these, among others, safeguards that a student may ‘own’ the exercise; feel they are in control without any exterior judgment or pressure. It is imperative that a comfortable and safe learning environment be fostered for students; in this ‘space’ students may take the necessary bold steps forward to have access to their full emotional potential.

If you play the guitar and someone says that you are a rotten player, you may feel hurt but you can always put the guitar away. If someone says that you are a rotten actor it’s very hard to put yourself away, it’s very hard not to take it deeply personally.

If you don’t get the part after an audition, do you take it personally? Does the little voice inside you say; “I’m a bad actor”, “I’m too fat”,  “I’m too ugly” “I’ll never make it as an actor”?????? Do you go over and over in your mind the things you should have said, the things you should have done?

“I should have done it this way”

“I can’t believe I forgot my lines, I knew them at home!”

“If only I had ….”

“I could have done so much better”

“I may as well give up”

If these are the sort of things you say to yourself then you are probably in the majority of actors. However, the majority of actors are out of work….

On the flip side you may think that you are the greatest actor ever and when people realize this fact they will all bow down before you.

This industry is plagued with huge egos and tragic low self-esteem and quite often they can happen in the same person within the same week. There is a very fine line between the two, one minute low self esteem, haven’t had a job in months, the next minute you land a good role and suddenly the sun’s shining out of all places unholy!

What you must learn to do is walk the lines between low self esteem, confidence and over-confidence, and walk it well. Boost yourself up when times are hard;

“I am a good actor”

“I do work hard”

“I’m going to get this next job”

“I’m the best person for the role”

And when things start going well for you, time for that reality check;

“Yes, I’ve done well but I still need to work hard”

“I am a good actor, but there are others out there just as good and better”

“Focus on the work, not on myself. I want to do a good job”

Boost yourself up when down and pull back when the head starts to expand. Be objective, not subjective, in your self-appraisal.

“Next time I will have to learn my lines better”

“I really nailed the first half of the monologue but then I lost the connection, next time I’ll remember to relax more and focus on my ‘Other’.

“My preparation was excellent, now I just need to breathe and relax more”

Try not to emotionally charge your self-criticism. Don’t abuse yourself for the sake of self-pity, the way you talk to yourself will sink into your subconscious and become your reality. Tell yourself that you’re a bad actor and guess what will happen!? That is what you’ll become! Talk to yourself always in a positive way, only allow thoughts that will aid you in your pursuits not hinder. There are plenty of other people wanting to hold you back without you joining their ranks. And always keep a close eye on that ego.

To sum up

What you think and the things that you say to yourself are critical determining factors in all facets of your career. Get that right and the rest will come.

I received a question from a student actor -

“Aren’t there two sides to the coin though, in the notion of re-acting to the other? I mean, they (if the “other” is a person) need something that originates from you to re-act to as well. I guess what I’m suggesting is that there must be a balance between the “who am I, what do I want, and how will I try to get what I want” and the purely “re-acting to the other”–sort of a Ying Yang of pure action/pure reaction.”

My answer -

For more previous questions and answers please go directly to the Youtube site – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SByg5xKPHYE

But for now… Feel free to post questions and discuss!