Anticipation

Congratulating ourselves a little bit today. This is our 401st blog, more than a book! Go us!

And now that’s over…

Today’s blog is on the topic of Anticipation, a deadly lurking trap that many actors fall into, but fore-warned is fore-armed and all that.

The problem of anticipation is a simple one, you pretty much know what’s coming next because you’ve read the script. If you’re a good actor, you have no clue how you’ll handle what happens next until the moment, but since you do know logically what will come next, you meet the problem of anticipation.

You anticipate what will happen, so you act that way. Instead of doing what you’re meant to be doing, you mentally brace yourself for it and it shows.

You know the actor playing opposite you is going to come in and demand your attention, so you either ignore it, because you know it’s coming or you’re too ready for it. If you don’t want to have to practice your surprised face, you have to do something about it.

The trick to dealing with this is very simple. It’s to involve yourself and live as fully as possible in THIS moment and allow that other moment to creep up on you unawares. If you do that, and your focus of attention is entirely given to this moment and not a future moment, you can rid yourself of the mind’s rather cursed trick of anticipating.

To live fully in this moment, involves ensuring that the mind has something to keep its attention attended.

Being in the moment isn’t some hippy phrase, it’s about taking each moment as it comes.

If you play like you know what’s coming, you’re anticipating. Live fully and completely in this moment. The past is gone and the future must remain unknown, regardless how many times you practised it.