Drawing Parallels

There is a mistake at the heart of many approaches to acting. This mistake is that the actor must somehow connect to the details of the script and believe in them, and through a combination of imagination and belief (self delusion) find a real connection to these details.

This basic error is at the heart of acting and it makes acting about one’s ability to successfully self-delude.

Instead of getting lost in the minutiae of the scene details, we need to find the universal parallels in the scene that help us connect to it.

You can forget following a prostitute around for a few days to help you get into role (probably get you arrested or at least a restraining order).

You must find those elements that two people in a room (two actors in a scene together) can do. So instead of convincing Bassanio to delay making his choice, you must do those actions that would prevent someone from making a terrible mistake.

You cannot convince Bassanio to delay making his choice because there ain’t no such person as Bassanio and there is no choice to make.

We must find parallels that don’t ask is to lie to ourselves, or each other.

The trouble with most Shakespeare performances are that the actors are not actually connected to the reality of the character’s situation, but to engage in that reality means finding the parallel.

This parallel must engage us and excite our imagination, so that as we play with the other actors, our imagination and our sense of fun are brought to life.

When we find a parallel, we then need to connect to it. We must ask ourselves what that parallel is like to us. We must understand what it means to us. What is preventing a loved one from making a terrible mistake like? How would I do that? What actions would I take?

Ah! I see the flaw in this argument Mr Acting Coach! You are not the character, therefore your actions are not the same as the character’s actions.

Poppycock! The character isn’t real, you have no idea which actions they would or wouldn’t do. The character will do whatever actions you chose to do, because they are always your actions.
Who else’s could they be?

Yes, but the character’s history…?

The character is not a real person, they have no history.

Do those parallel things that you can truthfully to another person, in pursuit of a goal parallel to the character’s. If you do this genuinely, you will create the illusion of character for the audience.

Don’t try to believe in the fiction. It ain’t real.