Two Scenes

There are always two scenes, the one that you read in the script and the one that unfolds in front of you as you bring the scene to life with the other actors.

The two scenes need to merge in the final performance but it is the scene in front of you that must take primary position. Why?

Because the truth of the moment is here and now and the scene in your head is just that, a fixed interpretation. But in the moment, all else goes out the window, we prepare so that in the moment, we may improvise. Not the words, but our actions.

When the scene begins, let the things you have learned about the scene influence you but be completely open to the real scene, you and the other fellow.

If we let our natural desire to interpret with our instincts rule us when we’re in the moment, we end up playing our judgment to the detriment of the scene unfolding.