Right,yeah. So I'm in this very weird show about two strangers who become intimately connected through a series of coincidences (being in the same café when there's a strange storm of birds, meeting in a small town in Ireland, seeing each other in an aviary) and then undergo this weird traumatic experience. I play one of the characters responsible for the trauma, which is cool, except it means that I've been in a really uncomfortable psychological space for like 2 or 3 hours a day for the past month. So I can't wait for the run to end on Thursday. It's also just a super fucked up show. Like, most people's reactions are just "WTF". So I'm not the biggest fan, because, like, the point of theatre is not to confuse your audience, right?
Absurdism is often done badly. I think there are plenty of undergraduate playwrights that read Rhinoceros but few that recognize that The Crucible was a lot easier to pull off.
Wow, that line is still burned into my mind after what, 4 years? I've never tried something with so many different emphases as that line. Also I love that play, because Miller hates hypocrites just about as much as I do.Be you foolish, Mary Warren? Be you deaf? I forbid you leave the house, did I not? Why shall I pay you? I am looking for you more often than my cows!
Confusion for the sake of confusion is worthless. Confusion for the sake of discomfort, to bring people out of their conformity bubbles for a bit and make them think on what they have in life, is a boon. Which one is your show closer to? How do you feel about playing in a show you don't enjoy?because, like, the point of theatre is not to confuse your audience, right?
I feel like this show is mostly confusion for the sake of discomfort, but it's discomfort for the sake of discomfort-- like there's no bringing people out of there bubbles and making them think about life, just "look at all this fucked up shit. This would never happen in real life, but aren't you uncomfortable now?" As far as being in the show, I feel like my main problem is actually with the rest of the cast. None of them are (IMO) very good actors, but more importantly, I don't feel like I can trust them. And that, combined with the script, has made the whole exercise pretty fucking tedious. But it's almost over.
Here is some more incoming unsolicited advice. You can't trust other actors, so don't. They can't trust you, so don't worry about it. It's up to you to find your character, it's up to them to find theirs, if you feel like you can't trust them, it becomes your problem to overcome. I also empathize with you regarding this and am only offering these opinions as someone who has been in positions like this before. Please don't read into it as a harshness or me being critical of you personally. I am telling you what I wish someone would have told me. (Subsequently, they never did, and it was only through reading works by Meisner that I was able to notice these defects in my own acting).As far as being in the show, I feel like my main problem is actually with the rest of the cast. None of them are (IMO) very good actors, but more importantly, I don't feel like I can trust them. And that, combined with the script, has made the whole exercise pretty fucking tedious. But it's almost over.
Why are you worried about confusing the audience? It's not your job to decide whether or not they will be confused. If you are an actor, you need to act. Do not worry about the audience. The audience might as well be an empty set of seats to an actor. The actor should be feeling for instinct and motivation constantly. The audience will appreciate this much more than your concern over their mental facilities.It's also just a super fucked up show. Like, most people's reactions are just "WTF". So I'm not the biggest fan, because, like, the point of theatre is not to confuse your audience, right?
Yeah that's fine, I am definitely projecting here so please feel free to take it as lighthearted. My advice: Try to have fun with how bad it is. I was once in a short local play where the characters almost unilaterally had no point of view. It was very boring and drab and preachy (There was something about a dominatrix who could control their emotions really ugly boring undergrad stuff). But i had a lot of fun, because i used it as an opportunity to just let loose. If nobody is gonna give a shit, then I am going to give it 200% more so that I can feel like I did my part. Just my 2c. Break legs, have fun.