How do you feel about nudity??
Wed, 3 Jan 2001, 06:46 pmWalter Plinge23 posts in thread
How do you feel about nudity??
Wed, 3 Jan 2001, 06:46 pmI was wondering how every1 felt about nudity in amateur theatre??
* performing nude (total or partially)
* seeing it in a production
either of the two. I am trying to make the decision at the moment if I would be prepared to go totally nude for a part and I was wanting a few view points to take into consideration.
I would do it for arts sake. But am I prepared to walk down the street and have people know what I look like naked?
Points to consider :
I am 19 - female - not stick thin - live in an area where everyone knows everyone.
I would truly appreciate some feedback.
Thanks
Sky
* performing nude (total or partially)
* seeing it in a production
either of the two. I am trying to make the decision at the moment if I would be prepared to go totally nude for a part and I was wanting a few view points to take into consideration.
I would do it for arts sake. But am I prepared to walk down the street and have people know what I look like naked?
Points to consider :
I am 19 - female - not stick thin - live in an area where everyone knows everyone.
I would truly appreciate some feedback.
Thanks
Sky
RE: How do you feel about nudity??
Thu, 4 Jan 2001, 12:49 amWalter Plinge
As an actor, I have never had a problem with it. I have been semi-nude in several productions and fully nude in one. As an actor, I think the best asset you can have is what I call a "lack of concern"... which simply means that beyond artistic and entertainment concerns, you simply don't give a rat's hairy butt what anyone thinks of you up there.
As a director, I love nudity - I think it is one of the single most effective theatrical devices available to a director, AS LONG AS IT'S DONE RIGHT. Too often, it's a cheap, cynical trick, or a director's personal hard-on machine, or whatever. In other words, it is tacked on without concern for either the work being performed, or the actor.
If it's done right, it makes perfect sense - in terms of the character, the situation, the themes and ideas of the work. If not, it will always look fake and exploitative.
For what it's worth, my advice in approaching a nude scene would be this: first of all, find out why the director and/or playwright wants it. If you disagree with them, say why, gently but firmly refuse to do it, and never doubt the decision. (Having said that, though, I would urge you to base your refusal on artistic rather than moral or personal grounds... nothing worse than someone saying "I agree, but I'm still not comfortable with it." What this generally means is that their own personal comfort is more important to them than the integrity of the work at hand, and this - IMO - says alot about their priorities as a performer.)
If you agree with them, lay aside any qualms you may have (assuming that you've analysed them thoroughly beforehand), and dive in. If you hate it, put it down to experience and never look back. If it turns out to be no big deal, add it to your repertoire, along with singing, dancing, and juggling. If you end up loving every second of it, send pictures to voyeurweb.com. ;o)
('sa joke, joyce)
Seriously though, there are more important things in this world worth stressing over than a room full of strangers looking at your bits.
all the best,
David M.
As a director, I love nudity - I think it is one of the single most effective theatrical devices available to a director, AS LONG AS IT'S DONE RIGHT. Too often, it's a cheap, cynical trick, or a director's personal hard-on machine, or whatever. In other words, it is tacked on without concern for either the work being performed, or the actor.
If it's done right, it makes perfect sense - in terms of the character, the situation, the themes and ideas of the work. If not, it will always look fake and exploitative.
For what it's worth, my advice in approaching a nude scene would be this: first of all, find out why the director and/or playwright wants it. If you disagree with them, say why, gently but firmly refuse to do it, and never doubt the decision. (Having said that, though, I would urge you to base your refusal on artistic rather than moral or personal grounds... nothing worse than someone saying "I agree, but I'm still not comfortable with it." What this generally means is that their own personal comfort is more important to them than the integrity of the work at hand, and this - IMO - says alot about their priorities as a performer.)
If you agree with them, lay aside any qualms you may have (assuming that you've analysed them thoroughly beforehand), and dive in. If you hate it, put it down to experience and never look back. If it turns out to be no big deal, add it to your repertoire, along with singing, dancing, and juggling. If you end up loving every second of it, send pictures to voyeurweb.com. ;o)
('sa joke, joyce)
Seriously though, there are more important things in this world worth stressing over than a room full of strangers looking at your bits.
all the best,
David M.
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