horrible acting scenario - what would you do?
Wed, 8 June 2005, 01:38 pmWalter Plinge13 posts in thread
horrible acting scenario - what would you do?
Wed, 8 June 2005, 01:38 pmIn my experience as an actor, there's nothing worse than one of your castmates forgetting their lines - and I know that I'm a regular offender. It happens, and I think getting out of one of these situations is one of the skills that separates a good actor from a great one.
What do you think should be done in this situation? Two actors are on stage, someone goes blank and in the confusion a page of dialogue gets skipped. The page is important - a lot of what happens in the rest of the play relies on the dialogue that was missed.
Should the actors attempt to reintroduce the dialogue at an appropriate point down the track, potentially saving the story but running the risk of spoiling a second scene? Or should they ignore the error and concentrate on making the rest of their performance go according to script?
This situation happened to me last week, and we made a decision to reintroduce the dialogue at a particular point in the following scene. It obviously wasn't perfect, probably spoilt the flow of the second scene, and our deliveries were not as good as they ordinarily would have been, but at least the rest of the story made more sense.
Ever since then, I've been wondering whether we did the right thing or not, and I'd value some feedback about this in case it ever happens to me again. What do you think?
What do you think should be done in this situation? Two actors are on stage, someone goes blank and in the confusion a page of dialogue gets skipped. The page is important - a lot of what happens in the rest of the play relies on the dialogue that was missed.
Should the actors attempt to reintroduce the dialogue at an appropriate point down the track, potentially saving the story but running the risk of spoiling a second scene? Or should they ignore the error and concentrate on making the rest of their performance go according to script?
This situation happened to me last week, and we made a decision to reintroduce the dialogue at a particular point in the following scene. It obviously wasn't perfect, probably spoilt the flow of the second scene, and our deliveries were not as good as they ordinarily would have been, but at least the rest of the story made more sense.
Ever since then, I've been wondering whether we did the right thing or not, and I'd value some feedback about this in case it ever happens to me again. What do you think?
Re: horrible acting scenario - what would you do?
Sun, 12 June 2005, 05:54 pmKnowing how to improvise is an important skill for a performer...being aware of the story that's being told and what an audience needs to know. I agree with Crispy that there is no general advice to give...every situation will require its own response, and good judgement on the part of the performer as to IF and HOW they rectify the mistake. Usually a mistake only become obvious when you attempt to correct it! Making a correction usually depends not only on your own skill, but in trusting that the others onstage will go with you and support the improvisation, getting it back on track. Some casts are very good at this, others will struggle. The main thing is knowing the story - both yours and the other character's - really well...in which event forgetting your lines also becomes less likely.
Corey wrote:
>
> you wouldnt wanna miss any dialogue in a Shakespeare! i'd
> love to see someone ad-lib that!
You may be surprised how often it actually happens. Good improvisers who are well familiar with the style can easily cover for lost lines, and only those familiar with the text would recognise the difference.
Michael Loney told me of a time he'd been onstage with someone who'd dried onstage, and rescued the scene by saying, 'Let us stand some ways apart and speak of things unknown'. He took the actor off to the side, softly told him what line to say, and they continued...I'm sure most of the audience would hardly have blinked.
Cheers
Craig
Corey wrote:
>
> you wouldnt wanna miss any dialogue in a Shakespeare! i'd
> love to see someone ad-lib that!
You may be surprised how often it actually happens. Good improvisers who are well familiar with the style can easily cover for lost lines, and only those familiar with the text would recognise the difference.
Michael Loney told me of a time he'd been onstage with someone who'd dried onstage, and rescued the scene by saying, 'Let us stand some ways apart and speak of things unknown'. He took the actor off to the side, softly told him what line to say, and they continued...I'm sure most of the audience would hardly have blinked.
Cheers
Craig
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