Nudity - the actor's POV
Mon, 28 Aug 2000, 07:55 pmWalter Plinge37 posts in thread
Nudity - the actor's POV
Mon, 28 Aug 2000, 07:55 pmPurely as a hypothetical question (at this stage, anyway): how do the actors out there in community theatre feel about nudity?
Would you do it? If so, under what circumstances? If not, please give reasons.
I'm talking serious nudity here; not "underwear nudity", but actual nudity: full frontal, topless, etc.
Would it be unreasonable of a director to ask a large portion (if not all) of their cast to appear fully nude, for instance in plays like "Hair", or "Steaming"?
And would be unreasonable of a director to apply for a season with a local group with a play or production that will require nudity to work effectively? Could he/she find a cast?
I open the topic for discussion....
D.M.
Would you do it? If so, under what circumstances? If not, please give reasons.
I'm talking serious nudity here; not "underwear nudity", but actual nudity: full frontal, topless, etc.
Would it be unreasonable of a director to ask a large portion (if not all) of their cast to appear fully nude, for instance in plays like "Hair", or "Steaming"?
And would be unreasonable of a director to apply for a season with a local group with a play or production that will require nudity to work effectively? Could he/she find a cast?
I open the topic for discussion....
D.M.
RE: Nudity - the actor's POV
Thu, 31 Aug 2000, 01:39 pmWalter Plinge
I very rarely get to read this web page, let alone find something to respond to, so thank you David for giving me a meaty enough topic.
As to personally performing nude, I don't think that I could do it. The reason I don't think I could do it is that I am not comfortable with my own body image and I would feel totally inadequate while thus exposed. Mind you this all depends on context - if someone cast me in 'The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin' for example, I'd be doing the nude scene from the very first rehearsal. Then again, I still don't know, possibly I would. No, bugger it, I would. If a director cast me in a role that required a nude scene, I would actually take it as a compliment that maybe my own perceived bad body image is just my own perception, and maybe other people don't see it as badly as I do. Who knows!
As an audience member I have no problems with stage nudity. The best example to date was 'Homme Fatale' at the Fringe this year. The nudity in that play was not gratuitous (the play WAS about a gay porn star) and I must admit my first reaction was very much along the lines of "Hello!" but after about the first five seconds the fact that we could see the actors wobbly bits was just part of the whole story, and added a vulnerability to the character. It was exploitative in the fact that the person the play was based on was being exploited, and we were seeing that first hand. I have no objection to the human body being displayed on stage as long as it's done well.
As a director I would have no problems with doing a play with nude scenes. In fact there are a couple of plays where, if I directed them, I would put in nude scenes where they are not actually in the script. (Then again, there are actually no nude scenes in the SCRIPT of 'Equus' nor of 'Salome' that is just how they are normally done).
If I was doing a play that I thought required a nude scene, I would make sure the actors auditioning knew that it was my preference BUT given the option between a mediocre actor willing to get his kit off, and a good one who wasn't willing, I would go for the good actor every time (except if I was doing 'Oh, Calcutta').
Thank you for listening to me
Paul Treasure
As to personally performing nude, I don't think that I could do it. The reason I don't think I could do it is that I am not comfortable with my own body image and I would feel totally inadequate while thus exposed. Mind you this all depends on context - if someone cast me in 'The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin' for example, I'd be doing the nude scene from the very first rehearsal. Then again, I still don't know, possibly I would. No, bugger it, I would. If a director cast me in a role that required a nude scene, I would actually take it as a compliment that maybe my own perceived bad body image is just my own perception, and maybe other people don't see it as badly as I do. Who knows!
As an audience member I have no problems with stage nudity. The best example to date was 'Homme Fatale' at the Fringe this year. The nudity in that play was not gratuitous (the play WAS about a gay porn star) and I must admit my first reaction was very much along the lines of "Hello!" but after about the first five seconds the fact that we could see the actors wobbly bits was just part of the whole story, and added a vulnerability to the character. It was exploitative in the fact that the person the play was based on was being exploited, and we were seeing that first hand. I have no objection to the human body being displayed on stage as long as it's done well.
As a director I would have no problems with doing a play with nude scenes. In fact there are a couple of plays where, if I directed them, I would put in nude scenes where they are not actually in the script. (Then again, there are actually no nude scenes in the SCRIPT of 'Equus' nor of 'Salome' that is just how they are normally done).
If I was doing a play that I thought required a nude scene, I would make sure the actors auditioning knew that it was my preference BUT given the option between a mediocre actor willing to get his kit off, and a good one who wasn't willing, I would go for the good actor every time (except if I was doing 'Oh, Calcutta').
Thank you for listening to me
Paul Treasure
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