[PREV - GLASS_MASK]    [TOP]

METHOD_ACT

                                             March 20, 2017

The ideal of stage-acting that seems to appeal to
the Japanese mind is the complete transformation      
of your character into another, to the point          
where on-lookers can't believe that the person        
they're watching is the same.                         
                                                      
Spirit possession seems like a very common element   
in the folk beliefs of much of Asia-- I would guess
that this is why the idea that acting is about
having another soul within you makes a lot of sense
to them.

    Reading the Glass Mask manga, it occurs to
    me that they may over-rate this aspect of
    acting-- which like any art is a matter of
    bringing together multiple elements and
    balancing different concerns.

    There's a scene where competing actresses
    are auditioning, trying to show off their
    ability to be Helen Keller-- one of them is
    very dynamic, rolling around on the floor
    and playing with every toy in the room, and
    she loses: the winners are the ones who are
    inclined to sit off to one side and play
    with their fingers, the reasoning being
    that a Hellen Keller would realistically
    have no way of knowing that all those toys
    are there and would most likely ignore most
    or all of them.

        It occurs to me that being
        "realistic" isn't a very
        good excuse for boring the
        audience, and arguably an           The goal isn't just "staying in
        actress that bent realism           character", but *looking* like
        in the direction of more            you're staying in character
        stage activity is a better          while hitting a mark on the
        actress.                            floor, and showing your face to
                                            the audience while pretending
                                            you're focused on something
                                            else, and reciting with
                                            conviction, bringing off some
                                            lines that only barely make
                                            sense, and ignoring stage hands
                                            that are getting ready to run a
                                            set change right through where
                                            you're standing, and adding some
                                            stage business while the
                                            prompter nudges your partner,
                                            and not showing annoyance that
                                            your partner is such an idiot.






--------
[NEXT - NINE_TAYLORS]