Dear Friends,
Anyone who has met me, read my various writings and publications, or witnessed interviews with me in the media knows that I don’t take my career for granted. I am constantly studying to improve my technique and increase my knowledge of my craft. One element of that is my belief that we can learn something from everyone we encounter. I can’t tell you how much I have learned from simply observing other actors and directors – those I work with and those I simply see from the audience perspective. Granted sometimes what another actor is unconsciously teaching to us knowledge sponges is what not to do. For instance, I have seen very egotistical actors who think the world revolves around them and they can do no wrong. From them I learned never to behave that way – to always be courteous, to always seek to improve rather than inaccurately claim perfection, and to value the talents of others. More often, however, I learn from the positive examples of my fellow artists.
One of the things I have tried to do throughout my career is give back to the artistic community that has taught me so much – to pass on some of that knowledge. So, I’ve decided to offer a brief outline of some of the things that have helped me in my career. This is in no way a claim that I have nothing left to learn myself. Nor is it even an assumption that my approach to the arts is the only way. But for those who find my suggestions can be of use, I will be honored for you to incorporate them into your own careers. For those who find difference with my approach, I wish you the best of success with your own techniques. These are merely the things that work for me, the things that I have learned from actors whose performances I respect, and the things I lecture on at various arts academies, colleges, and universities.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
You can’t play a character if you don’t know who that character is. Acting is more than merely saying lines, it’s becoming another person entirely. In order to do that, you have to know everything about that character. And, that kind of knowledge doesn’t come from just reading the script. Let’s face it, a script usually has only a few lines of character description in it. If you base your character solely on the character description in the script or even from studying the lines themselves, you’ll still only achieve a one dimensional character at best – because that’s all you’re giving yourself to work with: a one dimensional description.
When you embark on a role, ask yourself these questions:
What is the exact date?
What is your exact location?
Where was the character born?
Where does the character live now?
How old is the character?
If a full name is not given for the character in the script, what is the full name?
What is the character’s ethnic heritage? Religion? Social status? Income bracket?
Who are his or her friends?
Who are his or her enemies?
Is the character right or left handed?
What motivates this character?
What was the character doing right before the story that you’re telling?
What happens to the character afterward?
What is his or her relationship with every other character?
This is just a partial list of the questions you should ask yourself. Start here and add more. Most importantly I recommend you write out your answers. By writing the answers it makes you think even deeper about who the character really is, rather than just saying “Oh I know who he is.” Also, by having a written account you create an avenue to help establish relationships with other characters. By pulling aside one of your fellow actors and saying “Here’s a background on my character” it can help them know how to interact with you. Remember, acting is about reacting – if your fellow actors understand your character then they know how to address you and that gives you more to work off of.
RESEARCH
Once you have an outline of who your character is, you have what basically amounts to a skeletal understanding of who they are. Now what you need to do is flesh the character out – give it muscle, make it three-dimensional. To do this requires research.
One example I like to site is my preparation for the role of Brick in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. For those of you unaware of the drama, Brick is an alcoholic ex-professional quarterback in the 1950’s. My preparation involved working out with ex-professional football players, interviewing Johnny Unitas (one of the legendary quarterbacks of that era), drinking bourbon (the character’s drink of choice) until I could do it without grimacing at the taste, attending alcoholic’s anonymous meetings to get an idea how alcohol changes people’s lives, and attending alanon meetings to observe how alcohol abuse effects the lives of those around the abuser.
Another example is when I played Sky in the musical Guys and Dolls. In that productionSky is a high stakes gambler, known for obscure bets. Although hailing from a dirt-poor background, he has established himself as a refined gentleman gambler with a taste for the finer things in life. To capture the essence of the character my first task was frequenting casinos – not only to learn how to play all the games of chance, but to also observe the mannerisms of true high stakes gamblers. I also made it a practice to engage my associates in obscure bets, the likes of which my character might partake. And, in order to achieve the refined quality Sky has I dressed exclusively in designer suits, treated myself to manicures, and never ventured out of the house with less than a few hundred dollars in my pocket. You see, a costumer can dress you in the right clothes, but it’s another thing all together to move in them as if you wear them all the time.
PHYSICALLITY
As I’ve stated, perfecting a character is far more than knowing what words to say. It also involves how a character looks and moves. If an actor is playing an athlete, they’d better be in shape or no matter how well they say their lines or how well they’ve researched their background, the character won’t be believable.
Going back to the example of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof; in that production I needed to be believable as a professional athlete. To accomplish this I added twenty pounds of muscle to my frame in the gym. On the flip side when I played a man dying of AIDS as Torch in the play Beriut I starved 30 pounds off to achieve an emaciated look.
Another great example is the role of Lloyd Dallas in the comedy Noises Off. Nowhere in the script does it indicate that Lloyd is right- or left-handed. However, I found his demeanor, thought process, creative flair, and temperament more in line with left handed people that I know. Therefore, although right handed and not naturally ambidextrous, I trained myself to be left handed for that production and ended up winning an award for the performance.
MUSICAL THEATRE
A lot of musical theatre performers fail to understand that by basic definition musical theatre is not merely scenes in-between songs. It is theatre set to music. Therefore it is imperative that a performer characterize their songs as well as the scenes between the songs. This means a performer must understand what the character is feeling as they sing, what they lyrics would be saying if they were mere words and not part of a song. It’s not all about trying to sound pretty. Sometimes in order to make the song make sense in the context of the show it is necessary to sing so hushed that the audience has to almost strain to hear you. Other times it is necessary to scream a line, talk a line, give a line an annoying nasal quality, or any other number of interpretive manipulations of the voice in order to make the song part of the story rather than just a song. Just because you can sing a song with a beautiful tonality does not mean that is always the right approach for the character. Just because I’ve sung arias doesn’t mean that classical approach would have been appropriate for when I’ve played the Elvis-like Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie or teen gang member Tony in West Side Story.
As a director I would much rather cast an actor who can sing than a singer who can act. From an audience prospective, some of the greatest stage performances I have witnessed were by actors who did not have traditionally great voices, or even above average voices. But, they knew how to sell the song. Actors like Neil Patrick Harris in RENT, Greg Kohout in West Side Story, Lou Diamond Phillips in The King and I, or Nathan Lane in Guys and Dolls. None of them are great singers, but each of them put on a great show.
DUETS
Another common mistake novice musical theatre performers make is in singing duets. You must respect your fellow actor. The goal of a duet is not to wage a war of voices on stage. The idea is not to prove which actor can over power the other, or which one can hold a note longer. A quality musical theatre performer will be able to adapt to those he or she sings with. Take the initiative to blend with your partner, don’t always leave it to other singers to accommodate you. The better performer is not the one with the most power, it is the one who knows how to control their power.
Obviously I don’t have the space to dictate everything I’ve learned over the years. And, even if I had the space to share all I know, there’s a lot more I probably don’t know. If you use these tips at all, use them as a stepping stone – seek to expand you knowledge beyond anything I have taught., don’t limit yourself to what I have to offer. I’ve seen an occasional performer give an adequate performance without preparation, research, character development, and an understanding of balance – but I’ve never seen a good performance, much less a great one, by actors who don’t incorporate those basic fundamentals.
As always, I am your fan.
PEACE LOVE TRUST
rikki lee travolta
Review other RLT commentary
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Stand Against Racism
Writing About Life
Crazy Pants Travolta
Gregory Hines
Everwood
Book Excerpt: Bus Fare
Learning to Stand
A Time of War
Country Charm
Talking Frankly About Family (& Christmas)
My Fractured Life
Forever Love
Good and Evil
Man Behind the Wheel
The Little Engine that Could: A Memorial
Perceptions of Perfection
Personal Decisions
Responsibility in Communication
You Done Good
Duality of Man
Evolution of a Hero
Reason to Quit - Stop Smoking
Beware of Stalkers
Dare to Dream
Do The Right Thing
Dealing with Abuse
Mother's Day
Right to Choose
Support the Cause
Just Try
Virtue of One
Martin Luther King Jr
Free Form Jazz
Creating the News
Great Expectations
Story of a Life
Acting 101
Why I Cried
Personal Values vs. Monetary Value
Broken Hearts
Dignity over Jealousy
Community Responsibility
Life, Honesty, and Integrity
Drug Withdrawal
Christmas Spirit
Rikki Lee Travolta's debut album!
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