  Because of a sudden Heaven-sent (Mass homily-induced) inspiration, I will now proudly present to you all: THINGS I'VE LEARNED ABOUT ACTING (by Laura) This essay is designed to let y'all know what I know (or think I know) about acting. I hope it proves useful to somebody. I will be using several examples from "Fiddler on the Roof" to illustrate just what I mean. 1) CHOOSING A CHARACTER. This is the first step, pre-audition. You have had two informational meetings about the play and learned what it's all about.
It's now time to grab up a scriptbook and borrow it for a week, if possible. Read through it all several times. Look over the characters - see what the demands for the roles are. This is where you ask yourself - what are you capable of? Are you confident enough in yourself that you can sing a solo in front of 500 people? Are you capable of showing extreme emotion?
Are you capable of putting yourself into character? When I read the script for Fiddler, I was at first preparing to audition for Chava. I was confident that I could act the part and do a decent job. I was not so with Hodel - I didn't have enough faith in my singing voice to have a solo. Then I started thinking about Tzeitel. I realized that I had a lot of common traits with her - oldest child, a little bossy, worrier, willing to break tradition but not stray too far from it... the more I thought about it, the more obvious my choice became.
I knew I would be believable. It's also a good idea to practice your audition character's lines ahead of time, in case you have to read for them. 2) AUDITIONING. The most important things you can do are stay calm, focused, relaxed, and refrain from putting yourself down. If you don't have confidence in yourself (or act like you do, this IS acting, after all), the directors will not have confidence in you either. Just calm down and focus on what you have to do.
Are you prepared? Water and fruit are probably the best things for your voice - avoid candy or chips. I watch the other performers. I tend to audition near the end rather than the beginning - I feel more comfortable that way. Watching other people helps you remember that we're all in the same boat. If you make a mistake, you definitely were not the only one.
When it's finally your turn, please - be honest about what you can do. If your intended part requires you to play a real drum solo and you have no rhythm, tell them... for the good of the cast and your own personal pride. Don't let them cast you as something you are not. And no excuses, buddy. We ALL got colds the day before we performed, yet we've ALL still gotta prove ourselves to these guys. Prove to them that WE CAN DO whatever they call on us to do, even if we have laryngitis.
The show must go on, as must the audition. If you can, go without a book for your audition song. It shows you've put practice into it. For more about singing, see the section on it. Speak loudly and clearly for your reading - just like you would onstage. Pour as much emotion as you can into those lines.
You've got one chance to show the directors what you're capable of. And mistakes are okay. Just let them see that you can recover quickly, smile and go on like it never happened. There's no need to hide the fact that you're nervous - we all know it. But do believe in yourself. 3) CASTING LIST.
The casting list has been posted. You are Hodel. You are a villager. You are Tevye! Excited shrieks, shocked "HOLY - "s, whispers of "I'm your HUSBAND!! " and sad groans all fill your ears.
Say you landed the part of Golde. Congratulations! We're happy for ya. It's just ... well... we really wanted Golde, too. So we're jealous. But we're glad you got a good part.
*sigh* Such are the toils of having a good part, eh? But be happy - you've reached your goal. Just make sure you don't hurt other people's feelings by gloating. On the other hand, you could be a villager. We've all been there - HUGE disappointment. You worked so hard, you did the best you could, and apparently it wasn't good enough.
It SUCKS. Don't blame it on yourself. This just wasn't your year. Maybe there just wasn't a character that you clicked with. Maybe you're incredibly talented, but there are more people even better than you. For some reason, there wasn't enough room - but if you did your very best with your audition, it's out of your hands from there.
And there's no need to quit, either. The ensemble/chorus is judged on Broadway shows as well as the characters (read this in a review of Best Musical nominee Wicked). The ensemble is what can make or break a memorable show. Try writing a character bio for yourself. Maybe let other people in the chorus know what you're doing - they might do it, too. Then you can share them with each other when you're on break.
Make the most of the part you've got. 4) OFFSTAGE/AT HOME. Don't forget you're in a musical/play on your days off. Study in between classes, at home, before you go to bed... Practice your expressions in the mirror. Overdramatize your words.
Have someone practice with you. 5) ONSTAGE/REHEARSAL. Listen to your directors, darlings. Learn to trust them, because most likely they know what they're doing in the long run. Follow direction to the utmost. Example: One rehearsal, I was instructed to grasp Joe (Tevye) by the legs and beg for him to call off my marriage to Lazar Wolf.
Having mixed feelings, I went ahead with it. It was later deemed too dramatic and I was spared actually doing it during production. And don't ask about the mixed feelings. I will ignore you and pretend you are not there. Always wear some kind of expression. People standing blankly on the stage is not entertaining to the audience.
It is probably not entertaining to you, either. Do something. Look occupied. React to what's going on around you. Sleepwalking is bad. Mrs. Pio's/Barbra Streisand's advice is to LISTEN.
I hope you were there for that particular lecture. Learn the lines of your fellow actors - for cues, and also to help them out if they need it. If he or she forgets a line of your cue, you're going to have to be quick and rescue them. Michael (Motel) and I had an important question for Mrs. Pio concerning the wedding. Why was personal contact basically forbidden? She explained (without getting mad) that that was just Jewish tradition - men and women were on opposite ends.
If we had experimented with this on performance night, she would most certainly have been annoyed. Ask your director before you start changing their own stage directions. Make sure you make it to most rehearsals. It shows you're committed and just kinda looks good. 6) SINGING. The most important thing about singing in a musical is to be emotionally perfect rather than technically perfect.
You don't have to hit all the notes. You don't even have to sound that good. THIS IS NOT CHORAL SINGING. Sing like there's no tomorrow. Sing loud. Sing for your dear little village Anatevka that you've lived in all your life.
Your voice will probably be lost in the mix anyway, so don't worry about sticking out. Also, make sure your face matches the lyrics of the song. Singing about your dear dead cat with a smile on your face is just stupid. To practice singing, I usually record myself. I drink water first, and then I find the Sound Recorder on my computer and practice. Hearing your voice in a different way is very helpful in picking out your mistakes, what you need to work on.
If you play an instrument like piano and know it's in tune, tune yourself. 7) EVERYTHING ELSE. I should talk a little about those scenes where you just have to pour your heart and soul into it. I had to cry in Fiddler on the Roof - for days I tried to come up with something that I could use as a fuel to help me out, something that would make me sad. It wasn't until dress rehearsal that I found something. Think about change.
Think about something that will change your life or an opportunity you will never have again, a memory or the inevitable that's left a huge impression on you. The bittersweetness of graduation - that was mine. If you still find yourself unable to get the tears out, unavoidably you must fake it. Do it this way: let it out. Don't worry about your voice squeaking or sounding stupid - your character is upset and doesn't care, so why would you? Hold nothing back.
In fact, that goes for everything. HOLD NOTHING BACK. This is the stage! You put yourself onstage, you sign the CONTRACT to make a fool of yourself. If you don't, will the audience enjoy it? Will you enjoy it?
Take it seriously, but not too seriously. Love it. Love what you're doing. The stage is a wonderful place to be. 
