Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting (But Were Afraid To Ask, Dear) (12 page)

Stagecraft

Stagecraft is something of a dying tradition. There used to be a time when every actor knew how to behave on stage, and was only too aware of essential techniques that would aid their performance. Today, however, many young actors even get confused as to where the front and back of the stage is. They have no idea how to ‘find their light’ and get terrified about working without radio mics. It really is rather depressing.

I remember a time when actors used to rehearse quickly, perform eagerly and drink heavily. There was no time for sitting in circles discussing the script for weeks on end before actors got on their feet. Rehearsals were speedy, and every minute was valuable. And as well as rehearsing in the day, actors performed shows in the evening. I am, of course, referring to the old repertory system.

These old rep theatres, and their marvellous way of working, is hugely missed by actors and audiences alike. The very nature of having the same actors playing a variety of shows, and the theatre ‘community’ that was created, commanded a supportive and faithful audience, who would watch every show. And, indeed, the actors were also faithful – they would go back year after year to work on different plays in roles that would challenge and stretch them. Young people were forced to play old people, old women were forced to play school-children, and old men were forced to play with any young person they could find. It was a glorious time of creation.

Rep theatre also used to be the old ‘training ground’ for actors. Of course, actors still went to drama school, but they really learnt their craft on the job. I suppose it could be said that rep theatres provided the first artistic ‘apprenticeships’ – where actors would have the opportunity to play different roles, help backstage, make props, stage manage, and learn four or five different plays simultaneously. It really was the best learning experience for all involved, allowing actors to experience and work in every aspect of theatre. These days you are either an actor, crew member, wardrobe assistant, techie or front-of-house worker – you are rarely allowed to practise more than one of these disciplines. Rep theatre allowed you to be all of them, creating fully rounded actors who appreciated and understood all areas of theatre.

Now, sadly, there are only a couple of theatres that operate using a rep system. And whenever I go into one I am reminded of how wonderful and vital they are. I have always thought that a musical-theatre rep would be rather fun – where different musicals are performed on alternating weeks with the same cast. It would just be difficult convincing Elaine Paige and Michael Ball to do all of that for Equity minimum though, dear.

In many ways, the luxury of time can be a creativity killer. Although it allows themes and subtext to be explored completely, there is only so much subtext you can find in
Beauty and the Beast
. Working to a tight deadline and feeling the pressure of opening night is marvellous – it instils an essential urgency in the rehearsal room. And that can be hugely rewarding. It forces actors to follow their gut and be instinctive about their characters without sitting back and analysing what and why they are doing things. In fact, most actors like nothing more than standing up with the script on day one of rehearsals and simply going for it.

Having a few stagecraft secrets is very useful. Particularly when playing to empty houses, or working with actors who can’t walk or talk properly. They are empowering little tips that help you get all the focus, and ensure that the audience is always aware of you whenever you are on stage.

Walking On Stage and Back Acting

Always walk on stage using your upstage leg. This means your whole body will be on show to the audience. If you make your first entrance with your downstage leg, you risk the chance of the audience firstly seeing your back. This is only useful if you are technically experienced in ‘back acting’.

Back acting is something which has been passed down to actors for generations. It is only suitable for certain actors, those that are prepared to have their face away from the audience for long periods of time.

Actors who have big backs or distinctive shoulder blades are naturally gifted in the art of back acting. It is the clever discipline of being able to convey emotion through the dramatic use of your back. One of the joys of back acting is not being able to see the front of the actor, allowing the audience to be more creative as they imagine what the actor’s face is doing. I tried to convince Nicky Hytner to host a ‘Back Acting’ season at the National for years (a
Hamlet
acted entirely from the back would be thrilling), but Nicky stopped returning my calls. How rude. (Fingers crossed for Rufus Norris.)

Here are some basic guidelines in the sacred art of back acting: If you lift your shoulders you appear stressed; if you stick your neck up you appear inquisitive; and if you tilt your head to one side you appear to have a deformity. There are also other more challenging positions like shaking your back from side to side (when miming doing the hula hoop) and sticking your shoulder blades out (when playing vampires) – but these should be approached with caution.

Words, Words, Words

If you have words in your script that repeat, always try and make them sound different, as it makes them far more interesting to listen to. Unless, of course, you decide your character
wouldn’t do that. In which case you can say them all the same. Which makes this point invalid. So please disregard it.

The Fourth Wall

The ‘fourth wall’ is an imaginary wall at the front of the stage that allows the audience to look in on the action of the show. It is a term that is used widely by directors and drama tutors as it gives the impression they know what they’re talking about. But, in truth, they rarely do.

Many actors, particularly when making their stage debut, get very confused about the fourth wall – and often forget that it isn’t real. This can be very distressing, particularly when actors lean on it and fall onto an unsuspecting old dear sitting in the front row. Accidents like this ruin the play completely, and make everyone more than aware that the fourth wall doesn’t exist.

The fourth wall was invented by a set designer who was high on amphetamines in the sixties as a result of a difficult problem he was having with the director. The director was insisting on a set with four walls, so that the actors were boxed into a real house, making it totally naturalistic. Of course, whilst this was all well and good, it meant that the audience would only be able to see a brick wall. The director argued that they’d still be able to
hear
the action inside – transforming the audience into a community of ‘neighbours listening in’. So the set designer was faced with a problem. Although he disagreed with the director, he was also being paid by the director. So, after much coffee and speed, he decided the best thing to do was create an ‘invisible’ wall. It was a genius idea as it was far more creative than a proper wall, and allowed the audience and actors to imagine whatever kind of wall they wanted. Ultimately, the director got his wall, the actors got their audience, and the audience got more than a pile of bricks. And it went down a treat! Hence the birth of the fourth wall.

Nowadays the fourth wall is constantly used in productions, but is often taken for granted. This is dangerous – and causes actors to forget about it – particularly when they start ‘eyeing up’ cuties in the first few rows. You must always fight this tendency and keep up the pretence that the wall is there. However, always remember that this does not mean you can throw things at it, hang things on it, lean on it or expect it to make a noise when you tap it. It isn’t real, dear!

Eyes On the Floor

Unless you are making a very brave character choice there really is no need to spend your entire performance staring at the floor. For one thing, it makes you appear nervous, and secondly, it stops the audience seeing your face and connecting with you. Whilst I understand that it may be very comforting staring at the floor – particularly if you’re wearing some nice costume shoes – it is infuriating to watch. You will generally find that audience members don’t like paying £50 to stare at an actor’s bald patch.

If the reason you stare at the floor is because you are actually scared of seeing the audience, there are far better options. One of them is to become a plumber. Another is to wear some wrong-strength contact lenses – making everything blurry. This will prevent you from seeing any of the audience and, as a bonus, will also stop you seeing your fellow actors (which is particularly useful if you are working with some uglies).

To be a successful actor you have to do more than simply shout. You have to shout in the right direction.