Expert: John T. Aney - 5/9/2009

Question
Hello, John! Thank you for reading my question.

(In reading this over, I see that I am a bit prolific. I will not be offended in the least if you skip to the last paragraph.)

I'm 16. I do a lot of theatre and musical theatre (usually 10ish shows a year?), as well as improvisational comedy, but at this time do not plan to make a career out of it. I try to be the best actor/singer I can be for the love of the art, etc. etc. So if you would rather answer someone's questions about "how do I get onto broadway?" or something to that effect, I understand.

A friend recently played the role of "AP" in a community theatre production of "Columbinus". The show was brilliantly staged, and the acting was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed (perhaps that's not the right word to be using here...regardless) the show. It inspired me to look more into being more realistic in my acting.

My friends and family always tell me that I'm "entertaining". I made people laugh while playing a waiter by putting a glass of water on a table. But bragging aside, sometimes it just doesn't feel "real" to me. I don't feel authentic when I'm on stage - it seems to me like I'm only creating a character and not a person. Savvy?

So I recently joined my school's chapter of the Thespian Honor Society. My inductor happened to be the friend who was in "Columbinus". As one of my induction gifts, he gave me a copy of Uta Hagen's "Respect For Acting", telling me he had read it and it proved very useful to him. I had never looked much into literature on acting or drama. I was skeptical, but I trusted his opinion as both a friend and a good actor, and read it.

I was amazed. I took it with me to school one day, reading every chance I could and found I'd finished half of the book in a day. I truly believe it can help me find that "authentic" character I'm trying to create.

If you have read "Respect For Acting", what are you thoughts on it? Or, more broadly, could you recommend any other texts that might be of use to me?

Thanks again for reading my question. Sorry in advance for inevitable spelling/grammar errors. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Michael  

Answer
Michael,

Thank you for your question.  It's refreshing to see someone asking about something other than "How do I become famous?"

I haven't read Uta Hagen (which I admit is a mistake on my part), but so many people I know and respect have sworn by it over the years that I must agree that it is of great value.

I learn a lot by reading about process.  I highly recommend "Year of the King" by Antony Sher.  It's his diaries from the work he did in the 80s preparing to play Richard III for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It is an excellent, entertaining look at how actors work to create character.

Of course, Stanislavsky's books are critical - recently a new translation of his works has come out, so I would look An Actors Work: A Student's Diary, translated by Jean Benedetti.

jta