Expert: Wanda Reinholdt - 7/30/2009

Question
I'm in a local play and I am very new to this.  How do I warm up to the people I feel who look at me like I don't belong there?  but the directors love me and say they need me.  And, how do I connect and look like I'm best friends with people on set for a scene of a party?

Answer
Hi there, Victoria...And thanks for writing.

Congrats on getting into a play!  That is great.  

What is the actor's role?  Is the actor's role to worry about the other actors?  Or is the actor's role to do his role to the best of his ability?  

I don't know what the looks are about or if you are just assuming that they are looking at you that way.  What I do know is that if you are concentrating on their response to you rather than on doing your role well that you are not doing your job.  

And if the directors love you, then great.  

Just be kind to the others and maybe look at ways that you can compliment something that they do on the stage when you are not rehearsing a scene.  Don't direct them.  Simply tell them that you thought they did ____ great.  And give them a compliment only when you are able to be sincere.

Regarding to connecting in the scene...
In the party scene or in any scene that you have, do you know what you want in the scene?  If you were to describe your objective in the scene, what would you say you would want to do to the others?  Describe your objective using a verb.  For e.g. maybe you want to entertain them.  Or maybe you want to ignore them.  

Look at the script.  What does it tell you that you are to do?  If you are to be best friends, then
how do you explain that using a verb?  Maybe you are to lead the people in the party.  What does the script tell you?  

Does that help you?

Wanda