As long as we are going ‘round with introductions, allow me to introduce myself as a man of wealth and taste…I’m a long time friend of Strawdog, I’ve been in Chicago going on 15 years and have known some of the doggers (like Nic) nearly as long. I’m a former member of the royally deceased Defiant Theatre – best described as a bunch of bloody naked people jumping off of scaffolding (something that we never actually did but seems to encapsulate our esthetic better than any other description I’ve ever heard).
As an actor I ALWAYS start with the text. Many actors start elsewhere, but I prefer to start with a blank slate and the text and marry it with what the other actors bring on stage. My feeling is that if you bring too many pre-conceived ideas in the door with you, you are very likely to miss/lose/destroy the life of the character and the play.
Once, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away – I conceived the idea of Klingon MacBeth. It would have been a grand (GRAND I SAY!) production. The Combat would have been visceral, the context new and exciting. Think of the possibilities! And the hours getting into make-up! But does it really add anything? (besides hours of fun and triples your production budget). In word…no. It doesn’t add a thing to the text (though it woulda been fun to market). There is nothing about that idea that adds any depth to the characters, and at the end of the day the only thing that matters is the people of the play and their story.
Over the years I’ve seen many approaches to Shakespeare. Some like to race through the lines as if they were talking normally. Others are just so damned afraid of language that they never try and penetrate the wall that they have erected around the material. Others like to add a modern context to the material so we ‘can see ourselves’ in the play. But all of that is really anathema to doing Shakespeare well. All you have to do is understand the characters, love your character and speak to each other. (of course you should understand the text first). As it turns out, Shakespeare has given you all you need to make the play interesting and relevant because he has written real people. All you have to do is tell their story.
And that’s why I think the Folio is such a valuable tool - it’s a piece of sheet music that Shakespeare has given you to bring his play to life. It’s true that if you approach it by wrote you are likely to stomp the life out of it, but this is true of any approach. It’s also true of love. The folio offers subtle clues that (if heeded) will nudge the actor into some really spontaneous and fresh performances. And like any good piece of music, it is not rigid. Any good conductor realizes that there is infinite space between notes. The same is true of words. There is no need to try and negotiate the language and balance it with authentic emotional presence. If you understand the character and the language and are speaking to one another – there is no way that you can not be authentic in emotion and presence.
Sean Sinitski - Rivers - AKA guy with gun
No comments:
Post a Comment