\n<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what else can I be doing?\u201d It\u2019s a simple question, and one that you might well have asked a teacher, mentor or colleague in the acting industry. It\u2019s a question I hear a lot when teaching, coaching, directing actors\u2014and often asked by performers who are doing everything right. They\u2019re training, they\u2019re auditioning, keeping their showreel current and their headshots fresh. \u201cSo what else can I be doing?\u201d My answer is always the same: \u201cStart seeing theatre as an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actors need to see live theatre in order to learn about their craft and expand their knowledge of the artform. They\u2019ll see other actors at work, and learn how to wield their own skills, as well as develop an understanding of how a story is crafted for a live audience. In addition, seeing theatre as an actor supports your industry; you can network, socialise and stay up to date with what kind of work is being done.<\/strong><\/p>\n The importance of seeing theatre is paramount for any<\/em> actor\u2014screen or stage. Even if you have no desire to creep the boards yourself, you\u2019ll learn so much from the simple act of watching your peers, your industry colleagues, do what they do. Where else do you get to see somebody on the same journey as you apply the same skills totally unfiltered? Get in on it!<\/p>\n What\u2019s the difference between an actor seeing theatre and the experience of the general public? For the most part, it\u2019s identical\u2014and this is an important thing for you to keep in mind as somebody with aspirations in the creative industries. It\u2019ll stop your experience of seeing theatre becoming a purely educational or career-motivated exercise.<\/p>\n Theatre can entertain, educate, inspire, provoke, amuse, delight and even horrify. It can be a deeply uncomfortable experience that pushes you to emotional and physical limits. And it can make you feel like you\u2019re home. Due to its \u2018live\u2019 component, theatre is inherently intimate for an audience: it promises and delivers on live and direct connection between artist and audience.<\/p>\n So the trick for seeing theatre as an actor is to watch it through the lens of\u00a0audience\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>artist. Enjoy yourself, lose yourself, get swept up in the experience, but not so much that you can\u2019t analyse how\u00a0<\/em>it made you feel something.<\/p>\n This will also keep you engaged if the play is particularly awful. Rather than writing off the experience as an expensive mistake, challenge yourself to work out why it\u2019s making you feel a certain way. At the very least, you\u2019ll hopefully avoid the same mistakes in your own, future work.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve bought your ticket, you\u2019ve sat down in your seat, you\u2019re full of cheap red wine and Maltesers. When the lights come down and the show begins, what should you be aware of? Short answer: plenty. Let\u2019s break down what you might analyse below.<\/p>\n Of course, the big thing to look for when seeing theatre as an actor are the actors themselves. We\u2019ve given this topic its own fancy subheading (below), but don\u2019t forget to look past your own discipline to the complete whole of the production. Theatre, like film, like any creative endeavour, is always a team sport. And that includes not just cast and crew but critics, audiences and the larger art world.<\/p>\n There is an extremely helpful Latin phrase that was once the motto of the Western Australian Performing Arts Academy<\/a> (WAAPA): \u201cars celare artem.\u201d<\/em> This phrase roughly translates to \u201cit is art to conceal art\u201d and it refers to the ability of good actors to make their craft look natural, effortless,\u00a0real.<\/em><\/p>\n Good stage actors often look like they\u2019re just showing up and baring their souls. The reality is their performance is simply concealing their technique, their skill\u2014and likely decades of training and experience. Right when a performance feels totally natural:\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>is the moment to really hone in on how a moment is played. What choices has the actor made that seem so invisible?<\/p>\n As a guide, think back to your own acting fundamentals: how has the actor pursued their objective<\/a>? What are their tactics and actions<\/a>? What are the given circumstances<\/a> of the scene, and what\u2019s prompted them to action in their moment before<\/a>? Any performance, no matter how transcendent, deals with the same basics. Even Seeing Theatre as \u201cActor\u201d vs. \u201cAudience\u201d<\/h2>\n
What to Look For at the Theatre<\/h2>\n
\n
Learning From Theatre Actors<\/h2>\n
Hot Priest<\/del> Hamlet.<\/p>\n