1/10 Acting class (Learnt a lot)
3 vs 2. We each got lines from a paper. Each time, we would read one line with intention directed at one of the two people in front of us. I chose them evenly. Before speaking the line, you should turn around and not face your opponent. When you’re ready to speak, you turn to them.
After the first line we did, Mark suggested using the turn to indicate something. It could be fast or slow. Just use the turn to convey something.
The second line I said was, “How dare you.” I used the turn. I turned fast with the intention of, “Hey, don’t touch me,” and I spoke it with strong intention. But I felt like my body might have been leaning a bit forward.
After everyone did their second line, Mark said to be aware not to lean forward, as this might affect our voice. It’s so true. He asked us to stand in good posture, then lean forward to feel the slight “tightening” in our throat. The sensation is around the hollow between your throat and chest. So, be more aware of that. The second thing is to be rooted to the ground, feeling like you breathe in air through your thighs.
With these two points in mind, I did the third line, “Turn off the light.” My intention was to feel tired and ask the opponent to turn off the light. But it’s difficult to balance the two points Mark mentioned. How do you convey “tired” but speak with a rooted voice instead of an “airy” sound?
The last line I did was, “Put the knife down, and step away from the table.”
Before I did this, Mark had already coached another pair about the “force field.” It’s not about volume or leaning forward, but about being aware of your force field.
Mark also mentioned a very thoughtful idea. He said don’t just do the drama with your opponents and forget to connect with the audience. If you don’t connect with the audience, they may feel like there’s only a bubble on stage and feel neglected.
We just need to be aware of the space, aware of the existence of our opponents and the audience. Then the presentation will be very different. I saw my classmates do this. It’s a subtle difference, but it does make a difference.
So when I did my line, I already had these thoughts in mind: Strong intention, aware of the audience. So I did great. I think once you’re aware of the audience, your body, your senses, and your voice automatically reach out to them. It’s not about volume; it’s about intention.
Just one thing: the moment when my partner and I were sitting closer to each other, I used a voice that was too loud. I could feel it once I spoke the line, but it was too late to adjust. Mark noticed this too, so he asked me to be aware of the distance.
So I spoke the line again with a less loud volume but with the same intensity. The feeling changed a bit.
Mark also said that this is my choice, and you can see that by changing the volume slightly, things change—the feelings change.
To conclude today’s lesson:
Grounding, thighs,
don’t lean forward,
strong intention,
aware of the existence of the audience,
connect with the audience.
