Acting Classes – Attitude, Emotions, Showing up
This morning, my mindfulness meditation teacher shared a viewpoint with us. When you take a breath, you notice all the sensations within you. Acknowledge that every sensation, even the ones that are uncomfortable, is a reminder that you are alive.
I believe that’s a fantastic attitude to have in an acting class as well. Sometimes people don’t show up or arrive late, explaining that they are not feeling well. As you attend acting training, it’s better to bring any experiences you have into the class.
You might pleasantly surprise others and even bring a gift to them if you will share. Although your attitude may have to change during filming or rehearsals, I think it’s more helpful to have it for acting training. I’m not talking about attitudes that bring others down or seek attention, but about allowing yourself to experience desperation, anger, and sadness, and understanding that emotions are not fixed—they change as soon as you let them flow.
While teaching at a film school, I found it frustrating that students could simply call and claim mental health issues as an excuse for missing class. I had an intuitive understanding that many students would resort to this excuse because they hadn’t adequately prepared for class, felt uneasy about a particular exercise that required them to step out of their comfort zone, or had partied the night before or they just didn’t “like” my class, etc. It is a significant achievement that we can now openly discuss this, although sometimes we may miss out on important lessons for your professional lives.
1. Practicing the act of getting up and sharing, even when you’re not in the mood, strengthens the acting muscle. It’s fine, you don’t need to hide or feel ashamed, it will help you grow. Your characters need you to show up, bring them to life, and not judge or suppress certain emotions. Whenever you have some free time, examine the contrasting meanings of emotions and feelings.
2. Attitude towards work. In all professions, including non-artistic ones, it is typical to feel uninspired and unmotivated during the initial half to one hour of work. During this time, a part of you may strongly consider quitting or crawling back into bed and hiding beneath your pillow. Once you accept this as normal and figure out what you need to work, everything becomes easier. Whether it is a physical warm-up, just throwing yourself into the work or a way you connect to yourself and others. Warm-ups are necessary in sports, just as writers sometimes have to wait patiently. But he/she has to sit at his desk and not let himself get distracted by wandering around.
3. Engaging in any activity can have a profound impact on your emotions, and the company of someone else can bring about laughter or help you detach from discomfort or overthinking. Emotions/Feelings can change, and that’s a lesson for acting in scenes too. Joy may follow anger, only to be replaced by frustration or any other feeling once again. It’s much more intriguing than ending the scene with the same tone or emotion you began it with. Why do I need my partner or the scene if my character just wants his attitude confirmed? Every scene is there for a revelation how tiny it might be. Each scene portrays either the growth or deterioration of a relationship, or the growth or defeat/cornered of a person. In some scenes, characters bond on a deeper level or a character stands up for him/herself for the first time.