Over the past 28 years I have performed in more than 400 live plays, musicals, pageants and concerts. I have directed over fifty full length productions and written half a dozen plays and countless sketches. Here is what I have boiled it down to: ACTING IS...Pretending on Purpose. That's right pretending. Now I know you just finished a book by the latest Hollywood Guru that said that acting is TRUTH. Ironic for a guy who teaches people to lie for a living to spend more time on the subject of truth than the average televangelist, don't you think.
Well, I'm not telling you he's wrong, but if I were I would be in famous company. In his book "On the technique of acting" Michael Chekhov, nephew of the famous Russian playwright Anton, argues that the imagination is the only tool strong enough to provide an actor with original and interesting character ideas. Now this was a guy who stood toe to toe with Stanislavsky, good ole Stan even called him his most famous student.
So, what do I mean when I say, acting is pretending is purpose? Well, you remember cops and robbers, or house, or cowboys and Indians? We all used some variation of role playing in our childhood. These game usually were selected by the bossiest kid on the playground and they would continue until no one could take anymore random rule changes and then we'd all go hang upside down on the monkey bars to relieve the stress. That was pure pretend! What we do in the theatre is a little more complicated.
We agree with a group of people that we will practice pretending to be someone we're not at scheduled times for a number of weeks. We build elaborate dress up clothes and buy special lamps to get just the right light. We find or create sounds and music, playhouses and special toys called props, to make sure it is all just right. Then we invite another, hopefully larger, group of people to watch us present our rehearsed pretending. Sounds kind of silly when I say it like that, doesn't it? Makes you wonder why all these Hollywood types take themselves so seriously, when in reality that is there job and they get millions for it. Why do they care if we "respect" them as artists as long as we pay our ten bucks a pop and keep sucking down movies?
Why do I do it, you may ask, I ask myself all the time. Here is the answer. I believe that the human imagination has a way of exploring the world around us that helps us better understand ourselves and others. I believe that people who are skilled in weaving these imaginations into stories and presenting them in a way that I find disarming and entertaining have a unique opportunity to make me see and admit things about myself and others that I might not if faced with "reality".
We as actors are basically story tellers. Hopefully we are selecting the kinds of stories that have the power to uplift and improve the human condition, show us who we are and remind us of who we want to be. That is why I do it. Over the coming weeks I am coming back to this dramorama project to plant some seeds and I will discuss in more detail the ideas behind my particular brand of pretend, I hope you will join me. Feel free to explore the sight and borrow anything you find here, it's all free. Drop a comment now and then to let us know how we're doing, and if you have an article idea send it to markrmorris2@sbcglobal.net.
