A Skills Audit

Skills Audit for actors/performers

Upon becoming a performer I have since gained numerous skills needed to better myself and grow as a performer, for example :

• Body language and Vocal usage; These two skills are what the majority of actors base on how they can portray a character and bring it to life. I feel these allow for deeper connections with said character, how he walks and talks, does he slouch? Does he elongate his words? Does he stutter? Does he fidget? Is he an animated character? Where is his center of attention? We as actors are able to forge characters from their body language giving the audience the opportunity to decide what kind of character their watching, is he evil because he has his hands behind his back and walks with his head upwards? Such things can be enhanced further by how we as actors use our vocals with a certain character. I took my teachings of this when performing as The Duke in 'Two Gentlemen of Verona', my chest was high as was my head, I had decided for my voice to be strong and my body language was dismissive to those who I viewed as underlings and there was certain presence about me I held when I walked. This is a clear opposite to when I played Oedipus. This character was more inward in a position of royalty, worried more about those than the Duke did. Proud, heroic and brave was what I held when I took the mantle of this character.

• Projection and Clarity; Without these skills how as actors would we be heard? How would our tales be told? Projection of the voice is imperative in various situations especially when working within a theater, this is due to how big the work-space is and because of this our words need to be clear and hit each and everyone of our audience.  In my first year of college my tutor had noticed that one of my flaws was that though I had a powerful voice I kept it contained. In that it was getting lost in the back rows of our theater. He had told me that to change that I had to really dig deep and bring up my oh so powerful voice from within my diaphragm to really make use of my voice. 

• Teamwork/Ensembles and Improvisation; The very bread and butter of a good performance some would believe and I wouldn't disagree. Having strong team chemistry to work through whatever is set before you is definitely one of the main skills a performer would need, breaking down obstacles, getting to know more one another and more. These make you more comfortable with your team knowing them as you would know yourself, I suppose this can then come into worrying about making yourself look like an idiot in front of your crew but that's for a separate point. Alongside having a powerful ensemble improvisation comes in cleanly here, reason being is quite simple. In the event an actor forgets their lines on stage/set it's up to you as the other actor to improvise until the moment is set rightly, linking these two together as improvising with those you feel comfortable/at ease is just that. Easier. At college our tutor has always taught us that when improvising to never say "no" as this limits you to what could have been, one must always face the unknown when performing or acting as any ideas could sprout and push our creativity further and further. To squeeze in another topic in here I feel adjusting is another skill actors would need. For example, in my first year I alongside my amazing group took the liberty of taking up the play 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' (Can be found on my blog) there was an instance where it was the day of our big performance and during it one of our actors had forgotten their lines and we had to adjust to that set situation and continue with the scene as if it that was to happen, adjusting and improvising come hand in hand though most believe them to be the same. I assure you...it's not.

On to the Next!

• Respect/Modesty, Confidence and Impervious; Now, as actors and performers we have to carry our weight around with a purpose. And by that I mean we need to proudly own what we have and be confident in it, there has been a number of times actors, singers, dancers etc have been distraught because of what audience members have said about their performance or what critics pinpoint about them. Grow up! Nothing in life is ever that deep, they are called critics because they criticize a performance and absorb it and dish out what was good and what was bad. Being impervious to their verbal assault is what breaks the mold in a good performer and a bad one, you may think I'm being harsh but it's true. How could you expect to better your craft if at every point someone doesn't like the way you acted or thinks something was missing you cry and tell yourself you're the worst. That's immature, be confident and strong in yourself to be okay with what is said, better yourself and show them something greater! Commit to your character no matter what the circumstances! Being respectful is high, I would say as some actors believe themselves to be the 'Greatest of All Time' and while I have no qualms with these ideals you simply cannot carry yourself with this Godlike aura and think everyone's beneath you, no one likes an arrogant supercilious individual especially within the acting world. Wait...did I just describe myself? Having a modest attitude is a special trait as it shows respect and gratitude to those around you outside and in the workplace whether it be stage or on set, as self explanatory as that is it places you in the middle. Not indecently over confident but yet not deeply troubled by how the world views you. Once you've gained your thick skin, showed the world your weight and be humble about what you have. Call yourself Goldilocks because you're just right. Rob...should I stop with the corny jokes?

• Risk-taking, Patience and Consideration; Unfortunately not everyone will have the same love and affection for your ideas as you have. It's evident as performers we tend to get overly passionate about our productions and overdose on our creative juices however when working in a group it's incredibly vital that we take in and collect all the ideas everyone has given out until we have a surplus of creations. Not only does this open us all with these different plots/changes we can identify what fits and what doesn't, taking other's ideas into consideration blatantly get's you in the zone in acting, I personally get absorbed in discussions over devising our plays or talking over how certain characters might interact with this setting etc. It's one of the many starting stones as an actor/tress. And while this may all be sunshine and rainbows you will most definitely need to be patient. "Nothing in this world is at first perfect. Tending to something time, time and time again will slowly but surely show a final form. Dedicate to your work and let it show" This quote can be used here in that when devising or even going through your play you will make mistakes, you will forget and you will go over things again. It's in this you have patience, great things take time. Your performance could be the most amazing, intricate and deep showing because you all took time to run it back countless times. New ideas could sprout from running it again and now you're going to want to include that and see how it looks. Be Patient. Going deeper we move across to risk taking. As actors and performers if a particular idea is festering in your mind don't think just do. Some of the most extraordinary movies and performances were the product of risks being taken, as actors the only thing that should stop us from creating is our imagination and creative energy. Evaluate the how big of a risk it is and come together, explain why you want this, show how interesting it could be. Take a risk. Though there is a chance for a potential loss and even harm, yet there is also a chance for a high rewarding outcome. Make a choice. It's been said many a time that when in groups you need to become somewhat tolerant of the chance to fail, but it's not the tolerance of failure that pushes us to new heights, no, instead it is the risk taking that drives the team to newer, stronger heights. During my time in class I've been taught to always take risks in what I do when in class thanks to my tutor for broadening my creative mindset, I take these teachings to enhance all my performances whatever and wherever they might be.

• Time management and Having fun; How would I prioritize? How can I motivate myself? Why do I need to plan? Is having focus really necessary? Will the second years ever watch cricket? All these questions will be answered in our final write up for how useful these skills are in being an actor. First of all we need to highlight how much of a top tier skill managing your time is, as an actor you will need to be on set/stage at crazy times or you might get a call and your dress rehearsal as changed to a later time and you were planning to go out at that time. Some may choose to be sick and call off the rehearsal to have fun. While I have targeted having fun I'll discuss that later, it's the good actor that will prioritize and prepare for the rehearsal ahead of time and be ready to ship out instead of fumbling around for something you've forgotten. You're goals need to be clear when taking these into consideration taking a line from what I read in an article. 

"The biggest reason that most people struggle with prioritization is that they start too late in the process. They attempt to prioritize the items that are on their task list. However, if you look closely at most task lists, you will find that they contain items which never should have made it on to the task list in the first place"