201 TRUTH IN PERFORMANCE

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Truth is described as human beings ideas and activities that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, lending itself to peoples beliefs, propositions, and declarations.  As artists our number one priority is to create a truthful experience for our audiences. How can we discover this? What is the criteria? Is truth absolute, or is it merely relative to one's perspective? How can we build performances that not only captures audience but leave them hungry for another experience? Some performances feel so warm and real, if you close your eyes, you could taste or touch the experience. Cultivating this quality requires intention and energy. Filling every space with both presence and sound. Reaching co-performers on either side of the fourth wall, and ctively engaging your senses and six portals of energy. Intention creates believability. Awareness around wanting the audience to come with you on your character’s journey is key to reshaping your entire approach to TRUTH. 

Truth in the “Art of acting" by nature is subjective or collaborative depending on the relatability and significance of ones own experience. Through a sense of commitment and availability, artists influence how truthful a role may seem. If we don’t believe our performance, neither will our audience. How available are you to find the depth in a role? Can you learn to inhabit emotional states that relate directly to our character’s choices rather than our judgement of their emotional state? All people are inherently capable of light and dark emotions. Understanding this, grounds a performance regardless of given circumstance. eg. Like Uta Hagen’s method of substitution. You may not have murdered someone, however you may have felt the power of rage where the idea of murder could feel possible.

Acting is the life of the human soul receiving its birth through art! It’s a process. Multiple truths are possible. Whether it be Film, Television or Theatre the difference in mediums isn’t one of big versus small; it’s the difference of where you look for and discover your TRUTH.  Your character's story begins in the middle, not the beginning.  Actors need to embrace a broad palette of tactics and techniques, to live through any situation demanded by authors or writers. It’s not comfortable to play great parts. It takes work! Let's do the WORK!