One of my first auditions out of college was for a theatre known for their highly theatrical style. They were doing a piece with a lot of movement, as they are known to do, and after seeing my monologue and singing a short song they asked me to be a monkey. It went much like this:
Me: (conclude song)
She: (with Russian accent) Ok/ good/ now be a monkey.
Me: Ok. (Proceed with being a monkey, a small capuchin in my mind)
She: NO! A BIG MONKEY! A BIG MONKEY!
Me: (Change to being big monkey, a large gorilla in my mind)
The audition went well, they called me back, but in the end I took another show and it conflicted with theirs. I will never know if my monkey was what they were looking for.
I must admit that I love telling this story. I had fun when I was there, and it is fun to reenact. It usually gets a laugh. Last time I told the story was to some cast mates, one of them was absolutely astonished that I had so quickly jumped into being a monkey. She said that she could never have done it. This surprised me. Being a monkey was so benign, and hey, animal imagery was a helpful part of my acting training, particularly with Shakespeare; but I learned a long time ago to respect the lines actors draw for themselves. If she was not comfortable being a monkey, then so be it. Most actors I know have a line they won't cross.
I am constantly struggling with that line myself. When I first discovered Sarah Kane I fell in love with her savage almost unbearable work. As I began Blasted I was immediately drawn to Cate and as I read on I was mentally ticking down to my line. Saying to myself "I could handle this, I could work toward this", and hoping that she would not cross my actor line, so that the possibility of playing this part could happen one day.
Do writers, and directors struggle with this line as much as actors? In the end they are not the ones who have to do the deeds, just the ones to tell us to do it. When Kane wrote Blasted was she thinking to herself about an actor having to get raped and have his eyeballs sucked out? Most likely not. She was simply creating. What staging did Frank Wedekind imagine for the circle jerk in the middle of Springs Awakening? The same jerking off competition echoed for me when I later read Naomi Wallace's War Boys.
There will always be actors willing to do anything. Just ask Cherry Red. But that is not my question. I want to know if a writer struggles with the idea of sending an actor to those places or does the drive to attain a theatrical moment supersede any worry? Is it even a factor in the writing of a play?
Does this line become an issue when a director weighs whether or not to do a show? Is it more than just staging feasibility, cost, and passion for a piece? When a director falls in love with a script, does part of the weighing process include acknowledging that an actual person has to enact these moments?
We continually navigate these lines in the creation of an art that is collaborative. There is no solitude in the formation of theatre. It is pretty cool to think, that even with all these lines drawn, we still find synergy.
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5 comments:
Yes, yes, and yes.
Sarah Kane is a good example. But I have to admit, I would think more about whether I, as a director, would want to live in the place that Blasted or (especially) 4:48 Psychosis exists for four weeks rehearsal and several months before that for prep and research. I think it is tough (and potentially thrilling) all around - for actors, directors, even designers - you inhabit the world of the play, to some degree at least.
Of course it is the actors who actually have to physically live in that world.
That having been said, I would love to find a place in DC that would produce a Sarah Kane play.
My guess is that, as with actors, many artists have certain lines, and some have very few to none. I would also tend to think then, that we would gravitate toward those who are at a similar comfort level. Blasted, or yes, 4:48 Psychosis, would definitely do a lot of quick weeding out with all of the lines Kane blazes across. I too would love to see her work done...
I can only speak for myself but it does cross my mind when I'm writing that an actor will actually have to do this thing I'm writing. And sometimes I think "oh this will be fun to do" and sometimes I am like "I am asking someone to dress as the opposite sex. Or This person will have to pretend to rape this person." Which of course some people would not want to do.
For the record, I would be willing to do the vodka shots in your new piece.
thanks. of course it would be stage vodka.
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