Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Fear is something that stops us as human beings on a daily basis.  We are afraid of speaking up for a friend who is being verbally attacked, because we are afraid of what other people might think of us.  We are afraid of telling the person we have fallen in love with that we truly do love them for fear of them not feeling the same exact way.  We are afraid of leaving a job that we hate and gain no personal enjoyment out of, because we are afraid of leaving the comfort zone of stability that we have created.  Or we are afraid of the dark and the monsters that lie there!

 What are the monsters that you are afraid of in your life?

I cannot help but return renewed and inspired after working with a truly dedicated and focused group of young adult actors.  The source that sparked my inspiration was watching these actors be fearless and taking major risks in the work they were doing as teenagers.  Yes, teenagers! I was so self conscious as a teenager so to see them leap and take a risk in a safe environment was so inspiring.  I was reminded  and struck by the quote, "Fear is only as deep as the mind allows."  We are only afraid and do not take risks, because we think about these fears. So stop thinking about them and take that leap that you need. I know, I know easier said than done. 

As an actor, I am constantly concerned with what other people think about me as a person and a performer, and it has taken me twenty some odd years to start to not care about others and focus on me.  When I attempted to do that, I freed myself and became a better actor and took major risks in my auditions and my performances. But I am still working on it.

I find myself and watch other performers consumed by this fear of letting other people's opinions or ideas shape them and their careers. When you are concerned with, "oh they think I am too short, oh I cannot sing as well as that guy, oh this shirt makes me look......(fill in the blank)" your work suffers.  Those fears creep up all time for me especially at auditions when I am nervous.  Why am I nervous? Because I am more concerned about other people than myself and my work.  I am not nervous when I rock out to Billy Joel in the shower so why should I be nervous in an audition room.

   I am not saying that all people's opinions or ideas should not be taken into account.  Finding a good network of people whom make you a better person, which in turn will make your work fuller and more effective, is important.  Positive constructive feedback from a casting director, acting coach, or vocal coach can be extremely helpful.  However, as I have discovered, there is no right way in this business and you will get many conflicting opinions on everything from how to read sides to what not to wear.  My advice is to find what works best for you, because when you are confident in your own skin nothing else matters.

Also, keep a light on so that those monsters do not creep out of that dark place. How you say? Dream. Always Dream to keep your hopes high, because hope is that parachute that helps you when you take that first leap to something new.  Take that leap in your life, in your work, and in whatever you feel most passionate about.


As Always


Live for Today, Laugh Hard, Love this Moment!

McGee

Silence of the Actor

si·lence (slns)

n.

1. The condition or quality of being or keeping still and silent.

2. The absence of sound; stillness.

3. A period of time without speech or noise.

4. Refusal or failure to speak out.

There is so much beauty in silence, and I often forget that.  I am constantly surrounded by noise in New York City whether it be from the city streets or from inside my apartment with the television or music.  There is hardly a moment of silence.  However, I am out of the city teaching in Rochester this week, and I am reminded of the beauty and power of silence.  It is so quiet here and  I love just sitting in the back yard looking up at the stars at night with very little noise. But how does silence affect our day to day living? 

As a nation we sometimes will take a moment of silence to honor a person, or sometimes when I am really angry I will not speak.  Silence can honor someone or tear someone apart.  Silence is so powerful that it can be a positive energy (+) or a negative  energy (-) depending on how it is utitlized.  Not saying anything can say so much especially to an audience, and as an actor, I often forget this. I just want to get to the lines, but this week I am reminded of the power in silence.

As I said, I am teaching an acting intensive this week for high school students, (who are rocking it this week) but I was struck by this idea of silence.  All too often actors want to talk whether it be about themselves when you are out at a bar or in the scene work(aka their lines). However, as I am coaching and working on monologues with these actors this week, I find myself saying "rememeber the power of silence" several times. 

Silence can be a powerful tool for an actor.  How an actor moves, what they are thinking can convey so much to an audience that sometimes words cannot express.  I think it would be helpful as I do my homework on the script like objectives, superobjectives, character relationships, to look for the moments in a script where silience/stillness may be effective. Maybe circle them or highlight them in order to be aware of them when rehearsing.

As always an actor needs to be fully aware of himself in life in order to bring that to his work, and I think silence can be a good tool for that as well.  Silence forces me to slow down, breathe, and stop. When I stop and breathe, I am more patient, happier, and able to reflect more on who I am as a person and what I want my life to be at that moment in time.

Silence helps remind me to Live for Today and Love this Moment and when I do that I am sure there is a moment where I will laugh hard as well. 

Live for Today, Laugh Hard, and Love This Moment and take a moment of silence for yourself! You deserve it!

Patrick