I'm 5'10".
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, I'm just a touch taller than the average male. Hooray.
However, in the theatre world, I am short. It seems to me that, as a guy, if you aren't 6'0" or taller, you're on the shorter side of things in the theatre. 5'10" is fine if I'm some romantic comedy, or if I'm playing some silly character, but that's not what is happening this summer.
This summer I am a soldier. Hell, not just a soldier... the number two soldier in this particular army. Othello chooses Cassio over Iago to be his 2nd in command. Looking at the actors playing those three roles... I will be the shortest of the three.
Side Note: I walked into an audition this past winter and was, by far, the shortest guy there. I made friends with some guy who was like 6'6" tall and then he had hair like Kid had from Kid and Play.
Here's a picture of Michael Jordan with old-school hip-hop stars Kid, Fresh Prince, Jazzy Jeff, and Play. Kid's hair was crazy! So with this guy's at the audition. He actually was hitting the exit sign with his hair while he was talking to me! hahaha
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Topic Two:
Shakespeare plays are often long and Othello is one of the longest. On top of that, fight scenes often come towards the end of plays. On top of that, this is summer outdoor theatre. This is HOT. Bouncing around for three hours in a multi-layered costume is a challenge... especially during matinees.
And actors are expected to be at their peak performance level at a time of day that most people are winding down. The final acts of violence will all come after 10pm.
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So what's the point of all this?
Whether we want to admit it or not, how we look tells a story on stage. There are certain things about our looks and our physical fitness that we really can't control. Unless you want to do crazy things like have that crazy surgery where they break your legs and expand them to make you taller, you're probably going to remain the same height. However there are a whole lot of things, in terms of physical appearance and fitness that you can control.
To me, it comes down to three things...
1) Strength/Muscle Mass
I can't get taller yet I have to communicate a persona that will make the audience believe that I could rival a guy much taller than me as soldier. For me, that means putting on muscle mass. The truth is, with all the layers of costume I'll have on, it really won't read much... but, even if it gives me a positive mental bump, it will be well worth it.
2) Endurance
An actor has to be an athlete. They don't have to be some greek god, but they do have to have a certain level of physical stamina that typically goes beyond that of what is required in everyday life. This aspect isn't about body shape or whatever. Go look at one of these huge marathons like the NYC marathon or the Chicago marathon and you will see all sorts of body types. All of them are athletes.
Nobody cares what my day was like while I am acting. Nobody cares if I am tired during the show. Nobody cares that it is 93 degrees and I've been bouncing around a stage for two hours. There are no excuses. If I appear tired, the audience will be tired of me. Imagine playing a role like Hamlet. There you are, holding down a show for hours and hours, and then you have to fight at the end of the show. So, an actor needs to work on endurance. My personal feeling is that if you can't do an hour of cardio, you can't do a major role in Shakespeare. I am sure there are a ton of actors who would disagree with me, but that is my thought.
3) Flexibility
I hate stretching. I hate yoga. But I am realizing more and more how important it is for an actor to have good flexibility. The truth is, your character choices, in terms of movement, are limited, in some degree, by your range of motion. This really is true with comedy. You don't see too many muscle-bound people succeed with comedy. Comedy is free... so if people aren't flexible, the tend to be a little less funny.
Anyway...
As soon as I was cast, not only did I start to create a gameplay for lines, acting prep, etc., I also created a workout gameplan.
X number of miles running per week.
X number of days in the weight room.
X number of calories a day...etc., etc., etc.
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All of this stuff is not something that I talk about too often with my actors in acting class. But the truth is, if you want to make money acting... get thee to a gymnasium. I know that if I take a day off, there is some other actor that isn't... and that if happens consistently, they'll get the role over me. Heck, L.A. is full of people that can't act but that physically take care of themselves and they often get cast over people who CAN act but don't take care of themselves physically.
Plus, If my goal as an actor is to be an epic storyteller... then I need to prepare myself in every way I can to have a chance at achieving that goal. So, for me, with this role, along with the bookwork, I've been working out, on average, two hours a day.
Today was running, lifting, and yoga. Kind of the perfect day... working on strength, endurance, and flexibility.
This is a rather rambling post but it's 1am and I can only talk about memorizing so much. Plus, I just spent a few hours painting my living room and suspect I am a little buzzed from paint fumes. If nothing else, there was a pretty sweet picture in today's post.
Final thing... The shout out of the day goes to Emily H. who has been following along while she is doing some amazing theatre work in NYC. She's stage managing my production of Twelfth Night that I am directing this winter and she'll probably be able to do that in her sleep after doing all of this great NYC work!
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