7-10-12 Relax...

I was once watching this interview of a mixed martial arts fighter.  The interviewer asked the guy how he gets himself amped up before a big match and the fighter's response might surprise some.  He said that he doesn't try to get amped up... instead he simply tries to relax.  He fights best when he is relaxed in the ring. 

I feel the same way about acting.  Young actors often think that if you  give a lot of energy on stage, you must be giving a good performance.  Energy is great but crazy, amped up energy can sometimes lead to a performance that is really loud and really energetic and really unspecific.  As I have gotten older, I have learned to control energy a little better... partially because as I get older, my well of energy isn't quite as abundant as it once was.  haha  But there are still times where I walk off stage and say "that was a little too much energy and a little out of control."

Today we were working through Part One of the play.  We were really starting to craft some of the details of the first half.  Things started off well for me. I really enjoy what I do in Act I.  I don't have all that many lines but I like living in the scenes... I get to flash a little sword which is fun... and I get to establish Cassio as a soldier and friend to Othello.

Eventually we made our way to the drunk scene which is just this wonderful challenge of a scene for me.  There are probably a half a dozen different energies in that scene for my own journey as I work on different objectives throughout the scene and so it's a challenge to figure out how to let them flow.  Tonight we cranked the tempo of the fight up and I found that the fight energy lingered a little too long in the rest of the scene.  So, when it got to a point where I was supposed to bring it down, I did it unsuccessfully and just was... well... vomiting energy all over the place... hahaha.  But, it's great to know that danger is there and I can craft things now to accommodate for this... build in spots where I cool myself off a bit... where I remind myself to relax.

It IS time to crank things up though.  Just as Othello mentioned last night.  You can see some actors doing it.  Hopefully tomorrow it keeps going up.

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Another picture from the last production I did with this group. This group never really has a lot of scenery. There are pros and cons to this but with the river there and the pedestrian bridge and the evening sky, we end up with some really great backdrops. I love the sky in this picture. Also, the other guy in the picture is in an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Buffalo this summer. If you're looking for some free theatre in Western New York, check it out.