Every actor has been in a show where the audience does not seem to be responding. The usual talk backstage is that it was a "bad" audience and that is often given as an excuse for low energy in a performance. Audiences are not "bad." People do not pay money for tickets to a show with the intent of having an awful time. Audiences are supportive of the actors and the play. They want it to be a success.
If an audience is not responding to jokes or songs or drama in the way the actor feels they should, then the actor should give that much more to the performance. A low-key performance is caused by actors and not a result of the audience's reaction or lack of reaction. Some audiences will love a show but will show it in a quieter way than other audiences will.
If an actor is "real" on stage then he or she is not concerned with the audience. The total attention is in the scene and nothing outside of the circumstances of that scene exists for the actor. The best possible performance is given regardless of who is in the audience, how many people are there, or what their reaction is to the performance. The performance is the entire life of the actor during the play.
So in this New Year if you are an actor, then give your very best to every performance. Become real! If you are an audience member, react in your own way, whatever that might be, to the performance given. Without you, we actors would have a very boring existence.
Do you agree? Perhaps you disagree. Post your comments.
See you at the theatre!
Allen Schmeltz
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
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