#36: Yesterday Is Done
Monday 8/19/24
“How did that feel?”
I bet that’s a sentence every single actor, singer, or dancer has heard. You get an adjustment and you try it “how’d that feel?” You try something new after some direction “how’d that feel”...
It’s an epidemic really. Now I’m not talking about when you are asked about safety or pain or throat issues for singing. I mean when you truly get an intention-based adjustment and the coach or director says “how’d that feel”.
They want to you to say “great”. And, i bet nearly 90% of the time you say “great!”. Really think about it. I’m sure this is exactly how it played out. And, if it did in fact “feel great” then good. But, I’m going to seriously ask you… how do you know?
Acting is about doing. Right? We’ve talked about that and any acting teacher, coach, professor worth their salt, will know this. So the correct question is - “how did that go for you?” or “do you think you got closer to your objective” or “what worked”. But how did that FEEL is not of interest.
Now sometimes I think that is a turn of phrase but the answer will always be tethered to emotion because there are emotive words in the question! If you are a coach or director reading this - watch that language. Try another question. “How’d that feel” feels good for YOU because they will most likely say “good” or “great” and you can pat yourself on the back. (insert self high five!)
That is about YOU. Not them.
And this happens in every classroom, in every rehearsal, and on every zoom each day. If you want to remove emotion from actors brains and refocus to “action” - this is step one. YOU have to change. YOU have to fix that language.
Remove feeling. It’s irrelevant. It means nothing. What YOU feel, or what the ACTOR feels has nothing to do with plot, action, or intention.
THIS IS HARD TO DO. We are conditioned with this question our whole lives in the arts. I’d actually challenge any coach or director to ask “how’d that go for you” and then to articulate how they did or did not take the adjustment. Or, if they are singing a song for you for the first time letting “how’d that go for you” or “how did your performance align with your objective” or “what did you achieve” be the first question that guides the rest of the coaching or rehearsal.
Let’s end the epidemic!
Dreams Don’t Die
Julie