Ask Blair, February 1999

Hello, and welcome to actors at all stages and ages.

Welcome to the second column on the new site. This month's column looks at the advantages and disadvantages of unfair casting, playing a hypochondriac, and the realities of on camera work schedules.

Be sure to check previous columns for answers to any questions you may have. And feel free to e-mail me with a new one.

Question

Dear Blair,

I attend a community college in New Jersey not too far from NYC. I am a theatre major and have done six shows for the school. Auditions and callbacks have just concluded for the college production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." I am cast as Rev. Hale. No complaints there. But here is the problem . . . The director cast out for the male lead, Proctor. Now this to me is wrong. First of all, it is a college production and there are several students in the program who could have easily carried the role. Secondly, the 42 year-old man who got the role was the worst actor I have ever seen. He, in the words of another acting teacher, was the "epitome of bad acting". Watching him was painful, like a dry-heave on stage. No one can understand the logic of the choice. The director is in his 60's and past his prime...but to me this is inexcusable. Any advice?

Thanks,
NJ Actor

Dear NJ Actor,

I agree that college productions should be cast with college students whenever possible, and that the situation is yucky.

The upshot of it is that even in the shelter and security of your college theater world, you are getting exposure to some of the more detestable parts of show business. Bizarre political casting choices happen all the time, much to the infuriation of actors who are really committed to doing the hard work, and who feel that they deserve the break that goes to someone else-someone who knew the right people, or looked more the part, etc..

You need to be aware that this does happen quite a bit in the professional world, and build the tools to deal with it. When you get stuck in a production with a strangely motivated casting choice in the future, the first question to ask yourself is, is this discomfort going to be worth it for me? Do I need this credit? Do I like the play/part? enough to tolerate this situation?

Once you've got that clear, if the answer is yes, then make a commitment to do the best you can, and learn what you can about acting despite the situation. The next question to ask yourself is, can I use these feelings in a creative way? Does my character feel at all similar about that person's character? If the answer is yes,which it often is, then you are in luck. You can use your reactions to the "bad acting" spontaneously in the moment. And if you are supposed to be in love with the actor whose acting you detest, although you obviously do not want to reveal that you are repulsed, through the lines you can use the passion of your detest to fuel the scenes of your loving. After all, it is acting.

I urge you to avoid the temptation to spend a lot of time gossiping about the situation with other actors in the play. Vent about it with people outside the play if you need to let off some steam. Inside complaining can drain and overshadow what is positive about the production and your performance. It can get in the way of the many things you could be learning about yourself, people and acting. It is hard not to succumb to the desire and pressure to talk about it, I know. But you will set a good example for others if you do not. It is a great asset for anyone, ESPECIALLY actors, to be contained. The less an actor leaks his or her energy, the more he has to express onstage.

The Crucible is a great play, filled with insider/outsider themes. I am sure the situation can be put to good use.

Best of luck, NJ actor. Hope this helps.

Question

Dear Blair,

My son does not look Caucasian. However, we were talking about the lead of Tony [in West Side Story] and I suggested to him that in our multi cultural society, they should not always typecast. Normally, he does not sing a song from a show at the audition but one in a similar genre. However I suggested to him that he has nothing to lose by singing "Maria" or another of the romantic lead's songs and indicate his interest in that role. Because of the large number of males in the show, he would definitely get a part. The Puerto Rican gang does not have much singing although the leader, Bernardo has some acting. Do you think he should try for Tony despite his looks?

Bye for now,
S

Dear S,

I think it is fine for your son to audition for Tony. However, the racial distinctions of this show are important to the text. Color-blind casting may be confusing for the audience and therefore it is less likely that the directors will want to cast the show color-blind. Chances are, if your son looks more like a "Shark" than a "Jet," the director will want to typecast him.

As long as your son is comfortable singing the song and he connects with the words, you are right, he has nothing to lose. As you suggested, he may want to let the auditioners know that despite his looks, he would like to audition for the part of Tony.

Let me know how it goes.

Question

Dear Pursuing Actor,

It is good that you asked this question, because most people do not realize the rigor of on camera work. Being on a film or television set can include long and pressured hours, although conditions do vary from part to part, film to film, show to show. There are most definitely twelve hour days, sometimes more.

Film schedules vary. An average shoot is three months. Most actors are not on the set every day, but lead actors are frequently there for most of the shoot. Days can start at 4 or 5 am for make-up. There is a lot of waiting around while the technicians get everything in place for the shoot.Then there are walk-through's of a scene, and one scene, which is usually shot a few times from at least 3 different angles, can take hours to complete. There are script changes and changes due to weather and equipment, all things that the actor must be flexible about. Sometimes the shooting goes late into the night and the actors must be ready to go back to work early in the morning.

Although there are mandatory breaks on SAG shoots, the hours are long. Oftentimes, a TV actor will work for 10 hours rehearsing (of course with breaks), having to incorporate script changes throughout the day, and then at the end of that day, they get a whole mess of rewrites that they must remember for the next day. TV actors generally get the weekends off.

Soap actors sometimes have to be at the set very early in the morning. They go to make up, then they tape their scenes all day, and then they get several scenes of a script to memorize for the next day. Unlike sitcom stars, they don't have a week to rehearse or learn their lines (even though sitcom scripts generally go through a lot of changes during the week.)

The thing that is nice is that TV drama / sitcom actors get long vacations. They work really hard for 12 weeks, shoot the season of shows, and then they get lots of time off. Sometimes eight, sometimes twelve weeks off in the summer.

Question

Hi Blair,

How art thou??? I have an acting question for you. I'm playing "Sam Feinschreiber" in "Awake and Sing" by Clifford Odets. The director wants me to try and incorporate the behavior of a hypochondriac. Do you know of any movies/shows with those types of characters I could observe? He did tell me to read The Marriage Proposal by Chekhov. The lead charachter is similar to my charachter. What else could I use to get what the director wants??? Thanks and take care.

Dear Will--

I don't think watching other actors play a hypochondriac would be helpful. Sometimes working from the outside in is useful, but the temptation here would be to imitate and therefore create a shell of a hypochondriac. Your director's reading suggetion is good because you will be working with your imagination.

A hypochondriac chronically believes there is something physically wrong with them. Look deep into the character. Here are examples of questions to ask: Why is this person compulsed to believe he is sick? Is he CRAVING attention? If so, what does it feel like within you when you crave something? What do you do to relieve yourself of those painful feelings? What does he need from the other characters in the play? Overall? In each scene?

Try and grasp the internal experience that drives the external behavior. If you can do this within yourself, in your homework, you will not have to DO anything to SHOW or indicate the hypochondriac nature of the character. If you've got it going on inside, it will reveal itself. And the audience will get it.

Hope this is useful.

Question

Hi, I'm 16, and am a talented musical theater performer who is looking to expand my talent and knowledge of what I love to do and plan to do for the rest of my life. So this summer I'm attending the "Singers on Stage" workshop in NYC. SO here's my question. I'm paying for this. And hoping to get a whole lot out of it. Do you have any information on wether or not this is a good workshop that I chose to take part in? I wouldn't want to put up this money and find out it's a loss. Please let me know if I've made the right decision with this. I think I have, I'd just like the re-insurance. Thanks.

-Mark-

Dear Mark,

Although at this point, does it really matter what I've heard about the workshop? Would it really prevent you from taking it if I had heard it stank? (Which I haven't). Probably not. And if you did take the workshop anyway, the whole time your experience of the workshop would be overcast by this negative impression I have given you. And if I told you it was THE BOMB (a good thing) and you weren't having a good experience, you may think there was something wrong with you . . .or even worse . . .something wrong about my advice!!! ;)

Have your own experience of Singers on Stage. Find out what you like about, what you don't, make it work for you. Any workshop you take is a risk. Why ask someone their opinion after you've made the commitment? If you get a good feeling about a class and feel, on the inside, that it will be right for you, GO FOR IT! You will most likely get out of it what you put into it.

Have a blast.

Sincyberly to all,
Blair