What in
your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do
you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?
On a
day-to-day basis I am often consuming information about the performing arts
industry by access of web 2.0 technology or printed text. I find that both
mediums serve me in different way. Platforms such as Facebook can keep me up to
date on what my past and present colleagues and ex-college friends are up to. I
am excited to see them share news on a new performance job they have landed and
details as to how it occurred. In terms of printed text, I am a subscriber of
‘The Stage’, a weekly newspaper covering all-aspects performing arts related.
The articles featured are written by people who I obviously have no personal
relation with but echo a lot of the same sentiments I often share about the
industry. As well as providing advice for performers as to how they can promote
themselves and get the most out of time navigating through the winding path
that is a career in the arts. On the other hand, there will often be articles
by figures of interest or influence to me who spurred me to choose a career in
the arts to begin with. It is reaffirming to know they themselves, someone more
accomplished or prominent in the industry for being heard than I, share the
same consensus of opinion on how to conduct their goings on in the profession.
The link below features an actor who solidified my passion to make acting a
choice of career, talking about his experience in breaking into the industry.
Although I can recognise that the process described was subject to a different
period of time, one where information and knowledge were not as widely
available to an overly-saturated market-space, the act of sourcing these
opportunities remains very much the same. It is the willingness to take a leap
of faith or risk, something that never changes for the artist. They hunger for
it!
Prospective
lines of inquiry: In
attempting to cast a wider net for themselves, have web 2.0 platforms actually
shrunk prospects for potential candidates in relation to opportunities within
the profession rather than extend them?
What gets
you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has
found a way to work around the sadness or anger?
It is no
secret that the performing arts industry has been suffering for a number of
years now for both political and economic reasons. It saddens me that today’s
generation of upcoming professional performers are not met with the same amount
of prospects as was present maybe ten or fifteen years ago. Before graduating
from college I remember speaking with various tutors on the current state of
the industry who said, without sounding too pessimistic, that this is perhaps
one of the worst periods for new performers to be starting out. To a certain
extent, I disregarded this knowledge whilst training. I knew it would be a tough
market-place but opportunities would surely present themselves if met with
enough hard work? Unfortunately over-saturation was only half the problem and,
although I was aware of it happening at the time, I did not seem to feel the
impact of the other factor at play until after I had graduated. The government
has decimated spending with severe cuts across all areas of the arts sector in
recent years. Here is an article discussing its current state and plans for its
future.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/21/david-pountney-arts-funding-bad-for-our-cultural-health
This is a
subject I have found myself touching upon in my reflective journal. Expenditure
allocated to bodies like Arts Council UK are stretched therefore limiting the
amount of funding available for application. Long-running, renowned or
established work will often take a priority over newer material for its
previous successes from a by-gone era that is often referred to as the ‘golden
age’ of theatre. I am not naïve as to think that the money will automatically
be given to stage productions of this ilk, but I do feel it is damaging to
neglect developing artistry. Out of curiosity and after a bit of research, I
have found that there are still various numbers of active communities and
groups seeking to promote the arts in ways that the government will not. Here
is an example of a group below I found to be very admirable in supporting and
curating such opportunities.
It is, in a
way, ironic that there has never been more appeal to get involved in the arts
when the prospects are so few. But who exactly do I refer to? This is another
personal and general argument; are the arts becoming exclusive to those who
have the means to sustain it? It is true that the interest for it is at a
record high, but do establishments such as performing arts colleges allow
prospective students access to study due to their financial circumstances? Does
this in fact place applicant’s class divide above talent or ability? The
article below explores this notion.
Prospective
lines of inquiry: Can the arts
industry ever return to or accommodate for the demand in today’s current
climate? Is performing arts becoming exclusive to those of the higher class?
What do
you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is
an example of what you love?
When I first
became interested in the arts back in school, acting in particular, I would
often be asked by friends and family what has drawn me to it and why do I feel
such an affinity towards it. I would be lying if I said that I don’t find it
immensely enjoyable and fun, it is essentially the reason why we all endeavour
to pursue such a profession. The difficulty came in articulating where this enjoyment
stems from. I don’t think I was able to give an accurate response until I was
studying at college, a time in which I was looking at my practice in a very
focused and critical capacity. I think for a lot of people, performing stops
becoming fun when they realise the amount of work that is actually required on
their part to execute it effectively. I remember being introduced to the idea
of keeping a character scrap by my acting tutor in my first year of college.
Although I was unsure as to how it would inform my practice, I was eager to
give it a try. I built a process with my then current knowledge including character
or animal observation for physicality, the analysis of characteristics for
playing the role as well as background research of the text’s setting. I then
looked to implement this work in rehearsals, either independently or as a cast
collective. I found that as a result the strength of my knowledge about the
text and my character had increased tenfold. I felt much more confident in my
choices as an actor. After the same tutor began questioning my decisions for
such choices made, she would always provoke my thinking with alternative
reasons as to a character’s intentions. This was not to suggest to me that my
findings were in any way wrong but to help develop a receptiveness in my work.
I studied a number of acting practitioner’s at college and still often find
myself returning to their theories. A particular one that I always recall is
that of Declan Donnellan’s (2002).
“Actors often experience paralysis
because they have
been looking for a ‘one’. The search for ‘one’ is a wild
goose chase; there is no magic ‘one’ that will solve every-
thing. Life comes in opposed ‘twos’. Trying to simplify,
cut corners and get things done in ‘one’ blocks the actor.
This rule of ‘two’ is as easy as riding a bicycle and
equally difficult to explain in words.”
This view
combined with my tutor’s thoughts reminded why as to why, of the three arts
forms I practice, I enjoy acting the most. Dance and singing require a very
linear and specific approach to develop and achieve technique, but acting is
subjective. There is often an inextricably linked ‘other’ to any choice
presumed by the actor. The process of discovering this is intoxicating and I
continue to attempt to improve and adapt my preparation with every role I
undertake.
Prospective
lines of inquiry: In
comparison to dancing and singing, what makes acting as an art form subjective?
What do
you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it
or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful,
or has asked the same questions as you?
Like many other performers, I am frequently asked the same question in relation to my practice; “do you not suffer from nerves as a performer?” A lot of people assume because I am professionally trained that I have nerves of steel, which is not the case. I will admit that my time at college certainly gave me a sense of confidence about my abilities as a performer, but a complete resistance to such a natural reflex is near impossible and, if achieved, quite damaging to practice in my opinion. In a way it goes back to my previous quote by Donnellan, that ‘one’ cannot exist without the other. In this instance, it’s excitement and nerves. A lot of people assume that a technical knowledge and background in a subject would provide answers but my studies normally provoke more questions. I do, however, find it saddening when I speak to aspiring performers who are keen and passionate for the subject but become stagnant when faced with the opportunity to take it further. I’m aware that arts schools can be extremely expensive and that it is not a feasible option for some people to undertake as I too fall into this category. The opportunity to audition for college places and funding for courses is there, however. I know for a fact that without funding I would not have been able to attend Urdang Academy and I consider myself extremely lucky for that. I try my best to persuade any who wish to become involved in the arts to do so. No matter how far they choose to take their interest, they can take pride in knowing that they have. In relation to nerves, there is a famous quote from renowned actor Laurence Olivier from the time he became afflicted with stage fright during a performance of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’. "Use your weaknesses; aspire to the strength." It is a comforting thought that even the most highly regarded within their professions suffer from the same anxieties as the rest of us. It is human nature and that’s exactly what makes acting so fascinating, does it not?
Prospective lines of inquiry: Nerves and reservations about the performance industry; do individuals find it more of a drawback than a use for empowerment? Is there a correct balance to be met?
How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to what you might expect more generally in society?
The profession of a performer is one that often requires a level of engagement that others do not. A job in an office, for example, may require a degree of trust and compliance between colleagues but there will rarely be an event that calls for a union to be met between them physically. This is a relationship that performers participate in regularly. Whether it be between individuals meeting for the first time during an audition or a closely-knit network of cast members who have operated together for a long period, the industry demands that artistes be capable of this as part of their practice. That is not to say there is a discard for an ethical code of conduct, and it needs to be met with a level of respect for a colleague. Because of the collaborative nature and dependency of the industry, performers will often work to make their time together as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
Prospective lines of inquiry:
Bibliography
Cuncic, A, 2015 “Social Anxiety and Sir Laurence Olivier” [online] About Health, Available at: http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/celebritieswithsad/p/Sir-Laurence-Olivier.htm [Accessed 30 Apr. 2015]
Donnellan, D (2001) The actor and the target, 2002 re-print, London: Nick Hern Books
Pountney, D,
2015 “Austerity and the arts: the hidden cuts that are bad for our cultural
health” [online] The Guardian, Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/21/david-pountney-arts-funding-bad-for-our-cultural-health
[Accessed 29 Apr. 2015]
Screen Actors Guild Foundation, 2014, Conversations with Kenneth Branagh [audio-visual], YouTube, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukL6wW3qZU [Accessed 28 Apr. 2015]
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