July 20, 2021
This is so critical as we segway now, we're talkin about the art thus far, we talk about the business now. You’ve all been told when you went to an audition, to prepare 2 scenes, 3 scenes, sometimes 5 or 6 scenes, which I think is ridiculous, cuz if I’m auditioning you, I do not want to see 6 scenes. We will call you back and we will look at 3 more scenes, to see whether you understand architecture. You’ve also been told when you got to the audition, hopefully you didn't prepare more than three scenes. They said: “Listen, we’re only going to do the first one”, that’s because most actors don't understand architecture. They play the first scene with very little architecture, the second scene exactly like the first scene and the third scene like the first scene. So not only is there no architecture in the body of the first scene, they then do the same thing three times. So, the dilemma is: You’re a musician, you gotta play all these notes, I gotta figure them all out, I can’t just hang out at the base end of the piano.” Otherwise you sound like a car alarm: “bam bam bam, etc. “Oh, I don’t think he’s going to stop that” Then we begin to glaze over. Though I’m engaged by the level of your commitment, I’m not really hearing ideas anymore. That’s why Emily talked to you this morning about “R.I.P.D.”, we have to have vocal variation, it’s not just that it makes you more interesting, it’s vital if the audience is going to feel those ideas are going to land.