Stage actors: advice for a performing debut?

Who are you playing? What’s your character?

That’s the thing. The script won’t even be written until the 24-hour period begins.

write it all on your hand/s.

@kevbo; Don’t fall off the stage, face the audience, articulate, and remember your lines.

Dont lock your knees. You might faint

@cyndihugs I actually did this in the last play, but I couldn’t fit everything. Luckily I had learnt my words by the dress rehearsal.

@kevbo well I’m not really a professional actor, I just play in this amateur group for fun. I obviously don’t have any problems with being on stage, I feel as comfortable in front of an audience as I do sitting here writing to you. And I have no memory of what it is like to be nervous.
As far as the words go, well, if the festival rules are that you write the words 24h before you have to play them, there are obviously no strict words to say. I expect that you’ll be given a character and have to play out some sort of natural conversation (eg you’ll be the cheating husband trying to persuade your wife she’s imagining it all, or the father who just got a letter that his son died at war etc). There will probably be a lot of improvisation in this case. In all of the plays.
And of course, depending on the role, you’ll have to do a completely different thing every time (which is why I’m trying to persuade my director to give me completely different roles and not get pigeonholed as the majestic King Thoas or the brave and invincible Achilles). It’s a wonderful challenge if you’re up for it, but personally I like to just follow the director’s orders in how to play the role. I may have an idea, but generally I want him to tell me what he wants, then try and do it, and then he’ll tell me what to change, and try and do that, and keep trying until I get it right. Then keep that mood in mind for the moment I get on stage.

Of course, acting is the most personal of art forms, so your results may vary.

Look at your other actors. Really look at them: don’t just recite your lines and have your eyes pointed at them.

If you are feeling lost at any point in the performance, touch something. Scenery, the other actors. It will ground you.

When you are memorizing your lines, only allow yourself to do it silently once. It’s really important to memorize at full voice, since you’re building up muscle memory. I also prefer to memorize in a straight tone so I don’t lock in anything.

In a 24-hour play festival, most of what you’ll be doing is adrenaline-based. Don’t be precious about things, try and affect the other people with your words, and have a good time!

@Kevbo If you forget- Improvise!

I’ve only acted at a haunted attraction. Mostly I was told to focus on who you are portraying, and to not be self-conscious about yourself. Make yourself the character, and project it outwards. Grab your audiences’ attention, and let them think you are who you are pretending to be. With a few fits and starts, you’ll get the hang of it. Just don’t give up, and don’t get down on yourself. We all make mistakes, and acting is something that once you figure it out, you love it.

of course, I played an axe murderer and a zombie (two different years) so those roles were right up my alley, so to speak.

Don’t go over the top unless you want to achieve comical effects.

Good advice from @andrew – I would add that once you’ve been given blocking, do your blocking while you run your lines. The one will help you remember the other, sort of like when you lose track of something you meant to do and have to physically go back to where you were when you had the initial thought.

I have a lot of experience acting and directing amateur theater.

Your situation is a little different than most – you can’t overcome obstacles with preparation.

So my advice:

First and most important: Speak up! All mistakes MUST be made at full volume. It’s so critical, I can’t even begin to explain.

Face your audience. If you can also face other people in the production great. But if you can’t do both, turn toward the audience.

If the style of the play is to look at members of the audience, do that. (You can look at the other actors to see if they are doing that.) In many productions, looking at the audience is the difference between them enjoying themselves and not. They are at live performances because they want to connect with the actors. If they were just after quality, they’d go to the movies (ok, ok, SOME movies…)

And last and most important…

Speak up! Nothing says, “I’m not here to entertain you.” like speaking too softly.

Well, I finished a couple of hours ago—two performances and like 10 lines or something. I played a “Rod Serlingo” in a NM version of The Twilight Zone (The Headlight Zone). Really got good laughs in the second show and hit all my lines in both. That was fun (and stressful!) Thanks everyone for your great tips and advice. Yahoo!!!

@kevbo: Would you do it again? Will you do it again? It does sound like fun. Do it again.

@gailcalled, Yeah, for sure. It’s really intimidating, though, to think about having to memorize more lines than that. Of course, a normal show would have more room for rehearsal. It was one of those things where you’re too focused to have too much fun during the performance, but afterwards a little high certainly does kick in.

I had a funny moment afterwards… our group was the first of seven to go on stage, so we would leave afterwards for an hour or more to get a drink and chat. When I went back to the theater after the second show got out an audience member said “good job” to me and I didn’t respond at first because I just didn’t make the connection that I was on stage and she was in the audience. (I’m too used to being in the booth.) So, it took me a second to realize “oh, she was talking to me.” ;-)