Avalon

On acting

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

"I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged".
- Peter Brook, The Empty Space

Acting is really a very much integral part of daily life, so perfectly melded into it that we can rarely notice it, let alone tell apart from the "truth" or the "real deal", which is a mystery itself more often than not. The fact we play many different roles and act out the requirements befitting of those roles points to the very fact that acting is very much in each of us.

But as for acting in theatre, a given place, a designated stage, at a certain time, in a certain context, in front of an audience, I only remember doing that about 3 times. Officially that is, "official" here meaning there was a hauptext (written script) and nebentext. (a given set of stage directions) Of course those other trivial skits and what-not are either too ludicrous and hence undeserving of mention (in my humble opinion) or the memories have become too decayed to trigger recollections. The first two were both during sec 1, and some who have fortunately or unfortunately but by sheer probability, shared, to date, a decade of their life in my presence, still might be able to remember. (Simply because some of them have kindly reminded me of such minute displays of frivolity I once displayed) The funny thing was I starred for 15 minutes in one and 15 seconds in another, and more people remembered my appearance in the latter with much relish, something not entirely unfathomable, but nonetheless surprising. The roles are of course, a secret, unless one should be so cunningly voyeuristic as to seek out the right sources for answers.

The third will be during JC and this should be more familiar to some. That was the first time I spent so much time getting into a role, one that was so unexpected and and admittedly was one that ignited me with such passion for acting I have never experienced that it felt like a brand new challenge everyday, with the desire to surpass the existing "self" burning stronger with each scene and each rehersal. It also made me realise that the magic comes when one can truly let go of other's opinions towards oneself (like how crazy or how exaggerating you look) but keep in mind everything else about the character.

I remembered drinking in the atmosphere, listening intently to the audience: the laughter, the occasional outbursts of random comments, the suspended silence, the final applause. To some, acting may just be imitating. To others, a form of text-conveying. To me, it is slipping into a being, and living with his thoughts and feelings.

Envoy of the Stars @ 7:58 PM
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