Kyle Dylan Conner

I saw some really bad theatre tonight, an unfortunate occurrence that happens all too often.

From my experience, bad theatre usually stems from one of two things: either an overabundance or extreme absence of fear.

On the one hand, when a company takes reckless and unsupported liberties with a play, their fearlessness and complete abandon produces theatre that is wayward, lacking purpose and direction. The audience leaves feeling confused and attacked, not by the story but rather the presentation of the play.

On the other hand, when a company of actors is afraid of the urgency or immediacy of a play’s content and impact, the result is an artistic paralysis that prevents the ensemble from being available to adventurous theatrical exploration. The show becomes half-hearted, flat, and monochromatic.

Of the two, I prefer the former. Shows approach with this perspective at least have a level of investment and engagement that keeps them somewhat entertaining. What I saw tonight resembled the later, which is far, FAR more depressing..

People who aren’t actors usually have one question they ask more than any other: how do we memorize all those words? My response has stayed fairly the same for a while now: we don’t memorize the words, but rather the thoughts. Knowing the actual words becomes an inevitable byproduct of understanding the progression of a character’s thoughts, needs, and impulses. This video offers an exciting and fascinating scientific view into the actor process. It’s absolutely astonishing. 

Now, I’ll get back to memorizing lines.