Auditioning for Romeo & Juliet

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Premmy

Most layman view "method acting" to be the

"Spend extended amounts of time trying to understand the emotions of their character, heath ledger in a room alone with Killing joke for a month" idea.

I could very well be wrong, but these days the "Remember when your hamster died so you can cry" method
Is pretty much the standard, or at least so very common that people who go the extra, Heath Ledger, mile are called "method actors" by other actors using what is technically method acting.

Method acting IS pretty standard, and all of it that you've talked about are variations on it. Traditional acting is much more mechanical, knowing the lines, action, and delivery, but leaving the character in the text.

I mean I already read the full article before I made my post just to double-check and you're cherry-picking it.

My point was more addressed to the idea that someone might need longer ala Token's "Use your nervousness leading up to the audition" idea, because that sounds like

"Be stressed out for the hour/ few days up until the audition/show so you can be convincingly stressed" which to me,

1: Just seems extreme and probably not healthy, as well as a hindrance to your non-acting life
2: Is not gonna work when you play a happy, stress-free character

I generally find it easier to get people worked up then to calm then down, so from my perspective it's better to learn to be calm before and then emote later than to prep yourself hours beforehand.
Granted, Token MIGHT have been saying use that feeling you had this time for later performances, could have gone either way, honestly.

That's not what people were talking about at all. Stress is not something you "go for." It's just a natural part of the gig. What everyone was talking about was to use the energy from it constructively. Channel the adrenaline into enthusiasm and such.

I think you misunderstand sociopathy.

To put it this way, a sociopath has no understanding of human empathy and what it is. Sociopathy is severe enough that treatment isn't liable to help much. It's similar to Antisocial Personality Disorder in a way. An antisocial person doesn't care about the rights or desires of others, to the point they just do whatever they want. A sociopath doesn't know waht other people are thinking and feeling.

I know perfectly well what sociopathy is, but I expressed myself wrong. A sociopath is a toxic mix of antisocial and narcissistic behaviors. As such, you have the lack of concern for others and society from the antisocial and the superiority and lack of empathy from narcissism.

Another thing they get from narcissism is their ability to crank the charm to 11. Sociopaths can act however they need to to get what they want from others before those people cease to be useful. They can be anything you want them to be right until you're used up. They'll tell you what they know you want to hear and do it convincingly. That's what I was trying to refer to.

[Premmy]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

I mean I already read the full article before I made my post just to double-check and you're cherry-picking it.

No, I'm telling you that I know what the hell I'm talking about and since you're not gonna hear that when I SAY it out of my mouth, I have to say it out of YOURS by using your ammo to remind you of that fact, but apparently it's not working.

That's not what people were talking about at all. Stress is not something you "go for." It's just a natural part of the gig.

Not always, sometimes people are comfortable and positive about a part.

When they're comfortable and positive about a part, they can behave more naturally than when they're trying to force happiness or some such through their stress, see my, "It's harder to de-stress someone than it is to piss them off" stuff I said a good fifty times. And sometimes people are stressed for a short while, but study and think about their part and GET comfortable. Trying to hold onto the negativity and fear in the hopes that it'll keep you jazzed enough or that you can Tai-chi it into something useful can be a very bad thing.

As he said, it's just as foolish to act like you're not stressed, but wallowing in it isn't such a good idea either.

I know perfectly well what psychopathy is, but I expressed myself wrong. A sociopath is a toxic mix of antisocial and narcissistic behaviors. As such, you have the lack of concern for others and society from the antisocial and the superiority and lack of empathy from narcissism.

Another thing they get from narcissism is their ability to crank the charm to 11. Sociopaths can act however they need to to get what they want from others before those people cease to be useful. They can be anything you want them to be right until you're used up. They'll tell you what they know you want to hear and do it convincingly. That's what I was trying to refer to.

Okay,

A: You missed the point of that paragraph entirely
B: The point that psychopathy has nothing to do with this conversation is something you also missed because

Pretending to feel something has nothing to do with ACTUALLY FEELING SHIT.

Which is my point, I can stress myself out pretty damn well. I spent a good chunk of my youth doing it 24-7. I'm firmly aware of what it feels like, what you think of, and what it can do. I know this because I am a very emotional person who cannot control his thoughts or focus very well. I have had to learn how to have a modicum of control over my emotions as a necessary aspect of living with normal people.

I don't pretend to get pissed or sad on command, I just ALLOW MYSELF TO BE ANGRY OR SAD. It is harder for me to wrangle these emotions in to be happy or present an image of happiness. It's harder to go from sad/angry/afraid to happy/calm in my experience because Anger, Fear and Sorrow are extremes, that are all closely related, whereas Serenity is a balance, and Happiness is an extreme of it's own.

[synkr0nized]

Originally Posted by Krylo

What's fantastic here is that it's impossible to tell if he's playing the part of Karkat or just being himself right now.

Not enough future and past Fifthfiends banning one another from threads, though.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

I was given Paris. Then I talked to the directors... Now I'm an understudy for Mercutio.

[synkr0nized]

Obviously the latter is a much better/more involved role, but is it preferable to be an understudy and not actually in the play [barring circumstances]?

[rpgdemon]

Originally Posted by synkr0nized

Obviously the latter is a much better/more involved role, but is it preferable to be an understudy and not actually in the play [barring circumstances]?

Sure it is. Everyone in theatre is going around breaking legs. The understudies are the real stars.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

I can only hope that legs are broken. The guy we have as Mercutio goes over the top but not in the fun way.

[Magus]

Am I the only one who ever played Shakespeare fairly naturally instead of in that faux-hammy way that everybody does it in?

Like my Cassius was a sardonic cynic as opposed to angry asshole.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Originally Posted by Magus

Am I the only one who ever played Shakespeare fairly naturally instead of in that faux-hammy way that everybody does it in?

Like my Cassius was a sardonic cynic as opposed to angry asshole.

I get what you're saying. When some people do it they aren't actually trying to portray a person but an exaggerated personality. The way I play Mercutio is as a sarcastic guy with a little bit of "ho yay" thrown in for good measure whereas the guy we have doing it is Caesar Romero's Joker.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

If you want to play a person and not an exaggerated personality you probably shouldn't be doing shakespeare... lollI'msofunny.