With the announcement of the 2014 Tony Award nominations, I’m reminded of the talent, skill, and artistry demanded of a Broadway actor. Not only does he have to be brilliant in his work, he has to know how to play effectively, truthfully, and authentically in a Broadway theatre containing 1200 seats or more. It takes a skilled craftsman who knows what he’s doing to be able to deliver a great performance in that size house.
If you’re in a musical, well that has its own set of demands regarding voice, dance, and showmanship. When you see a play or a musical on Broadway, you’re seeing the best there is to see anywhere in the world.
It’s thrilling to see wonderful performances in the theatre just as it’s thrilling to see amazing performances on film. Each has its own special demands and skill sets, but it’s clear in either case that you must bring your talent, your uniqueness and your enthusiasm for the work every time you get up to bat. Even on the days when you don’t feel up to it, you have to bring it because someone will and that someone should be you.
So you have to ask yourself: “Am I doing everything I can to be ready to deliver the goods whenever the opportunity may present itself? Do I know what’s unique and special about me that I bring that no one else does? Am I complaining or finding solutions to the barriers that may be in my way?”
They say that luck falls on those who are prepared. So take a look—are you prepared for what golden opportunity may come your way? Are you ready for your close-up?
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about regarding an opportunity presenting itself that is challenging, demanding, and inspiring. You’re probably familiar with the HBO series, “The Newsroom,” written by Aaron Sorkin. I want to share with you some excerpts taken from the Sunday New York Times Arts and Leisure section from 2012 about this show and the challenge the actors had with the dialogue. “For the actors filming “The Newsroom,” it was a crash course in Sorkinese. Dialogue delivered in page or even pages-long bursts. Pages-long bursts at maximum speed or volume and sometimes without the benefit of character biography, which the author is filling in on the fly.”
Star of the show, Jeff Daniels, had this to say: “Getting inducted into this world of everything being so fast, and there not being time to ask a question about what happened three years before, let alone what’s happening right now in the scene, and then, you get the sick pleasure of watching the new actors come onto the set and start asking about their backstory.”
“So, it’s all happening very quickly. He doesn’t write a tiny bit of dialogue. He writes volumes of dialogue for his characters and whatever it is they’re saying, it’s got to be delivered at a certain volume or rhythm or speed, whatever the case may be and it’s sort of like trial by fire. You just are on the set and you learn it and you do it and there is no time to question. There is no time. You’re working with Aaron Sorkin and he is brilliant. This particular writer writes in this way, demands this, and obviously, the work speaks for itself.”
Later in the article, Mr. Sorkin talks about getting ready to shoot the last episode for the first season and he says, “I don’t really know what the thing is now as to how to wrap up the season. Are you supposed to do it as a cliffhanger or is that old? Are you supposed to not write it as a cliffhanger or do it as a cliffhanger? Is that a cliché? I don’t know. I’m just figuring all of this out.” He then talks about scoring The Newsroom with the music supervisor. For a series of newsroom scenes and a karaoke bar frequented by the younger characters, Mr. Sorkin said, “The music supervisor’s selections were too cool and too current. I gave him a list of ‘Uptown Girl,’ ‘Sugar, Sugar,’ and said, ‘That’s what I want to hear in this place.. You’ve got to give me a break with Radiohead.’” He obviously has a very clear viewpoint not only about the writing but the place and kind of music you should hear in that place as well.
So if you want to work with brilliant writers, directors and actors, you have to be sure your game is on and you’re prepared to be brilliant right along side of them. It’s demanding, challenging, and often unpredictable.. Would you have it any other way? So the question remains: have you done everything you can to be ready when the opportunity comes along? Will you be ready for your close-up?
Call us now! (310) 274-1085
© 2014 Lynette McNeill Studios