Ask Judith: Submission #10

Name: ROBERT
Email (optional): memorare.members@gmail.com
Question:
Hi Judith! 

Hope you're doing well! I'd like to ask your opinion on this idea. Since we can't expect an actor to re-create a moment we loved in rehearsal by simply requesting a re-do of the result, what if we ask the actor what she was thinking of in that moment, writing it down so as to be able later to re-enact the effect by re-enacting it's inner cause (the thought or feeling that originally inspired her)?

Reply:
Thank you Robert. One of the skills that I think is so helpful for directors is to be able to "mirror back" to the actor what they were doing - but in playable terms instead of result terms. The thing is that when actors do their very best work - the work that directors want them to replicate on the set - they often have NO IDEA what they were thinking - because they were in the moment! So it can be helpful if the *director* can make a note, during a rehearsal or casting session, of what they liked. For example, perhaps that the actor was *demanding* instead of *begging*. Or maybe the actor was playing the scene "as if" it was an intimate moment even though it takes place during a business meeting. It takes a lot of experience (and trial and error!) to be able to develop this skill. That's why I strongly believe that directors should develop their craft with "practice rehearsals" before they use any of the techniques that I suggest in my book - or they come up with themselves - on a professional set. Best wishes, Judith

Approved: Yes