I recently heard an Olympic skier being interviewed and she said that she felt she had trained hard but now that her event was just days away, she was worried that maybe she hadn’t done enough. Maybe months ago she should have done a few more runs or more weight work.
I suspect that some actors who are getting ready for a show to open or a shoot to begin feel the same way as that skier. As I have said before, you have to do your best everyday, at every rehearsal and at every private homework session. That way you will feel confident that you done all you could and that you aren’t showing up under-prepared.
But there is something else you can do to help you feel more confident that you have covered all of your bases and done everything you need to do—that is to create your own rehearsal schedule.
Now all directors come to rehearsals with a schedule. From the beginning of the process until opening, a good director will work the schedule and make adjustments, to insure that every scene gets enough time and that every important moment is clarified and refined.
Well, I think that actors need to come to rehearsals with their own schedules that work in tandem with the director’s. That way instead of things getting done by accident or not getting done at all because you forgot about them, you plan and work what you need for your performance while working closely with the director and her schedule. If you don’t plan and don’t schedule your work, how will you know that you have done all that you can?
Before rehearsals begin, do your research. Sit down and imagine the world and life of the character so that you have images in your head to support your language. Begin tracking your character’s journey and determining what they want, what is in their way, and how they behave to get what they want. Once rehearsals start, there will be plenty to do so the more groundwork you can do before-hand the better off you will be.
Once in rehearsals, plan specifically what you are going to work on at each rehearsal. While the director is working your scenes, you can be working a particular element, assuring yourself that you are covering every aspect of your performance. Planning rehearsals is not just a job for a director; it is the actor’s job, too. Only by doing this can you be assured that you have prepared fully. That way you don’t find yourself wondering at the last minute, “Was there something else I could have done, something else I should have done.”
Work hard, do your best, and plan.
© Eric Barr. All rights reserved
