Enjoy.
---
The process of character creation is one of attempting to attain an impossible perfection. Characters are not people, but rather simulacrums based on a marriage of skills. Leonardo's Mona Lisa or Michelangelo's David aren't people, but are excellent still-life representations thereof. In collaboration of the writer, the actor, the director, and the designer(s), a representation of humanity can be seen, heard, touched, and even interacted with. The goal is to make them as real as one can—to the observer, to the other actors, even to oneself. But as close to reality as things may become, a character is never, really, a person.
A character has no emotions, but rather borrows its emotions from the actor. The words it speaks are composed by another. Its appearance, its mannerisms, and its movements are all practiced, reviewed, and rehearsed to a degree unparalleled beyond stage and screen. Yet when the time of performance is at hand, we artists take a journey with the audience into a state of belief—or, a suspension of disbelief—that they're bearing witness to reality, that the words aren't scripted and the one speaking them hasn't also spoken the words of Hamlet, Willy Lowman, or Jean Valjean.
Actors go to great lengths to make the journey to emulate and represent humanity. We analyze and interpret the text. We adorn ourselves in the makeup and costume chosen for us. We draw upon our memories to tease strong emotions to the surface. Most importantly, we do what no other artist does; we allow ourselves to believe in a set of given circumstances. We believe in the who, what, where, when, why, and how, transcending ourselves into living art that, when successful, is a more accurate representation of humanity than any other artist can achieve.
I graduated from the University of North Texas in August 2001 with a sense that I had wasted my educational opportunities. A poorly performing student, I allowed the comfortable, unchanging environment to subdue my ambition and nourish my fears.
In 2004, I realized that my complacency had led to stagnation. I was unchanging and unmotivated, and I hated it. I felt within myself the growing desire to make something more of myself lest I end up feeling the weight of my dreams crushing my existence. No longer satisfied with my course, I applied for graduate schools.
My path led me to attend the Stanislavsky Summer School, a six week course at the American Repertory Theatre in 2005. There, I learned more about myself and my abilities than I had ever known. Through the instruction and training I received, I discovered I was as talented and capable an actor as I had ever believed I could be. My intelligence and dedication meant I only had to be given direction once. My physical size and confidence therein gave me a strong, commanding stage presence. My imagination and talent to turned me into a vehicle through which characters sprang to life. I pushed the boundaries of my comfort zone and experimented with instinct and improvisation, setting new goals and new limits for myself.
That winter I travelled to Moscow for a second six week course. Exposure to a foreign environment expanded my capabilities further as I discovered what it is to be an actor on an instinctual level. I learned of how actors communicate and connect with one another without conscious thought. I discovered the importance of creation without use of dialogue.
I also discovered how limited I could be without instruction. Alone, I found a limit to my willingness to explore. Without the direction and encouragement of others, I don't allow myself the full depth and breadth of my capabilities, tending to stay—emotionally and physically—where it's safe and comfortable. My desire, through this program, is to break the limits and boundaries of my comfort zone, expanding my versatility to new levels. I hope to tap into new methods and avenues of discovery, and to achieve a more complete and expanded sense of self. My goal is to turn the most I can currently accomplish into the least I will be able to achieve. I want to be ever growing, ever expanding, and ever changing into something new—something better.
No comments:
Post a Comment