Like a Ray of Light, Piercing the Clouds...

What inspires you?

What gets you up in the morning? Makes you get dressed? Prepares you to start... no, tackle your day?

For you, it will be something completely different than mine. And it should be. That's what keeps things interesting. Guess what, though... It. Will. Change.

Every moment we are faced with a new challenge. All we can do is react to it. And that's what acting is about. Not making moments happen. But just letting them be.

There are some constants in everything: job, family responsibilities, career goals, etc. But over all, it's the little moments in life that really creates the magic, that really contains all the heart and soul of what we do. I published a post on my other blog (check it out here, if you want) about music and how we can use that to convey so much.


Acting is no different. In a sense. True, the actor/actress is bringing to life a supposedly fictional character, save those performances truly based on actual events as how they happened. But even in those moments, even in those true stories as told by Hollywood, there are moments of realism that makes us, the audience, believe the performer has inhabited the person we are watching.

I spent the morning, rather than looking for work, watching auditions and stories of real people putting their heart and souls into auditions for shows like X Factor, America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, and the like all on short clips on YouTube. Somewhere along the line, it hit me: all these people, every one, was driven. They had their moment of inspiration... and capitalized on it. They went out and either failed horribly, or soared. But they lived in that one moment. They did it. They faced their challenge head on.

I heard a long time ago that to be a performer takes some level of insanity. From what I watched today, and the different productions I've been lucky enough to be involved in, that is so true! One video I watched was of this kid who spent a couple years on the streets honing his craft. He was a self described extreme contortionist street dancer/performer. The stuff this kid was doing, a "normal" person would have to be completely insane to even attempt. This kid had a gift... and he was using it. He used that gift to support himself.

Every performer dreams that dream. "If only I could earn a living doing what I love." Only the incredibly lucky do. But that doesn't mean you should ever stop chasing that dream. You may find your life challenged by your every day responsibilities, and little things, unexpected things, unplanned things come along and disrupt that balance. Practically destroy your little world. It's how we respond, how we react to those little moments that define us. That makes us real. That inspires.

That brings me to Ross. As posted before, Ross is basically the messenger. The News Guy, if you will. But every step of the way, he is reacting to the little events surrounding him, destroying his world. Ross discusses everything with Lennox. The two probably would run the newspaper/media outlet for the area if it were set differently. But Ross also values Macduff's wisdom and advice. Ross is one of those characters that would never consciously betray the trust of his king, countrymen, or friends. But his inquisitive nature could land him in some very delicate and precarious positions.

Even after a warning from Lady Macbeth, Ross' nature takes over and he still has to know what is going on. Finally, he is able to piece together what is really going on, and that steels his resolve to do what he can: get the message to the right people. Ross is doing his part the only way he knows how: by what he believes is right. He may or may not have the wherewithal to face down the tyrant in one-on-one combat, but he certainly does not lack in his bravery. I think if it came to it, Ross would face down Macbeth, win or lose. Even though he knows what Macbeth is capable of.

Ross is motivated by his sense of honor. By his duty. How he (I) approach that is what makes him so incredibly real. We're approaching the end of rehearsals, so the focus is now on fine tuning those small emotions, those small reactions to all that is going on. The beauty of live theatre is that those reactions an actor must prepare for are those that are the most unexpected. There is nothing that can prepare one for that. The only thing is to inhabit the character, to know the character so intimately that reactions are as that other person. That's where the actor's insanity, no madness comes in!

Thanks, dear reader, for coming along on this trip down the rabbit hole. Hopefully, I presented some things to think about. As always, comments are welcome!

So, until next time...