Use Your Scene Partner and Don't Stop Asking

Use Your Scene Partner and Don't Stop Asking

"A View from the Bridge" by Arthur Miller - Use your scene partner and don't stop asking.A View from the Bridge by Arthur MillerLearning: Use your scene partner to get what you need. What is the agreement that you need and WHY?Scene: At the point in the scene when Eddie comes back into the house after he has called the Immigration departure and turn Rudolpho and Marko in. This goes against everything that he stands for. He not a man any more. He has broken the word to himself, to his wife and to the entire neighborhood.He needs Beatrice to love him and most importantly to FORGIVE him for what he has just done. He doesn't tell her in the scene but that is exactly what he needs because he knows the truth will come out soon, any minute now. He has done the UNTHINKABLE. Acted like a rat!My experience: I was working on the scene in class and the scene went really really well every time. It took off for me and my scene partner. Why? I feel that we both used each other to find the solution. Sometimes as an actor you go into a scene with the idea what you want your performance to be liked and many times, that is when you get in trouble. I asked my WHAT I needed and WHY and used my scene partner to help me get what I desperately needed which was again forgivenessAs an actor, if you go into the scene needing to get your partner on your side so you can be forgiven for the unthinkable it will leave you more open to let the scene play you. You use more of YOURSELF.You can still let the anger and frustration come through in the scene but its the love and the charm that gets you what you need. And don’t stop asking your scene partner for the agreement.It is so easy to break away in the scene in self pity. DON’T. Keep going after what you want from her or him. Keep ASKING!The potion in a strong scene is a little bit of demand, a little bit of anger but a lot of love and charm.