Moment to Moment Acting - Monolouges

Working with my friends (Nadia, Kaylin and Annie) in our acting workshop last week, an interesting thing helped to really raise our monologues to a deeper level. 

Watch your target and react off of your target!  Moment to Moment Acting

A quote from my friend Nadia from a book she is reading. 

"A useful principle for the actor is that there is no such thing as a description. Pure description simply doesn't exist. What may claim to be a passive description is in fact always an active attempt to change a perception."

Working moment to moment can be a bit challenging sometimes as you are usually acting to a wall or a blank space, i.e, monologues.  But are you?   

You aways cast someone and be as specific as possible when doing your piece to someone because you are doing it to someone and not to a wall.  Like an old lady, someone you know really well or someone you saw walking down the street the other day that you thought was very attractive or just crazy guy on the corner of 23rd and 8th avenue who you think you can help or change. What will put you in the most trouble?   

But that is not enough?  You must watch and notice your target. What are you trying to communicate or get from them and how is that person reacting to what you are doing or telling them on each line. 

Going Moment to Moment in your acting  

 

And always remember that :

• PROBABILITY is more interesting than POSSIBILITY. 
• What is the agreement that you are trying to get and what is the best way of getting that agreement?