Finding Theatrical Truth

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This semester I am taking a classical acting class. I was a little hesitant because "classical acting" has always equaled "boring" in my mind. I don't really know why or how that connection was made...

Anyhow.

Right from the start I could tell that I was going to enjoy this class. We immediately started talking about all the different aspects of theatre and "what is style?". The thing that stood out to me the most from that conversation though was this quote:

"The most important thing about acting is honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made"

And that quote sparked the question: "What is theatrical truth?".

I've been thinking about these two phrases for a while, trying to come up with my own definition or sense of what they mean and I believe I have come to a conclusion.

Honesty or truth in theatre comes from the performance of the actor. It means that in an emotional scene, the audience is convinced by the emotions that are being played. However, if the actor loses control, they lose the audience. You see, the audience is drawn in by the struggle; by the fight against the emotions we are feeling.

My sophomore year, my high school put on "The Phantom of the Opera". Which was such an incredible experience. However, at the very end of the show, "it's over now the music of the night...", the guy who was playing the Phantom always got really emotional, to the point of tears. I remember at the end of that particular rehearsal, my director stood up from the audience and yelled, "you can't cry! The audience still has to be able to understand you!". I didn't really understand why he would yell that. I thought that it was a powerful performance.

However, 7 years of school and training later, I know exactly why he yelled that. It is so much more powerful for an audience to feel the tension of the struggle. The audience wants to empathize with an actor, not sympathize.

So what is theatrical truth?

Theatrical truth comes from the way you go about sharing a story; from the way you play a character.

It comes from honestly fighting against the emotions and displaying them in a way that the audience will understand. It's finding the breathing pattern that will make it sound like you are overly emotional or crying without actually losing control on stage.

In almost every way it truly is "fake it till you make it". Which is ironic if you think about it.

<3: CourtneyRae<3

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