A chance to act a little again
Jan. 31st, 2025 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakinglight11This week I got to hear an advance edit of an audio drama in which I played a semi-important role. It was an interesting experience— I thought the piece came out very well, with some great performances in a fun script, and some very effective sound editing.
It was the first time in a long time I’ve played a substantial acting role in something. I used to be more of an actor than anything else, and I still really enjoy it, but in the last decade I’ve moved far more to the other side of the curtain. I prefer the control one has over the story as writer and director, and honestly I’m better at those anyway. But I still like acting, and I used to be not-half-bad at it, so I appreciate the rare occasion I can fit it into my schedule to perform in something.
Most artists are critical of their work, but since I’m a good director and only an okay actor, it’s hard not to fixate on how I’d LIKE my performance to be but may not actually be able to make it. Usually one of my strengths as a theater artist is my ability to evaluate a performance, figure out what’s going on in it and what it possibly needs, but it’s tough to look at my own objectively. And I go back and forth on what I think of the job I did here.
Don’t get me wrong, I think I did okay. Respectably well, definitely not embarrassing myself. I don’t sound like a scrub. But pretty much every other actor in the piece is definitely more skilled than me, so I think I suffer a bit by comparison. Still, I tried. The role required a London accent, and I worked very hard on it to prepare. Cari was even kind enough to join me on a long car ride where we spoke like Cockneys for the duration so I could practice. I was playing a straight man role in a fairly silly comedy, so my two big goals were: one, to not be working so hard at the accent as to inhibit my acting, and two, to keep my readings dimensional and not one-note with exasperation, which is a real danger when you’re playing the serious person responding to the insanity around them.
I think I mostly succeeded at not letting the accent flatten me. But as for managing the latter, I attempted to bring in a touch of amusement to leaven it. The character does have a sharp wit, so I tried to use that to make it sound like I was willing to at least sometimes roll with the madness rather than just push against it. I’m divided as to how well it came through. Maybe in some places, but not in others. Of course, it could just be that the director preferred different takes. Maybe I would have gravitated to other ones than those selected— of course, my attempts may not have worked as well as I hoped, or the vision could simply be different.
Anyway, I’m very glad I got to do it. I enjoyed the process and the challenge, and it was really nice to do a bit of acting again. Even if I may have been the weak link in the chain, just because everyone else was just so good. When it comes out, I'll be sure to point people to it-- and you can judge my performance for yourself.
It was the first time in a long time I’ve played a substantial acting role in something. I used to be more of an actor than anything else, and I still really enjoy it, but in the last decade I’ve moved far more to the other side of the curtain. I prefer the control one has over the story as writer and director, and honestly I’m better at those anyway. But I still like acting, and I used to be not-half-bad at it, so I appreciate the rare occasion I can fit it into my schedule to perform in something.
Most artists are critical of their work, but since I’m a good director and only an okay actor, it’s hard not to fixate on how I’d LIKE my performance to be but may not actually be able to make it. Usually one of my strengths as a theater artist is my ability to evaluate a performance, figure out what’s going on in it and what it possibly needs, but it’s tough to look at my own objectively. And I go back and forth on what I think of the job I did here.
Don’t get me wrong, I think I did okay. Respectably well, definitely not embarrassing myself. I don’t sound like a scrub. But pretty much every other actor in the piece is definitely more skilled than me, so I think I suffer a bit by comparison. Still, I tried. The role required a London accent, and I worked very hard on it to prepare. Cari was even kind enough to join me on a long car ride where we spoke like Cockneys for the duration so I could practice. I was playing a straight man role in a fairly silly comedy, so my two big goals were: one, to not be working so hard at the accent as to inhibit my acting, and two, to keep my readings dimensional and not one-note with exasperation, which is a real danger when you’re playing the serious person responding to the insanity around them.
I think I mostly succeeded at not letting the accent flatten me. But as for managing the latter, I attempted to bring in a touch of amusement to leaven it. The character does have a sharp wit, so I tried to use that to make it sound like I was willing to at least sometimes roll with the madness rather than just push against it. I’m divided as to how well it came through. Maybe in some places, but not in others. Of course, it could just be that the director preferred different takes. Maybe I would have gravitated to other ones than those selected— of course, my attempts may not have worked as well as I hoped, or the vision could simply be different.
Anyway, I’m very glad I got to do it. I enjoyed the process and the challenge, and it was really nice to do a bit of acting again. Even if I may have been the weak link in the chain, just because everyone else was just so good. When it comes out, I'll be sure to point people to it-- and you can judge my performance for yourself.
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