Attitude - The way you work during training and rehearsal will come across in the performance. So always rehearse with full focus, full commitment and full respect for the piece and your fellow actors.
Approach - Never “pretend” or simply “go through the motions”. Do all exercises for real. Then you will use your body, voice, feelings and expressions for real and your acting will become real and strong. Stage presence will become powerful and your energy levels will increase.
Breathe in and sigh X 3 - Before you start your training or rehearsal you need to completely let go of your personal present mood state and whatever has been occupying you. By just taking a breath in and exhaling with a real sigh you will find yourself letting go of moods or feelings that are buzzing around inside you.
It will make you calmer and more present and focused. Do this three times.
Drop - a - Level – Doing this exercise can be the difference between “OK” performing and “WOW” performing! The stresses, strains and distractions we are continually bombarded with, mean that most of the time, we are “lifted out of ourselves” and are therefore not totally in control; we are disconnected from our body. The idea of Drop – a - Level is to “puncture” yourself by gently letting go of any air in your lungs. Imagine that your weight – the whole of you - is dropping down in your body. You will feel at one with your body and - as your body is where you have all your voice, movements, expressions and feelings – you will gain more control of all these things. You will be in the here and now. Do it frequently – whenever you need to get full control of yourself.
Look without judging – is great for calming nerves and becoming more present. We rarely look at our surroundings for “real”, but through the eyes of our own feelings and thoughts; when we look at a vase on a shelf, we see dust that needs to be cleaned, or the holiday during which it was bought. Now drop-a-level and then look at different things for a few seconds. See each thing for what it is – but see it without connecting it to other thoughts/feelings. Feeling nervous is a fear of what we think might happen, which most of the time does not happen. Looking at things for “real”, will keep you in the now.
Listen without judging - To become a good speaker - You need to become a good listener. That’s one of the best tools for anyone who is going to present something in front of an audience. It sounds like a contradiction…but think about it: Anyone showing an interest in you – you are likely to listen to… aren’t you?
So by using your ears and listening to the audience, you are sending out an interest…a curiosity…a listening ear! The audience will feel special and will, in turn listen to you. You will create a relationship, a nice flow, a bridge between you and the auditorium. As you are sensing them, you will instinctively work with them and so improve your timing. Always use the listening ears towards your fellow actors. That’s when you truly will be able to act and re - act intuitively. Well what’s the alternative? Listen to yourself? Act to yourself?
Drop Chin Relax Tongue Throat and Tummy (DCR TTT) - By dropping your chin so that your jaw relaxes, you will straight away relax your face. You need to do that so that you are not making faces that are not related to what’s going on inside you – or your character.
Then, relax your tongue and throat. This is so that you don’t have to squeeze out your voice through a tight windpipe and exhaust yourself. When you relax your tummy you will be better able to do the correct movements with your abdominal muscles and diaphragm for voice projection. Most of all, this will unify the connection between voice, movement, feelings and expressions.
before your entrance …