Dealing with a terrible actor
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4936
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 4:26pm
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Topic: Dealing with a terrible actor
Posted By: peacock
Subject: Dealing with a terrible actor
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 12:01pm
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I am directing a young man who is, without any question, the worst actor I have ever worked with. He is new to our group this year, and came with some experience. (At least he said he had experience.) He did not read too well, but I needed a guy and gave him the smallest part. As rehearsals are going along, he is getting worse and worse. He is constantly adding distracting and weird bits of "business" and he way overacts. I sometimes find myself biting my lip to keep from laughing. I can't cut him from the play. He is new, and needs the friends. Any tips on toning down an overly enthusiastic player? |
Replies:
Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 12:48pm
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I assume you have talked to him?? If so, and he contintues the distracting business, I would call his attention to it, politely, during rehearsal.
Inexperienced actors always seem to think they need to be "doing" something when on-stage and not doing lines. Once they realize that they DO NOT need to be doing something, and that actually doing something is distracting, most of them come around.
Looking forward to hearing what others have to say...
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Posted By: NDTENOR
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 1:40pm
| Yes..... you should talk to him in private or send him an e-mail. And if it is a small role then tell him to tone it down or he will be replaced ( and sort of mean it). If it's a small role possibly you could do it yourself in a pinch. Initially I would NOT make it a public spectacle but , quite simply, you need to be firm and clear . Or it will probably just get worse when you actually do the show. |
Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 1:50pm
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It sounds to me like he's bored. That he doesn't have the discipline to play his part as it should be played. That he's looking for excitement, and (I think, possibly) approval in some sort of odd way by trying to make himself noticed. That maybe he thinks acting is more improvisational, rather than slogging through memorized bits. Two Things: FIRST, I don't think you should bite your tongue to keep from laughing. Go ahead and laugh. Then let him know that what he has done was funny, but then explain to him how it was also inappropriate to the moment in the play and that it actually hurts the play as a whole when he does something to interrupt the flow or distract from the focus of the scene. He has to understand that in a play everyone is working together to create a comprehensive whole. I like to use the orchestra analogy. Everyone in the orchestra can be playing beautifully, but if the second clarinet is flat, or plays a passage in the wrong place, or at the wrong tempo, his actions destroy the effect of the entire piece. The audience may even laugh at the clarinet, but afterwards, on their way home, they'll talk about how that clarinet player spoiled the whole concert. The same kind of thing happens when an audience goes home from a play in which some particular actor has called inappropriate attention to himself. SECOND, is there some place in the show where he can have his "moment"? If he has a pretty bland part (second spear carrier from the left) is there a bit he can do (work on, come up with) that will allow him his little burst of spontaneity and still not adversely affect the balance of the show? If you can give him something somewhere, maybe he will be able to restrain himself for the rest of the play. But you are going to have to make him understand that it's not about him alone; it's about the show and everyone in it. That he doesn't have the right to single-handedly destroy what they are trying to create. He may not really understand how it is that he's disrupting the show. I would give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he either came from an organization that prized improvisational behavior, or that he's incorrectly assuming that this is what "real" actors do. In the end, if you dedicate a little time in helping him understand the importance of not being disruptive, it may be that that bit of attention will be all that he needs to turn himself around. It's worth a try anyway. Best of luck. |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 3:51pm
Agreed. But in my experience it can sometimes be pretty hard to get them to stop. There's a fear element. Actors are always looking to hide behind something to avoid being out there naked and in the moment. |
Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 5:50pm
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To politely disagree, I would NOT laugh at this young man. That is only going to reinforce the behavior.
I do like the orchestra analogy!
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Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 1/24/11 at 6:15pm
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Majicwrench - As for laughing at the young man: I only felt that acknowledging his attempt was better than ignoring it. If you don't react at all, it might prompt him to even more outrageous behavior. I was thinking that you might laugh, tell him what he did was genuinely funny, but then explain how it is not appropriate for that moment in the show. Sort of trying to use a little positive reinforcement that might make him more willing bend to your own way of thinking. I was just giving him the hypothetical benefit of the doubt. |
Posted By: peacock
Date Posted: 1/25/11 at 2:48am
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Thanks for the comments. Maybe I should clarify. He is super awkward, even offstage. But as time goes on he is getting more and more awkward. I think he has no idea at all how he is coming across. But, I think maybe it is time for a private heart to heart. I think he has no idea at all how bad it is. This is the downside of directing. |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 1/25/11 at 2:49am
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Give him a job as an ASM or invent another duty imconjuction with the production during his down time. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 1/25/11 at 4:17pm
In my experience in community theater from time to time you have to use "bad" actors for some roles, especially males. You just have to do your best to help him out and stop thinking of him as bad. He's just a beginner like we all were once. Go ahead and explain things to him in front of everyone, even if you have to tell him five times a night to keep still from now until opening. Having a "heart to heart" might damage his confidence or inject emotion into the situation that doesn't need to be there. Just my two cents. |
Posted By: didj1028
Date Posted: 1/26/11 at 7:41pm
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Maybe some kind of prop could help? depending on his role of course. If he's a servant could he putter around a little dusting or something? Or give him a book to be reading? Thank goodness I'm a designer and not a director, just my two cents on some things I've seen work in the past.
------------- Geoff Ehrendreich Waterloo Community Playhouse Waterloo IA |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 1/30/11 at 10:22pm
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First I'd like to say that I think you're blessed with infinite patience and understanding and should be commended for that. I on the other hand am not. You say that you can't cut him. Why? If he's that bad and getting worse cut him lose. I'm sorry but I would not sacrifice the quality of the show just to make someone feel good about themselves or as therapy to overcome their awkwardness.
------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: PaulyWally
Date Posted: 2/03/11 at 11:40pm
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In my experience, not cutting an actor that needs to be cut is often more detrimental than simply replacing them. On the other hand, cutting an actor for any reason is easy for only a select few. Remember that YOU are the director. Directors need to let actors do their thing... BUT... you can't let anarchy ensue. It always remains the director's responsibility to ensure that the actors are making choices that are conducive to the ensemble. And for that reason, I'll reiterate the "orchestra" analogy. The characters are the actors' responsibility. The entire production is yours. There's a difference between letting an actor develop their character, and letting them create an entirely new play. Another dimension to this is to figure out WHY your actor is doing this. What kind of person is he? What is he trying to accomplish? Does he want to be noticed? Is he trying to get appreciated? Is he bored with the role? Is there someone else in the cast/crew he's trying to impress? Hopefully that helps a little... |
Posted By: peacock
Date Posted: 2/04/11 at 2:19am
| Thanks, everyone, for the comments. The biggest issue with this guy is that he is socially awkward in the extreme. I cast him as a nerd, which should have been easy, but somehow it wasn't. So I finally called him in for a private talk. I told him that I would like to envision the character differently. I gave him a 180 degree different idea of the character, and said that basically he should do the opposite of what he was doing. Guess what, it is working at least well enough that I don't need to cut him. I have found in the past that sometimes weak actors get stuck in a characterization that does not work, so they need to just cast it aside and start again. I need to remember this for next time.< id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" =""> |
Posted By: SamD
Date Posted: 2/04/11 at 8:16pm
| I'm gonna have to try that "stop what you're doing and do the exact opposite" approach. Glad you figured it out! |
Posted By: MusicManD
Date Posted: 4/19/11 at 2:29pm
| I've had a lot of luck with "I really like what you're trying to do there. Now stop it." |