In this article, we examine the Biff monologue from Act Two of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. We cover the context of the speech, the text itself and give information as to how this monologue might best be considered and performed by an actor. As the Biff monologue is a popular speech for drama school auditions and acting classes, it is an important piece to learn and comprehend for any actor.

This the first of our Monologues Unpacked series to tackle a non-Shakespearean piece. Be sure to follow the link to the full collection, to gain information on every conceivable Shakespeare speech you might ever encounter in your studies or career. For now, let’s settle down with this masterpiece of American writing…

Context

Willy Loman is a travelling salesman who finds success and stability ever out of reach. In the action of the play, we witness a tragic series of events that pushes him towards despair, including the loss of his job and his proud refusal of another position from a friend. Adding further pressure to his life is the presence of his eldest son Biff, who has similarly failed at recent business deals and has returned home. Biff had once been a champion of his father, but found himself disillusioned after visiting Willy unannounced in Boston and catching him in the midst of an extra-marital affair. Biff is broken by this, but keeps his father’s secret.

This speech takes place outside the family home, following a disastrous dinner Biff had with his younger brother Happy and their father. Biff tried to tell his father about his latest business failure, and Willy responded by slapping him and admonishing him. The play slips into a flashback to Biff’s visit in Boston—as if to signify Willy’s growing sense of guilt and shame.

Original Text

Note: while this speech is presented as an unbroken monologue, it is actually drawn from a heated exchange between Biff Loman and his father Willy. The majority of the text is spoken as a monologue, but versions of this speech may very depending on the particulars of each edit. This version is StageMilk’s own, as available through our Scene Club membership.

BIFF:
Now hear this, Willy, this is me. You know why I had no address for three months? I stole a suit in Kansas City and I was jailed. I stole myself out of every good job since high school. And I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That’s whose fault it is! It’s goddamn time you heard that! I had to be boss big shot in two weeks, and I’m through with it! Willy! I ran down eleven flights with a pen in my hand today. And suddenly I stopped, you hear me? And in the middle of that office building, do you hear this? I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw- the sky. I saw the things that I love in the world. The work and the food and the time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can’t I say that, Willy? Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you! I am not a leader of me, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash-can like all the rest of them! I’m a dollar an hour, Willy! I tried seven states and couldn’t raise it! A buck an hour! Do you gather my meaning? I’m not bringing home any prizes any more, and you’re going to stop waiting for me to bring them home! Pop, I’m nothing! I’m nothing, Pop. Can’t you understand that? There’s no spite in it any more. I’m just what I am, that’s all. Will you let me go, for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phoney dream and burn it before something happens?

Unfamiliar Language

As with any new monologue, begin by identifying and defining any unfamiliar words or phrases. Biff will give you a lot less grief than, say, Hamlet, but there are still a few terms that might be strange.

Blew me so full of hot air: To build him up with praise.
Contemptuous: Showing hatred, scorn, disapproval.
Dime a dozen: Unremarkable, common.
Drummer: Archaic term for a travelling salesman. In this context it might also refer to Willy’s constant (rhythmic) work at his business.
Ash-can: American slang for rubbish bin.
Dollar an hour/Buck an hour: Similar to “dime a dozen”, unremarkable.
Phoney: Fake.

Notes on Performance

To help you navigate performing this piece, we’ve included some notes on performance, listed out in the five points below:

#1 Context

The first thing you need to do to perform this piece properly is read the play. This speech occurs at a crisis point for each party involved, and it is vital that you understand the significance of this moment within its proper context. This will help you establish the timeline of Biff’s story, as well as explain details such as the pen—an impulsive theft by Biff following a failed job interview.

#2 Objective

The objective of Biff in this scene is to wake his father up and have him see reason. It’s a lofty thing for Biff to strive for, which is exciting for an audience and a challenge for an actor. But it can also result in some fairly vague choices when navigating the scene. Try adding a goal to this speech: something concrete you want Willy to do which will signify your objective is complete: “My objective is for Biff to wake Willy up and have him see reason, and I’ll know I’ve done this when I achieve the goal of getting him to hug me.”

#3 Scene Partner

Who is Biff talking to? Well, sure, it’s his father Willy. But take the time to interrogate this relationship, especially in the context of the story. The Willy before Biff is very different to the hero from his childhood: a delusional failure, a cheat on his mother who has beaten his son out of his own desperation. Consider drawing a character relationship map to plot the complexities of this dynamic; it’s also important to consider who has the greater status in this scene.

Never forget that a monologue is still a conversation—it just so happens that one character has all the words. Beneath that, in the silences, in the pauses, there is still very much a back-and-forth occurring. Note how many times Biff ‘checks in’ with his father: “Now hear this…” “Do you hear this?” “Do you gather my meaning?” Don’t think about moving on until you are certain Willy has heard you.

#4 How Does Biff Feel?

A lot of the time, this piece is performed as angry and heartbroken. And this is entirely valid, given all Biff has been through. But don’t discredit the way your character might actually feel some relief from getting all of this off his chest. After a near-lifetime of deception and self-delusion, Biff and Willy are having a genuinely honest moment. And even the worst secrets shared feel better than being kept.

#5 Where Does Biff End Up?

This is good advice for monologues in general, but where does Biff end up at the end of the speech? What’s changed for him, for Willy? And what does the audience know? A good scene in any script is a point of no return: a moment when characters say something and can’t come back from it, their relationship forever affected.

Relate this point to the dynamic between you and your scene partner. Biff and Willy’s dynamic is radically altered by this exchange. It’s undeniably tough for a child to realise their father is fallible—human, capable of failure and mistakes—but it’s also a moment of a personal growth. Might a part of Biff feel better that this confrontation has happened?

Biff Monologue Audition Piece

This speech is a popular choice for drama school auditions and acting classes. You may have looked it up and found this article for this exact reason. If so, here’s a few things to remember about the piece to help. First of all, keep communicating. Keep Willy in your mind as you speak the words, and imagine him in the room: this will help you anchor your eyeline and keep the piece from becoming to fraught and chaotic. While we’re on the subject: don’t let the emotions take over. If you’re lucky enough to be in the room when other auditionees are delivering this piece, you’re going to see a lot of angst and tears. Resist the temptation to let go; Biff knows this isn’t the way to reach Willy and change his mind.

Finally, and this is a bit of a re-tread from our performance notes, but know the play. Know the text, understand the context, the story, the meaning behind the words. When you are auditioning for a drama school, you’re not actually being seen as an actor. You’re being auditioned as a student. So be a good student: be hungry for knowledge and information, and show the panel that you’ve taken the time to explore the text and bring it to life.

Conclusion

So there you have it: our very first Monologues Unpacked to tiptoe beyond Shakespeare! Whether you’re prepping this piece for drama school, an acting class or simply using it to practice your craft … enjoy it. Enjoy the words Miller has so expertly crafted, and enjoy bringing a little strength and closure to Biff’s fraught relationship with his dad. It’s the very least they both deserve.

Good luck!

The post Biff Monologue (Act Two) appeared first on StageMilk.

Depending on the level of production, actors have varying degrees of control over their choice of costume, and what it might say about their character. Costume can denote time period, class, occupation and even personality of your character. In productions where costumes can be chosen by the actor, considerations must be made that accentuate the character without feeling too obvious to the audience. 

In this article, we’ll cover a few basic facts around costume, and examine the differences between costume for stage and screen. Finally, we’ll speak to some more expansive ideas about how to find your character within the way they dress. It’s one of those areas that all too often goes unconsidered by actors, which is a shame: it’s a great place to explore a character and bring them to life!

What is Costume?

Costume is the clothing worn by a performer for a performance. Most people tend to think of it in terms of acting, but it can extend to the choice of clothing selected by, say, a musician for a performance on stage. Costume has been a part of drama as long as all the other aspects of the form: you can trace a clear line through history from the helmets of the Star Wars stormtroopers to the masks of actors in Ancient Greece.

The word itself can be traced back to the Latin word consuetudo, meaning “custom” or “usage”. Its more contemporary roots in 17th century Italian and French liken it to the English word “custom”—meaning that a costume is of the style, the fashion. To some degree, this usage carries through today: a costume is the correct clothing for a particular time or place. For an actor, the costume is what their character wears on stage or screen. For a mourner at a funeral, the costume is formal and black. And for a police officer, the costume is a uniform.

Costume in Professional Productions

Costume is a vitally important part of any contemporary production—be it stage or screen. As costumes adorn the actors who take up most of our attentions when watching a narrative unfold, they are extremely visible part’s of a production’s design. For this reason, they require highly skilled designers, fabricators and stylists to ensure they look authentic and correct.

Costume on Screen

Costumes for screen are typically referred to as “wardrobe”, as is the department in charge of their procurement and upkeep. A feature film employing extras could have over five hundred costumes for one crowd scene alone, and multiple costumes will be required for every major character as well.

In film and television, continuity is a significant challenge with costume, as the same piece of clothing will need to be kept in the same condition for months on end. In certain situations, wardrobe may produce several versions of the same item of clothing in case one is damaged beyond repair.

Costume on Stage

Costume in the theatre taken extremely seriously, as the scrutiny by a live audience is arguably higher than that of a person watching a film in their home. Every item of clothing has to feel ‘real’, as it is literally existing in the same space as the viewer.

Similarly to screen, stage costumes are designed to accentuate the characters or setting; however, their role may also be symbolic. Placing Hamlet in a dark suit might not be the traditional choice that Shakespeare envisioned, but still speaks to his status and mood. Modern costumes, or costumes that don’t fit a traditional understanding of a play are a terrific way to shake up the interpretation and breathe new life into a well-trod story.

Can I Choose my Own Costume?

The answer to this question depends on a few different factors. On a professional shoot like a film or a Netflix series, you’re unlikely to have too much of a say as to how your character dresses. Costume is handled by the wardrobe department (or designer on a stage show) and will be determined by the larger aesthetic of the production design. You’ll have the chance to give them your measurements and not much else.

However, if you’re in a starring role, you may find you have some sway as to how your character dresses—especially if you consult with your director. It all comes down to your influence and industry clout: if you’re Leonardo DiCaprio, they’ll probably let you film the movie in sweat-pants.

On lower-budget, independent or student productions, you are actually more likely to provide your own costume. Costume buying or hiring is expensive, and it’s a smart way for the producer to cut costs. The director or designer will likely ask you to “bring in some options” chosen from your own wardrobe. This has its advantages: such as you have a greater choice over how you look on stage or screen (see below)! But it can also put your own clothing items in jeopardy of being damaged or lost.

How to Choose what your Character Wears

Let’s say you’re gearing up for an indie theatre show, and the director has asked you to “bring in some options” for your character to wear. How do you choose what your character wears?

#1 Read the Script

First thing’s first. Do some script analysis. Look for any indication within the text that might give you an understanding of how your character might present themselves to the world. Are they tough? Do they like to stand out? Is fashion important to them? Do they wear a particular tie-pin that was given to them by a now-dead relative? Some writers will give you a complete description of how a character is meant to appear (thanks, Sam Beckett!) While others might skimp on details, that’s not to say there won’t be clues you can discover.

#2 Consider the Production Design

Next, think about the design of the production itself. Time period, location, genre, style, colour scheme… all of these things can be determining factors in the costume you pick for your character. If there is a designer, why not ask them for their opinion; if anything, it’ll help you find an outsider’s perspective on how your character might be viewed.

#3 Be Comfy

As you start to narrow down your own wardrobe, take a step away from character and imagination to consider the practical. Don’t choose a costume that is uncomfortable. Depending on the run, you may be wearing this costume over and over, night after night, and on a hard floor beneath some very hot lights. At least consider this when picking options. Is it hurting you? Can you move around in it? Will it constrict what you have to do in the performance?

Note: It’s also worth choosing something that is easy to wash and dry. You don’t want your share of the profits to be eaten away by constant dry-cleaning bills.

#4 Dress Up and Play

Once you find yourself with a shortlist of costume options, wear your choices and ‘play’ as your character. You can try moving as they do, finding the physicality and stance. Speak through some lines, perhaps a monologue if you have one. All the while, check in with yourself and ask how it feels in this particular outfit: does it resonate with the performance you’re giving?

If you complete this step early enough in the production, you can actually try wearing some options to rehearsals to feel and see them in action!

#5 Trust Your Director

Throughout this process, your director is going to be an invaluable resource. With the exception, perhaps, of the writer, your director will know your character better than anybody else on the production. Use them as a resource, as a sounding board, for how your character might dress. Are you in agreement? Or will a difference of opinion open you up to something not yet considered?

Ultimately, the call on what your character wears will be made by the director. When all is said and done, they are the one in charge of unifying the various threads that make up the production. So the more you can work with them to find your character’s look, the more you will be aligned with their overall vision, and how you fit into that.

Finding Your Character in Costume

When considering the importance of costume, I often think about this short promo clip for Netflix’s Mindhunter. Cameron Britton speaks about how the character of serial killer Ed Kemper emerges from a single act of costume preparation. If costume for actors is something you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about, it’s definitely worth your time. Because the character is often there, in the clothes and shoes and glasses, waiting for you to discover them.

Putting on your costume is the cornerstone of any pre-show or pre-shoot ritual. It’s a time where you step out of your everyday clothes and into those of the person you are going to become on stage or screen. You are no longer yourself in a costume—because these clothes belong to somebody else.

So the next time you’re putting on your costume, or picking out some options to show an up-and-coming filmmaker, take the time to think “How can I find the character in this costume?” Often, as Britton tells us, they can simply appear…

Good luck!

The post Costume for Actors appeared first on StageMilk.

To start writing a short film, you’ll need to have a solid idea in mind, and the resources/equipment needed to see the project to fruition. Choose your software and writing space, set aside time and have a concrete goal in mind for the script once it is completed. When it comes to actually starting to write your short film, look for the simplest and most direct way of beginning the narrative. After that, take it shot by shot. 

Before we dive in, let’s straighten something out: today’s focus is not how to write, per se, but how to begin the process. We have countless other articles covering the process of writing to completion, which we’ll link out at the bottom of this article. For now, let’s put pencils to pages and fingers to keys…

What You’ll Need to Write a Short Film

Let’s start out by covering what will you need lined up before you start writing. There’s not a lot you’ll need to do—in fact, a lot of would-be writers spend more time preparing to write than actually writing. But a little preparation can ease you nicely into that creative mindset.

Equipment

Laptop or desktop computer goes without saying, so let’s cut straight to the software program you’ll need. A scriptwriting program like industry standard Final Draft is ideal, although free-to-use programs like Celtx or WriterDuet are equally suitable.

The advantage to a dedicated program is its built-in formatting. You won’t need to measure your page or check your margins: everything will be pre-set and perfect. This is important for when you show your work to others in the industry, because if your screenplay isn’t in the proper format, nobody will take you seriously. Great writing or not.

If writing on a computer is less conducive to creativity for you, that’s A-Okay. You’re welcome to write your ideas out longhand, or even with a typewriter if you’re feeling like a fast-talking 1940’s reporter. Just know that you will still need to type everything up before sending it out.

Space

Finding a good space for writing can make all the difference in your personal process. Aim for a space with plenty of room and light, free of distractions and too much foot traffic. This could be a public space, like a café, or a private space like your dining table at home.

Our advice on choosing a writing space is for it to be somewhere you can arrive at for the sole purpose of work. Try not to make it the same area in your house where you unwind, or the same café you like to hang out at with friends. Find a clear demarcation between work/leisure as a writer, and you will train yourself to write simply by being in that designated space.

Time

Make time to write. Set it out in your calendar and spend that time on the business of creating. Sometimes you’ll sit there and be lucky to clock a word an hour. But the time spent at the work is as important as what you produce. Your writing will require your personal respect and conviction: the best way to establish this is to make the time needed to do the task.

Start with an hour every second day, or at least four writing sessions a week. You can bump this up if you like, and change the times to better suit your schedule/preference. (Personal example: my last commissioned play was written over the course of three months, every weekday, from 7am – 9am. After that, I had the whole day ahead of me to work, rest, fold washing and lament the choices made by my characters.)

Goals

Finally, you’re going to find it a lot easier to start writing when you have an end point in mind. Think about what your script is for: are you working towards a production? Is there a competition you’re submitting for? Do you have a particular actor in mind with whom you’d like to work?

Even if there is no concrete goal, set yourself a deadline to work to. You can always move it if you think it’s becoming unreasonable, but a date on your calendar that dictates the end of the process is sure to light a fire under yourself when you’ve yet to start!

Ways To Start Writing

Given that our focus today is starting the actual writing process, we’re going to assume that you’ve already got an idea in mind, and given some thought to the plotting of this idea into a narrative an audience can follow. A good idea might feel like an asset in starting to write a short film, but it can also paralyse you: you don’t want to ‘get it wrong’ and do injustice to the brilliance of your first artistic impulse.

Remember that an idea is useless until it’s written out—and written well.

Location, Location, Location

What’s the first thing the audience will see? Usually, it’s the location where the action takes place. Before any of the story unfolds, take a moment to describe it. Make it feel real, ‘lived-in’, like it’s existed for years before the reader of your script picked up these pages and learned about it. Here’s an example:

INT. BUD’S DINER – NIGHT
Bud’s Diner is empty, save for a lone COOK behind the long, red counter. With his back to the room, he scrubs the filthy fry top, swaying his hips to music from a muffled jukebox.

Applying a little script analysis to this description gives us so much to work with: the few details we have suggest a lot about the state of the diner, its popularity, even a hint of a personality for an unnamed character. If you’re struggling to start writing your short film, focus on the world of the story first.

Start Where It Gets Good

A man wakes up, has a shower, brews some coffee, commutes to work, sells insurance over the phone. After work he has a late lunch, hits the gym, calls his mother and then goes to his favourite bar. In the corner booth of the bar, a strange figure sits watching him. The figure calls him over and hands him something: a picture of the rocking horse he owned as a child…

Notice how that story picked up towards the end there? It was three-quarters diary, blah blah blah … and then suddenly a mysterious figure! A relic from the past! Mystery! Adventure!

How late can you start telling the story in your script before it stops making sense? If it takes two pages for the thing to get interesting, consider cutting the first two pages—especially in a short film, where every second has to be justified. Start where it right where gets good. And you’ll feel the same excitement your audience will.

Focus on the Action

Do you feel the burden of your film’s overarching themes and ideas? The need to truthfully represent, whilst keeping your audience engaged? Are you experiencing the pressure of having to write “The Definitive Guide to [TOPIC]?”

Focus on the action. What’s the first thing that happens? “Sandra wants to be the world’s greatest stand-up comedian.” That might be the plot, that might even be your character’s objective, but it’s not the action. What’s the first thing the audience sees? “A comedy club.” More specific. “Sandra at the mic.” Great! Now answer the most important question in writing: “What happens next?”

INT. COMEDY CLUB – NIGHT
Sandra stands at the mic. She tries to open her mouth but nothing comes out. In the dark, she can see the abstract shapes of audiences shifting uncomfortably. Elsewhere, the sound of a smoker’s cough. She tries to speak again, but only a squeak comes out. She grips the mic as her vision blurs…

What happens next? What happens next? And after that, what happens next? Note the cause-and-effect of the action above. Take your script action by action, and give each moment a sense of importance as it sparks the next.

‘Watch’ your Movie

This technique comes from the great writer/director Robert Rodriguez, spoken in one of his series of ‘Ten Minute Film Schools’. If you’re stuck writing your script, stare at a blank wall in your house and ‘watch’ your movie. Let your imagination go and picture what it looks like when the lights go down and the titles flash up. What’s the first shot? How does the action unfold? What are the characters saying?

Script writing forces us to boil down our imaginations into readable chunks so that a director can bring it to life and a producer can pay for it. Sometimes, if you let yourself get caught up in the pressure of writing it all down, you can lose sight of the inspiration and ideas that spurred you into action in the first place. Watch your movie. Enjoy it. And then write it down!

Write Badly

If all else fails, start your script as badly as you can. Seriously: make an effort. Write your dialogue over the top, have too much detailed description and characters straight out of The Room. Push the melodrama, raise the stakes! And if the story is set in a retirement home, you better open your movie on the space battle happening above the Martian colony.

Why? (Entirely fair question.) Because bad writing is better than no writing. And once you’ve written the worst version of your script’s opening, you can focus on drafting it into what it should be. Start by cutting unnecessary things: descriptions, double-ups in dialogue, the space battle happening above the Martian colony. It won’t be long before you start strengthening things, adding better lines or more succinct versions. Before you know it, you’ll have cut through the crap to discover what your story should actually look like.

Conclusion

The effort it takes to start writing is immense. That’s because it’s the hardest part of the process: it’s what starts to turn that idea you’ve had into something others can experience and enjoy. So if you find yourself at the start of your writing journey, know that it gets easier the minute words are on the page. And you’re ten times the writer somebody else is who hasn’t written a thing.

So do whatever it takes to write. Try each of the tactics above, try a combination, ask peers and mentors for their advice. Sure, it’s tough. But there are few things as artistically rewarding as coming up with a little world of your own and telling a story there. And it’s especially true for actors, when you spend so much of your time caught up in the worlds of others.

Good luck!

Additional Resources

Before we sign off, here are some additional resources you might find helpful in your writing journey:

• How to Write a Play
• How to Write your First Screenplay
• How to Write a Scene for your Showreel
• How to Write a Monologue
• How to Write a Short Film
• How to Write a Vehicle for Yourself
• How to Write a Cabaret

The post How do I Start Writing a Short Film? appeared first on StageMilk.

B: “Hi.”

What just happened? Are these people two friends seeing each other for the first time since the summer break, or a condemned (but innocent) criminal greeting his smiling executioner? The joy of A/B scenes for actors is that both could be true. Without the context of a larger script or any supplementary information, A/B scenes (sometimes known as ‘open scenes’) give you all the power in the world to shape and bring them to life. They are extremely useful resources, which is why we at StageMilk decided to write and publish this collection.

This page contains a collection of free, original A/B scenes for actors, perfect for use in acting classes or drama workshops. These scenes contain minimal information regarding character and setting, allowing actors to experiment with characterisation and context using their given circumstances. In addition to traditional two-handers, there are scenes for multiple actors with the same, pared-back information.

Whether you are an actor looking to improve their craft or an acting teacher looking for resources in a drama class or workshop, this page will give you all the info you need to properly deploy and help your students/peers/yourself through the process. Scroll down to the bottom for additional resources StageMilk offers regarding free, original script available to our entire acting community.

How to Work with A/B Scenes

Before you jump in, take a look at the following concepts to help you navigate the A/B scenes on offer. Just because information in the script is minimal, doesn’t mean you can skip any part of the script preparation process. If anything, it’s more important than ever to find the context and thrust of the scene.

Script Analysis

Read the script, analyse the script and know the script. For A/B scenes, look at vocabulary and sentence structure in particular: what does one character’s style of speaking tell you about who they might be? Are sentences short or long? Does one character speak more than the other, or perhaps more confidently or emotionally than the other? Writers will always leave you hints in the words they chose (or didn’t.)

Finding your Objectives

What does your character want in this scene from the scene? Lack of context or action does not mean that you can skimp on this. Even in the example at the top of this page (“Hi.” “Hi.”) an objective must be needed: perhaps Character A wants to intimidate Character B, whereas Character B wants their scene partner to remain calm.

Plotting your Actions

Once you know what your character wants, it’s time to plot the actions/tactics they use to get them. Why does your character say a line? What’s the idea behind it that helps them achieve their goal?

Modifying the Moment Before

Establish what’s happened to each character before the scene begins, and then play around with it. “Hi.” “Hi.” could have happened after a lousy speed-dating event. It could also have happened after A caught B cheating on them after twenty years of marriage.

Establishing Given Circumstances

These classic Stanislavski questions of who, where, when, what, why and how will help you ground you choices in A/B scenes. The more context you can build with the given circumstances, the more realistic and compelling your scenes will be.

Changing it Up

Finally, be sure that you keep changing things around in these scenes: once you’ve played it a certain way, challenge yourself to re-invent the situation entirely. What else can you discover? What risks can you take?

A/B Scenes for Actors

While none of these scenes exceed a minute in length, it may be preferable in some instances to ‘split’ the text and only use a fragment for performance and analysis. This is particularly recommended for drama teachers—who may wish to use this material with greener students.

Encounter

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A surprises B after time apart.

Refund

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A would like to return something with B’s help. For cash, preferably.

Alone

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A would like to sit with B to cheer them up. B has other ideas.

One More Thing

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A doesn’t want B to worry about something, but they won’t get specific.

It Happened

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A catches B up on a big development.

Do It

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A wants B to do something. B knows they have to, but hesitates.

Turbulence

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 – 2 mins
Synopsis: A is going on a trip. B is nervous about it.

Catch Me Up

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 – 2 mins
Synopsis: A and B run into each other after a time apart.

Lost

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A is searching for something. Be is not being helpful.

Remember

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A wishes B to remember.

Leaving

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A and B talk before leaving the house.

Embarrassed

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A is embarrassed by something. B would like them to drop it.

Seat

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A is sitting in B’s seat. How dare they.

News

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A has big news for B, right before they make a life-changing confession.

Stolen

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: B has an issue with the way A has procured something important.

A/B/C/D/Etc.

These scripts follow a similar format to A/B scenes, but contain additional characters. These scenes may be useful in larger drama class settings, or for scene study workshops.

Voted Out (3 Roles)

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A is informed by B and C that they are out.

Still or Sparkling (3 Roles)

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A, B and C have an awkward disagreement over an order.

Relaxation (4 Roles)

Genre: N/A
Length: 1 min
Synopsis: A, B, C and D try to relax, but it’s not so simple. Apparently.

Additional Script Resources

A/B scenes are invaluable resources for actors that help train an understanding of the theory of character and drama. However, due to their short nature, they may only take you so far in your exploration of text. So once you’re done working with these pieces, you might like to take a look at some of the original material we offer here at StageMilk.

Original content:

• Practice Scripts for Actors
• Practice Monologues for Actors
• Short Monologues for Actors
• Scenes for Three Actors
• Scenes for Four Actors
• Scenes for Young Actors

Resources for acting and script work:

• Script Analysis: How to get the Most out of a Scene
• How to Discover Character Relationships
• What is Subtext in Acting?
• Rhythm and Pace in Acting
• Given Circumstances

All things showcase and presentation:

• How to Nail your Drama School Showcase
• Should I Take an Acting Class?
• How to Survive your Drama School Showcase
• Benefits of Scene Study for Actors
• How to Cut Down a Monologue or Scene

Across these pages (and the one you’re reading now), remember to check in regularly for new uploads. We are forever adding fresh original scripts for all your acting needs.

Enjoy!

The post A/B Scenes for Actors appeared first on StageMilk.

This article contains a list of essential films for actors to watch. These films speak to the lifestyle or the craft or the actor, how they navigate fame or the lack thereof, and how the world might challenge their journey to fame and recognition. In each of these films, there are things an actor can learn from that may inform or enrich their own careers and lives. They are also highly entertaining.

Before we jump in, the usual disclaimer: these films are chosen by the good people at StageMilk, meaning that they are our opinions and ours alone. If you think we’ve committed some great sin by leaving out a favourite of yours, why not leave a comment or drop us a line so we can add it in!

On Selecting These Films

This list of essential films for actors to watch came with a very specific criteria: actors have to be able to learn something from each movie about their craft. For this reason, you might notice certain omissions (gasp!), or completely fail to recognise some of the more obscure titles. Just remember that we’ve selected these films with the specific goal for you to watch them, engage with them, and find ways to enrich your craft.

Essential Films for Actors to Watch

All About Eve (1950)

The ultimate actor’s horror film: what happens when you grow old and the younger generation force you out?! Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, an aging Broadway dame. She gives a break to young hopeful Eve Harrington, who promptly begins to take over Margo’s life, career and social circle as the Next Big Thing. For actors, it’s a chilling reminder that the greatest villain of all is not the young starlets, not even one’s own age, but the paranoia that all-too-easily sets in.

Actors should watch it for a frank look at an actor passing their prime and contending with their limitations. It was a bold move for Davis to make this film, to declare to audiences that she might be more similar to her character than she’d like to admit. But Bette Davis was always a brilliant tactician with the roles she took on; All About Eve is a masterclass in taking a courageous career step and making history with it.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The movie business loves to tell stories about itself. Singin’ in the Rain depicts one of the greatest shifts in the history of cinema—the move from silent pictures to sound. It’s a classic example of the Big Studio Musical, and carries such influence that films are still trying to recapture its magic today. (We’re talking about Babylon. Don’t see Babylon. It’s like Singin’ in the Rain but you’re jamming a fork in your thigh for three hours.)

Actors should watch it for a fun reminder that your business is changing, always changing. Whether it’s those pesky microphones coming to record your voice, streaming services changing the distribution model or AI replacing you with a few lines of code, actors need to stay on their toes. Will you be ready for what comes next? How will you protect your career in the decades to come?

The Goodbye Girl (1977)

The Goodbye Girl is an actor’s classic, an adaptation by Neil Simon of his smash-hit Broadway comedy. An out-of-work actor blows into the life of an out-of-work dancer and her young daughter. Comedy, romance, career angst ensues. The film gives its audience a fairly unromanticised picture of the realities of showbusiness: castings, rejections, day jobs. But it also demonstrates the joys of navigating this world with your closest companions—and how the life of an actor is enriching nonetheless.

Actors should watch it for its unflinching portrayal of career hardships. Elliot Garfield moves to New York to star in Richard III, thinking he has it made. But his director has very different ideas of interpretation… So what does he do? He works part time, makes ends meet, until the next big opportunity comes around. It’s not glamorous, but it’s honest. And it does end well!

Fame (1980)

These days, Fame tends to be a movie people are aware of but haven’t actually seen: it’s a musical, it’s a performing arts high school drama … it sounds pretty damn insufferable on paper, we know. But Fame is an honest look at the trials that young performers face. From their first disastrous audition (see above) to the excitement—and terrifying uncertainty—of graduation. The film never promises the characters their dreams—one excruciating scene comes to mind when the main characters are waited on at a cafe by the school’s former acting wunderkind. But such honesty is rare to find in movies about acting.

Actors should watch it to see themselves reflected in the hopes and dreams of the young performers. There is an infectious quality to the way they seize opportunity, develop their skills and enjoy the feeling of becoming good at they do. The know the odds are against them, but they carry on regardless.

Who Am I This Time (1982)

The very definition of an underrated gem. This TV movie was directed by Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), based on a story by Kurt Vonnegut; it tells the love story of two introverted people in a small-town amateur theatre company who use their characters’ voices and passions to express their feelings. It boasts two incredible performances from Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon.

Actors should watch it for a reminder that good work can happen regardless of your personality, your location or level of profession. Amateur, part-time, full-time or retired: acting is acting. And a great performer is a gift no matter  their circumstance.

A Chorus Line (1985)

Adapted from the 1975 musical of the same name, A Chorus Line tells the story of a group of performers auditioning for a new Broadway musical. As choreographer Zach puts them through their steps, the characters reveal the stories of their lives, their hopes and fears as they give their all to win a coveted part in the show.

Actors should watch it because it’s the most honest, in-depth portrayal of the audition process around—even if people do break into song. It shows a lot of audition dos and don’ts, and provides first time hopefuls with a lot of useful information. (The film version is somewhat sanitised from the original production, which is worth a look for its groundbreaking portrayal of queer actors in the theatre.)

Withnail & I (1987)

There is surely some kind of law that dictates any list of films for actors to watch contains this one. Withnail and I is a cult classic, with a superb cast and more memorable lines than a book of quotes. Two broke, drugged-out actors decide to end the decade of the Sixties on a holiday in the country. To say more is to give away the experience of seeing this film for the first time, or the hundredth. Tip: watch it with the finest wines known to humanity.

Actors should watch it for Withnail. He’s captivating, he’s talented (see the above clip), he’s charismatic … and he’ll never make it as an actor. He is the perfect cautionary tale, all too real and common in our business, of an entitled actor whose career stagnates because they are unwilling to compromise. It’s a heart-breaking watch for an actor, once you stop laughing at everything else in this movie.

Jesus of Montreal (1989)

In Denys Arcand’s excellent film, a group of gigging actors come together to create a Passion Play (a religious work depicting the life and death of Jesus Christ) for a Quebec church. The troupe chooses unconventional methods to tell the story, including historical details, audience immersion and fourth-wall breaking, and the play is an unexpected hit. But as the story complicates, and the integrity of their work becomes threatened, lead actor Daniel finds his life increasingly mirrors that of Jesus as he fights corruption and preaches compassion.

Actors should watch it to see how hard work and belief in one’s craft can elevate a banal project into something truly life-changing. The conviction of the actors in the film is infectious, as is their method for collaborating and workshopping an idea to make it its best. It is the kind of work we should all aspire to create, and is often more in reach than we realise.

Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)

As big fans of David Mamet, we talk about this unique film a lot on StageMilk. Vanya on 42nd Street is a strange adaptation of the Chekhov classic, that sees its actors arriving for a rehearsal with their director Andre Gregory in a decaying New York theatre. There is no set to speak of, only the stand-in furniture in the orchestra pit of the old stage. The actors transition into scene work so gradually you are almost unaware that the action of the piece has begun. It’s a metafictional oddity, but a must-see for actors of any level.

Actors should watch it for a masterclass in performance. With the staging and pretensions of theatre stripped back, the acting is on full display in this adaptation, and there is much to be learned in the subtlety of the ensemble’s work. Andre Gregory and his cast had workshopped Chekhov scenes together for years before this film was even an idea. Their confidence with and understanding of the script certainly shows.

Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Another cult entry on this list, Waiting for Guffman is a mockumentary about a group of small-town actors and their director. Tasked with creating a play about Blaine, Missouri on its 150th anniversary, they craft an ambitious (if terrible) musical they hope to one day take to Broadway. Director Christopher guest (who also portrays “Red, White and Blaine” director Corky St. Clair) allowed his actors to do extensive improvisations, resulting in a film that is not only hilarious, but touches on some truly human moments.

Actors should watch it to relate to the sometimes ridiculous nature of what they do. Not a scene in Waiting for Guffman will feel unfamiliar; while it sometimes laughs at the actor’s life, it is always loving towards the people who make complete fools of themselves just to feel like another person, if only for a second.

Me & Orson Welles (2008)

Richard, a precocious 17 year old actor, lands a job in the Mercury Theatre’s famed 1937 production of Julius Caesar. In the week before opening night he learns his craft, falls in love, finds his place in the theatre and grapples with the enormous talent (and ego) of wunderkind director/actor Orson Welles. Told with very rose-tinted glasses, the film is a delightful riff on history; it captures all the hope and ambition of a young artist at the beginning of their journey.

Actors should watch it for a fond, if frank representation of working in the theatre. It perfectly captures the measured chaos of life before the opening—including the regulation Disastrous Preview—and details the efforts of a brilliant director getting the very best from his cast. Plus: if you’ve never had an inkling to try your hand at stage acting … take this film as the inspiration to give it a go!

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Forget the ultra-violence, forget the period setting and the soundtrack. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a film about actors: how they come to terms with their careers beginning, blossoming or ending. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton finds himself at a career crossroads, choosing between bit parts in television or Spaghetti Westerns. As his star fades, young Sharon Tate (a criminally underused Margot Robbie) sneaks into a matinee of her own movie, her career stretching out before her. It is at this point the film diverts from history—arguably in poor taste. But Hollywood is ultimately the story of the optimism of actors hoping for everything showbusiness has promised.

Actors should watch it for the indulgence director Quentin Tarantino gives to moments like the above scene: a young girl discusses acting and career with Rick Dalton on the set of his latest job. His attitude towards his own process is changed, challenged by the convictions of a person who sees acting not as a way to pay for vodka, but a way of living. Inspiring stuff.

Conclusion

So there you have it: essential films every actor should watch! Before we sign off, there’s one final thing we want to leave you with. As actors, your job is not just about practicing lines and nailing auditions, it’s about absorbing art in all its forms to round your knowledge and appreciation. The films in this article are a great place to start (especially those with a cheeky link to the full version), but you’ll do yourself every favour as an actor by seeing all you can and absorbing as much from each movie as possible.

Remember that writers and directors immerse themselves in cinema: it’s the language they use to convey meaning and emotion, and how they may very well communicate with you on set. “It’s like the end of Fargo!” or “Remember how Viola Davis nailed that scene in Doubt?” Learn to love cinema. And learn to love to learn from it.

Good luck!

The post Essential Films for Actors to Watch appeared first on StageMilk.

This article contains a collection of royalty-free, original scenes for four actors. There is a range of genres and styles, and some performance notes to aid in quick script analysis. These scenes would be perfect for scene study, acting classes or a student showcase.

Just like our other originals pages (monologues, scenes and three-handers), we will update this article regularly with new content. So feel free to give it a ‘bookmark’ and check in for fresh material each month!

Copyright-Free Scripts

Before we dive in, let’s talk copyright. These scripts are given without strings as resources for actors around the world: we want you to use them and enjoy them and have fun bringing them to life.

But we still encourage you to think about where your scenes and monologues come from: who writes them and how they pay their bills, especially when their work shows up online for free.

If you can, find ways to pay it forward to the artists who write your stuff. Did you use a great scene by a playwright for that audition you nailed? Consider buying the play online! Have a favourite book of monologues you swear by? Get it as a gift for an actor friend!

From The Writer:

Hello! My name is Alexander Lee-Rekers; I’m a professional playwright and screenwriter. I hereby give my permission for you to use the scenes on this page for personal practice. All I ask is that you credit my work and cite StageMilk as its source—especially if you’re teaching a class, or post it on social media. (If you’re feeling brave, you can tag me on Insta via @alexnobodyfamous so I can see what you do with it.)  Other than that: have fun, make bold choices and give ’em a go!

Scenes for Four Actors

These scripts utilise the in-house formatting of our StageMilk Scene Club scenes, and may be filmed or staged as required. Get experimental with this: take the relative lack of stage directions as a chance to take the unexpected route.

As always, engage with script analysis and some character creation work: just because the words on the page are relatively few, doesn’t mean the writer hasn’t given you clues for interpretation and subtext.

Finally, in the context of an acting class, a scene study or a showcase, don’t feel bound to the names/genders/pronouns as prescribed by the text. Modify these to reflect the best possible casting, not the other way around.

An Unfortunate Thing

Genre: Drama
Length: 3 – 4 mins
Synopsis: A married couple confront their overbearing neighbours with a piece of damning evidence.

Performance Notes: This is a deceptively difficult scene to bring together; the motives of Greg and Kathy need to feel entirely justified, even though they do shatter the privacy of their (admittedly awful) neighbours. What the hell is on the video that they show them? That’s for you to decide. A small piece of advice: try to avoid playing this piece as straight comedy. There are laughs to be had, but it’s far more effective as an exercise in claustrophobic suburban drama…

Bronze Monkey Statue

Genre: Comedy
Length: 3 – 4 mins
Synopsis: Two spoilt siblings argue with their aunt and the family lawyer over the inheritance of a bronze monkey statue.

Performance Notes: This is a fairly ridiculous situation, with some over-the-top characters and dialogue the match. The secret to performing it effectively, as with all comedy, is to play it completely straight. How can you make these situations and interactions feel totally normal and real to the characters involved? Set the stakes of the scene: what do they stand to win or lose?

Going Negative

Genre: 3 – 4 mins
Length: Drama/Political
Synopsis: A mayoral candidate debates with her staff on whether or not to use a damning story about her opponent.

Performance Notes: Going Negative is a great opportunity to explore rhythm and pace in acting: get that dialogue crackling! It’s also worth spending some time on the backstory and distinction between each of these characters. Also status: who has the most standing in the room? And why might it be Tim?

Red Dot

Genre: Comedy
Length: 3 mins
Synopsis: Three art students commiserate over the sale of a peer’s grad show painting.

Performance Notes: Gosh, they’re awful people aren’t they… Sometimes, you have to play a character that is entirely unsympathetic (usually in comedy, where the audience can have a guilt-free laugh at their expense.) The trick is to build a defence case for them: as the actor playing said garbage human, you have to be their lawyer and argue their actions are good and correct.

Switch

Genre: Drama
Length: 3 – 4 mins
Synopsis: Two couples are interviewed about their experiences

Performance Notes: Owing a lot to the influence of Samuel Beckett, Switch contains minimal information about characters and setting. That’s not to say that there aren’t characters and a story world to be built—as an actor in this piece, you have important decisions to make. Note that punctuation is practically non-existent in this piece. When does it occur? And why?

Additional Resources

There you have it: custom-written, free, original scenes for four actors! Remember to check back with us regularly for new uploads across this page and our other originals pages.

Finally, be sure to look at our other pages for free material and acting resources.

Original content:

• Practice Scripts for Actors
• Practice Monologues for Actors
• Short Monologues for Actors
• Scenes for Three Actors
• Scenes for Young Actors

Resources for acting and script work:

• Script Analysis: How to get the Most out of a Scene
• How to Discover Character Relationships
• What is Subtext in Acting?
• Rhythm and Pace in Acting
• Given Circumstances

All things showcase and presentation:

• How to Nail your Drama School Showcase
• Should I Take an Acting Class?
• How to Survive your Drama School Showcase
• Benefits of Scene Study for Actors
• How to Cut Down a Monologue or Scene (we promise we won’t be offended)

One Final Note…

If you couldn’t find a scene on this page that really resonated with you, and you’re struggling to find material elsewhere … why not try writing one yourself? Here at StageMilk, we encourage all actors to experience writing and directing to get a more rounded understanding of how they fit into the on-set/stage dynamic. Consider coming up with a scene for your showreel, or even writing a monologue to get the ball rolling. You might discover an entirely new artistic passion!

The post Scenes for Four Actors appeared first on StageMilk.

Rhythm and pace in acting create or disrupt the sense of flow in your performance. Rhythm communicates patterns to the audience, who can determine factors about a scene such as tone, emotion or tension. Rhythmic performances can create a sense of pace. With pace, an actor can speed up or slow down their performance for dramatic effect; this extends to their use of pauses and silence in a given scene.

In this article, we’re going to tell you everything we know, including how these concepts can enhance the acting work you do. We’ll start with some basic definitions, and then outline where you might encounter rhythm and pace in your preparation for a role.

What is Rhythm?

Rhythm refers to repeated patterns marked by strong and weak occurrences, generally thought of in regard to sound and music. In music, rhythm operates over the framework of a ‘beat’—an underlying constant that denotes the passage of time during a piece of music—and carries the melody. Wherever something can stop and start, a rhythm can be made by either adhering to a pattern or shifting away from it.

In acting, rhythm is found in the actor’s speech, physical movement on stage, and even the structure of the media itself. Most characters in Shakespeare’s plays engage with rhythm when they speak in iambic pentameter (the poetic form the Bard used to structure his dialogue.) The writing of David Mamet is famously rhythmic: inviting quick back-and-forth banter between characters that seed their underlying relationships and dynamics, as seen in this clip from Glengarry Glen Ross:

The movement of a character can also be rhythmic, suggesting a fluidity in their physicality, or perhaps that their actions are natural and second-nature to them.

What is Pace (or Tempo)?

Pace is the rate or speed at which something occurs. It can measure the frequency at which a rhythmic action repeats: fast or slow, increasing or decreasing.

In acting, it generally refers to how fast or slow a character moves or speaks. Like rhythm, pace can change depending on external or internal factors: a character’s heightened sense of fear might cause the pace of their speaking to increase. Or, if you’re Steve Buscemi in Miller’s Crossing, you might naturally speak at a million miles an hour:

What Determines Rhythm and Pace in Acting?

There are many contributing factors to rhythm and pace in acting. We’ll list the major ones below. Note that in this list, there are certain things that are determined by the text, and others by the performer: remember that anything written down by the author is non-negotiable, and should be treated as rock-solid.

If you’re making choices as an actor about the rhythm and pace of the scene, be ready to justify your choices to your scene partner and director. And before you get too far into this list, give our article on script analysis a read/refresh.

Stage Directions

Stage directions, action, ‘big print’ in a screenplay can all modify rhythm and pacing. The inclusion of words like “pause” can stop the action dead in its tracks—and must be observed lest you risk missing out on the significance of that moment. We’ll actually explore this very point in greater detail below.

Sentence Structure

Ever notice the way that a long, long, run-on sentence with lots of thoughts and ideas (and parentheticals thrown in for good mesaurte) and—and we can’t stress this enough, seriously—words and clauses that confuse and distract, can be difficult to follow or comprehend, or even read in the first place without finding yourself hopelessly confused?

Smaller sentences hit different. Punchy. Easier to swallow. They make their point, they get out of the way.

Writers can control the pace of dialogue with the way they structure a sentence. Longer sentences tend to drag and slow things down. Shorter sentences have a greater sense of rhythm, and can convey ideas quickly—increasing the pace.

Punctuation

Commas can add rhythm, or pace, or excitement. Periods stop things dead in their tracks. New sentence, new thought. Elipses can slow things down … only to speed things up again on the other side. Parentheticals—or a clause separated by em-dashes like this—act like little asides (slowing things down just slightly.)

And page breaks?

(Pause.)

They can really disrupt the rhythm and make things feel important.

Writers use punctuation to direct actors straight off the page. When you work on a script, take great care to note the punctuation, as that is first-hand evidence of how a piece should read and be paced.

Character Personality

Your character’s rhythm and pace will be influenced heavily by their personality and their identity. Spend time developing your character to explore what this might be. A standoffish character might clash in their rhythm with other people, in the same way a slow-paced character might feel out of sorts in a fast-paced world.

Given Circumstances

Return to the Stanislavski basics of the given circumstances (or do they firmly belong to the incredible Uta Hagen these days?) Answering the who, what, where, when, why and how questions can significantly impact your character’s rhythm and pacing. If they’re starting a new job that has them up at 4am, that will throw off their rhythm. If the “why” of a character borrowing money is that the mob wants to break their legs, that will probably affect the pace at which they ask for a cash loan.

Narrative

Don’t forget to step back and look at the story as a whole. What plot factors might affect the rhythm of a character, or their pacing? How is the writer using this to evoke a certain response in the actor and, therefore, the audience? Take a look at this scene from Jordan Peele’s masterpiece Get Out:

Daniel Kaluuya’s character, desperate to leave this creepy house of people behind, works at a faster pace than everybody else. This creates unbearable tension, as it puts him out of step with the other characters: they don’t have an ounce of his aggression or anger, and yet he is powerless.

Peele creates rhythm through the repetition of Kaluuya’s dialogue, as well as the editing itself: back and forth between family members. It’s almost as if he’s allowing us a glimpse at each in case one of them might spring into action and attack. He breaks the visual pattern (another type of rhythm) with the extreme close up of the tea cup—struck three times.

How to use Rhythm and Pace in Acting

The first step is to do what you’ve already done by reading this article: make yourself aware of rhythm, and where you may find it. Audiences are innately aware of rhythm and pace in a scene, not because they have any formal drama training, but because they are human beings. When rhythm changes, we react because something in our situation has changed: if a bird’s call, repeating for hours, suddenly goes quiet, it might signal that a predator is nearby.

To be aware of the rhythm of a scene is to understand it. You can parse the relationship/closeness your character might have to another person simply by the rhythm of their interaction. And to manipulate rhythm or pace in a scene is to control it. Your character sets the tone and establishes their power dynamic.

How to Slow Down when Acting

“Slow down” is both an important acting note to receive … and a useless one. It’s like telling somebody not to think about pink elephants: the first thing you do is exactly what you’re trying not to do. Don’t think about them. Stop!

The trick to not thinking about pink elephants is to think about green elephants. The trick to slowing down when you’re talking/acting/performing is much the same. Rather than give yourself a useless prompt, think about why your character might talk slower. Perhaps they’re struggling to be heard, or trying to make a point, or keeping themselves from becoming angry, or upset?

Most actors can afford to speak slower—even if it’s only to aid in clarity and diction. But as a general character note: characters who speak slow sound calm and in control. Slowing down your pace when acting will give you a sense of strength and status. And who doesn’t want more of that?

“What do I do when the script says pause?”

Pause. Silence. Long pause. Beat. Nothing. A moment. Agonising pause.

When a script says pause, you stop. Take a second, take a breath and continue. Just as with any change in pace or rhythm, ask yourself why the writer has called for respite. Why has the character elected not to talk?

Often, pauses in scripts relate to beat changes. Beats denote a change in the scene due to an external factor, or perhaps a character’s tactic in pursuing their goal: “begging” for what they want didn’t work, so they decide to pivot to “bargaining”. A pause can denote a change in pacing—it’s certainly a modifier to rhythm. But running over a pause all but guarantees that you’ll miss something of significance to your character in the scene.

Conclusion

Although all texts suggest consideration of rhythm and pacing, it is unusual that a writer will specifically suggest how a scene should be performed in that regard. At least, not as explicitly as “this scene should be fast-paced”. So when it comes to determining rhythm and pace in acting, your personal opinion and input is always required.

With that in mind, let us leave you with the following piece of advice: keep learning and experimenting with rhythm and pace in acting. Develop patterns, cause disruptions, see what changes in a conversation when things speed up or slow down. The script (and director) can guide you, but you’ll always be the expert as to the way your character speaks and moves through the story world. Try things out, make mistakes, have fun.

Good luck!

The post Rhythm and Pace in Acting appeared first on StageMilk.

Character relationship speaks to the dynamic between two characters in a given scene. It is determined by social and cultural factors, the shared history of the characters in question, as well as their attitude towards one another. You may discover character relationships by examining the text for meaning about backstory and shared history, and by analysing the language and actions of characters to gain insight as to their connection.

In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of building nuanced and comprehensive character relationships when you act, and explore how this can improve and ground your performance. We’ll then draw up a character relationship map and apply this to an example script as a case study. Lets jump in!

Why Character Relationships Are Important

Conflict is the foundation of all drama. Without characters arguing, disagreeing, clashing, sparring, fighting, there is no friction to a story. In fact: there’s no story at all. No good plot unfolds from a person having everything they want. Therefore, more you can understand the character relationship dynamic, the more interesting and exciting the conflict is. It allows you to bring greater tension to the scene, especially when characters enjoy complex (sometimes contradictory) connections.

Take the example of our opening paragraph. There’s drama to be had in characters quarrelling over money. But the fact that these two people are married adds another layer of complication. The idea that one person appears more successful in their career raises questions as to their hierarchy (see Status, below). And the attitude they have towards one another muddies things further: frustration, pity.

Don’t you want to know what it all means? How you might tackle these complexities as an actor? If you find your interest piqued from the description alone, imagine how an audience will feel when they see all this marital messiness come together.

Important Factors in Character Relationships

Identity

Before you can understand the relationship your character might have with somebody else, you need to know everything them, inside and out. Engage with script analysis and search the text for anything you can use to uncover who they are. What can you determine about their personality, backstory, the way they might pursue their objective? Does subtext hint at things your character might be repressing or lying about—even to themselves?

Direct Relationship

In this context, direct relationship refers to the connection your character shares with somebody else. Are they a friend? Enemy? Lover? Rival? Do they work together, share a long history of friendship, or did they meet earlier that day? Try to be as direct as possible when determining this factor: this is not a matter for interpretation, but something you will discover in the text that can anchor the rest of your characterisation.

Attitude

We’ll talk about this in greater detail below, but attitude is the way your character feels about another person in the story. It may relate to the direct relationship, or it may subvert it. A couple may be married, but that’s no guarantee they actually feel love towards one another. If you can, aim for diversity in attitude towards different characters; very few people feel the exact same way about more than one person.

Status

Status refers to the power dynamic between characters: where they sit in the hierarchy of the story and what they do to gain ground/defend their position. It is determined by a number of factors including social standing, circumstances of the plot and the relationship shared between characters. Most characters of ‘low’ status are aiming to raise their status. Higher status characters seek to maintain it, sometimes at the expense of those trying to take more power for themselves.

Wants and Needs

All good characters and stories are driven by objectives: the thing/s your character wants from your scene partner. When plotting the relationship between characters, always ask yourself what your character wants and needs in a given interaction. They can be markedly different things in a scene, and add an interesting layer of complexity. A character might want to be independent from their scene partner, but ultimately need their help.

Creating a Character Relationship Map

One of the best ways to determine character relationships is to map them out on a page. You could do this on a blank section of your script, on the title page, in a notebook devoted to your character. But it’s good to have close by for quick reference, or in case you want to update the map as you make fresh discoveries analysing the script.

This particular mapping process is a favourite of veteran Australian stage and screen actor Anna Lee—also a celebrated acting coach right here at StageMilk Scene Club. She was kind enough to talk us through her method step by step, which we’ve recorded below.

Step #1: Select your Characters

Write out your character names and circle them. If you are mapping a single relationship between your character and another, the circles should be of equal size and far enough away that you can write in between them.

If you’re planning on doing a map for all characters in the script, leave yourself more room to work with. Lee also suggests characters with more significance to your own should have larger circles around them for quick visual reference.

Step #2: Determine their Relationship

Draw a line between the characters, on which you will write the nature of their relationship. This relationship dynamic is non-negotiable: if Character A is secretly the father of Character B, they are still parent/child—even if Character B has no idea.

Sometimes, characters have multiple determiners in their relationship: they might be friends and workplace rivals, newlyweds and strangers. If this is the case, you can write a list beneath the line in order of significance. And don’t be afraid to use a “/” to illustrate the dynamic with more detail: “shopkeeper/customer” (this goes a long way in examining status.)

Step #3: Discover their Attitudes

Finally, add two more lines: arrows pointing from one character to the other. These are your ‘attitude lines’, and on this line you’ll write/list the attitude of one character towards another.

Attitudes will help distinguish your character within the relationship dynamic. Sure, they might be married, but does one character annoy the other? Does one character hate the other? Is one character confused by them, or fatigued? Attitude lines will eventually help you plot your actions—the ‘tactics’ your character plays to get what they want in the scene. If a character’s attitude is colder towards the other person, their choice of actions will reflect this.

Case Study: “The Fan”

Let’s put the character relationship map into practice. As an example, we are going to use a StageMilk original script “The Fan”: available where all good copyright-free scripts are found, on our Practice Scripts for Actors page.

In this short script, an annoying character known only as “The Fan” confronts record store owner Jesse, convinced he is a former rock-star with the same name. The script leaves Jesse’s true identity up to the actor portraying him. Before we continue, have a read of the script HERE to catch yourself up.

Based on our reading of the script, this is the character relationship map we came up with:

Their relationship is centred around their status as strangers: this is their first interaction. However, we decided to make Jesse the actual rock-star for the sake of this reading, adding the idol/fan dynamic. Finally, the shopkeeper/customer angle is there, but less important. It’s jumped down into third place.

Jesse’s attitude towards the fan is a fairly firm dislike. There’s also confusion as to the character of the fan, with Jesse playing catch-up with much of his dialogue. Finally, we added “intimidated” with a question mark, as this is our surface reading of how the character might plot their actions. However, this may change depending on how the scene is realised by the other actor and the director.

And then there’s the fan. First and foremost, he’s adoring of Jesse. He also seems impressed, which stops the character from becoming too obnoxious. Finally, we added the possibility of frustration to the dynamic: this interaction hasn’t gone the way he’d hoped. As with “intimidated”, this will factor into how he chooses to plot his way to his goal in the scene (and so it does.)

How’d we do?

Changing The Map

One last thing: the relationship between characters can change drastically throughout a story. In fact, it has to if the plot has any worth at all. In response to this, you may wish to draw multiple maps for your character relationships—to plot how the relationship might change from scene to scene.

If this sounds like overkill, at least consider drawing a new map when a seismic event occurs between your characters. If a married couple suddenly divorce, this will change everything about their relationship and attitudes. What do you learn about your character when they respond to external stimuli? Which relationships are solid, and which can fall apart within the space of a page or two?

Conclusion

So there you have it: a character relationship map in action! Try this with your next project and see what kind of insights it grants you. Is your understanding of character more grounded? Have you given yourself some more interesting things to work with when it comes to navigating the scene?

Just remember: all drama is centred on the conflict between characters—what they want from each other, and what they’re willing to do to achieve it. So it stands to reason that the more complexity you can find in the relationship between characters, the more exciting and engaging your work will be.

Good luck, and happy mapping!

The post How to Discover Character Relationships appeared first on StageMilk.

Awards season allows us to check in with the entertainment industry. It grants a broad understanding of what audiences and critics are responding to, which allows us to identify trends and recognise where our industry might be heading. If there are glaring omissions in awards season, we can also learn from this as well: what films or people failed to be mentioned? And why?

Star of Patton and Best Actor winner George C. Scott famously described the Oscars as “a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons.” If your opinion of such (self-) congratulating is similar, we respect that. But this article isn’t here to defend such opinions either way, more speak to the cultural importance of these events.

Envelope poised? Nominees leaning forward? Let’s begin…

What is Awards Season?

Awards season refers to a time period in the entertainment industry calendar in which the major awards are nominated and bestowed. They are primarily associated with the film industry, although this period can also refer to awards in music (Grammys) and television (Emmys).

The period sits loosely across November to April, and is generally thought to peak with the Academy Awards (Oscars) some time in March. The nominations process, for which actors and studios alike campaign vigorously, is highly publicised and is thought of as a part of awards season—even before no firm nominations have been announced.

Which Awards are part of Awards Season?

This is a big list, and one that is fluid depending on who you ask (and which awards are being offered.) Some of the major industry gongs include:

• National Board of Review (December)
• New York Film Critics Circle (December)
• Primetime EMMY Awards (January)
• National Society of Film Critics (January)
• Golden Globe Awards (January)
• PGA Awards (January)
• SAG Awards (January)
• GRAMMY Awards (February)
• DGA Awards (February)
• Satellite Awards (February)
• BAFTAs (February)
• Independent Spirit Awards (March)
• Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) (March)
• Academy Awards (March)

The leading theatre awards follow this list slightly later, with Olivier Awards occurring in April, and the Tony Awards in June.

Why You Should Care About Awards Season

Before we get into our list of topics on the subject, take a second to remove your bias. We’re going to forget, at least for now, that awards season can be a lot of fun. And we’re going to set aside your lifelong dream to win an Oscar—although do be sure to check out our article on the topic.

For all you artistes and buzzkills reading, leave your cynicism at the door. (No shade if you are, by the way: so is the person writing this thing.) Hit pause on your personal judgements and look at awards season as something to learn from.

Check In with the Industry

Who’s being celebrated? Who has come out on top? Who is (forgive us) king of the world? Nothing clues you in on the state of the union like awards season. It’s a snapshot of the winners—and in an industry that prides victory and success above all else.

Keeping track of nominees, winners (and snubs) can help you build a picture of the kinds of artists being valued. What can you learn about whom Hollywood might be searching for? Can you market yourself in the same way?

Learn What is Celebrated

Related to the “who” is the “what”. What kinds of stories are resonating with viewers, critics and industry colleagues? Can you identify trends as to the kinds of stories people want and need?

During the COVID pandemic, we saw an incredible trend towards heartfelt, feel-good stories being told in film and television—particularly in streaming services, where series such as Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso wrapped the world up in big, folksy hugs. With swathes of nominations and wins for each, we were able to determine exactly what kinds of stories were deemed to be important, just by tuning into an awards show filled with all-masks and no-audience. Strange days.

Know Your Audience

None of the major entertainment awards are voted for directly by the general public. But this is not to say that the audience opinion of a film or television series has no bearing on its awards season success. Awards season help you identify which films resonated with the public—the stories people truly loved.

Cynicism break: most awards shows are big business. They rely on audiences tuning in, generating buzz, maintaining relevance and prestige. So it’s safe to say that many awards do nominate films that capture the attention of the movie-going public. How are you meant to cheer on your choices if you’ve had no chance to see them? The same benefit is applies to the people, films and series being nominated. Their careers bolster the prestige of an award, which in turn bolsters their own critical esteem and fame. One fuels the other.

Of course, this is no hard-and-fast rule. There are many films out there that received incredible reviews and awards, but received little love from audiences. But as a general point, you can look to award nominees and winners and learn a great deal about those who sat in the dark to experience their stories.

Look for the Gaps

Here’s where things get interesting. You can learn a lot about your industry, the people and stories it celebrates, by who isn’t being recognised or awarded. Look for the gaps in nominees and winners and ask yourself why that is.

Consider Paul Thomas Anderson’s magnum opus The Master (2012). It received Oscar nominations for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Supporting Actress (Amy Adams) but nothing for director, writing, picture or any of its technical components—which were stunning. Some suggested at the time that it was due to the film being critical of a Certain Organised Religion popular in Hollywood. Which is, just, ridiculous.

Can we confirm this? Absolutely not. But even the conversation around this supposed sci-fi snub speaks to the entertainment culture of the time. Find the gaps and ask yourself why.

Find New Passions

Leaving aside the politics and conspiracies for a second, awards season is a great opportunity to discover new, great things to watch. How many of the Oscar-nominated best films have you seen? All of them? Then move onto the actors, the cinematographers, the original scores…

Here at StageMilk, we are always encouraging our members to watch more films and read more plays: to engage with the canon and immerse yourself. Awards season is the perfect chance to do exactly this. It also helps to stay relevant when speaking to directors and producers in auditions; prove that you’re up with current trends, and maybe even recommend a hidden gem that you’ve found in the process.

Our advice on this point is to look beyond the Oscars. Check the BAFTAs, the foreign awards and independent gongs that signal new work from fresh talent. Find it all, see it all. Be a sponge, not a stone!

Conclusion: It’s Fun

So there you have it: all the reasons that awards season is important for you to engage with as an actor. Before we wrap this up, let’s go back to something we consciously steered clear from in the above arguments.

Awards season is fun. It’s exciting! It’s lovely to see who and what are being recognised—especially if it’s somebody you really admire and think deserves the nod. Even for an Oscars-cynic like myself: it warms my heart when the right person wins and it feels like justice has been done.

And if the only reason you pay attention is to sit with your peers, your creative community, and cheer on the people who inspire you on your acting journey … that’s reason enough. Have fun!

The post The Importance of Awards Season appeared first on StageMilk.

In this article, we’ll examine acting lessons you can learn from the 2023 film Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe. We’ll cover physicality, voice work, characterisation and how a strong knowledge of script elevates performance—aided by the support of a strong director.

Before we dive in: this article contains some fairly massive spoilers for the 2023 film Poor Things. If you’ve found yourself here before seeing it, track down a cinema and see it for yourself on the big screen. Love it or not, you owe yourself that particular experience…

Watching A Movie as an Actor

It might feel funny to watch a movie like Poor Things and count such an activity towards your skills development as an actor. Truth is, there is incredible benefit to sitting down in the dark with your popcorn—provided you watch and engage with the film in the correct way. Take a look at our full article on How To Watch Films As An Actor for a more comprehensive guide.

As a quick summary, consider the following when watching something like Poor Things:

• Character. How has the actor crafted this particular character? How do they interact with props, costume or space? Is there a physicality—a mannerism or a posturing—that they have incorporated? How about their voice?
• Technique. Can you see evidence of the actor’s training? If it’s an older film, how has training or acting style changed in the time since? Are they employing a stylised technique or training? How is it similar or different to your own?
• Choices. How does the actor navigate a scene? How clear is their objective? What kind of actions are they using to achieve it? Are their choices simple? Complex? Unexpected?
• Career. Contextualise the performance within the actor’s larger career. Where does this film sit in their journey? Does it mark the start or end of an exciting chapter, or the time they first worked with a new director, or opposite a soon-to-be collaborator? What did these relationships or films did to shape them as actors?
• Acting For Screen. Think on the actor’s relationship with the camera, the soundtrack, the language of cinema. Does their performance gain strength because of a low-angled close-up? Or is it the subtle use of sound design under their monologue that builds tension and dread…

Poor Things Revisited

Here’s a quick re-cap in case it’s been a while since your last viewing. In any case, it’s the kind of film that rewards a re-watch, especially in regards to how the characters develop and the performers portray them. (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD)

Poor Things tells the story of Bella Baxter, a woman borne out of an extraordinary science experiment by her creator/father Dr. “God” Godwin. He found her near-lifeless body after a suicide attempt in the Thames, and transplanted her unborn child’s brain into her grown-up skull.

As a result, Bella is completely fresh to the world: unafraid, unashamed and hungry for new experiences. She meets different people, experiences the joys and traumas of living as she attempts to triangulate her position in culture and society. All the while, the figures in her life try to understand and contain her—even those in her past, who view her new consciousness as something to destroy.

Physicality

Take a look at the embedded trailer for a look at Emma Stone’s strange gait as Bella Baxter. Before we’ve even met her properly as a character, we get a sense of who she is by the way she moves through the world. And as her mind and body develops, her posture and movements change, improve, refine. We are able to see her grow in front of our eyes.

Physicality is a fundamental part of character work. Too many actors develop negligent habits around it, due to ‘acting from the neck up’ in an endless parade of self-tapes. Pay attention to how your character walks, moves, sits, does anything. Even if you are indeed preparing for a tight-mid shot, know how that character got there, and how they moved through their world to do so.

Voice Work

Screenwriter Tony McNamara fills his plays, films and television series with polished, stylised, witty dialogue. In the mouths of lesser actors, it might sound entirely contrived and ridiculous. But spoken with confidence and ability, it is captivating—and contributes to the unique style we have come to know from his films (including The Favourite, which boasts the same star and director.) Emma Stone learns to speak throughout the vast majority of the film. And yet her intentions are never unclear, or her presence diminished.

Voice work brings gravitas to any dialogue. Speak with purpose and consideration when you deliver your lines. And support your voice with vocal exercises and warm-ups that will help you command a room and captivate an audience.

Consistent Characterisation

There’s no other way to put this: how the hell does Mark Ruffalo’s ridiculous performance, just, y’know, work? It’s the same reason Willem Dafoe’s scarred ‘mad’ scientist is so effective, or Ramy Youssef’s unlikely love interest and Christopher Abbott’s sadistic villain. These actors have crafted characters that fit consistently within the world of Lanthimos’ film. They adhere to the logic of the story world, and then are permitted to flourish.

Engage in thorough and consistent characterisation. Engage with the source material and build your character from the ground up, utilising every piece of information you can find in the script to help you. Know their journey, know what they want and how they plan to get it. Once you have those ‘rules’ in place … you can start to experiment and have some fun.

Small Things (Parts)

As an extension to the above: this kind of character work is doubly important for smaller, supporting roles—a single scene, even a single line! Small parts build out the story world, giving the audience a taste of the space beyond the narrative. It’s why certain small roles remain some of our most beloved characters on the screen: some with less than ten minutes of screen time!

Poor Things is chock full of memorable smaller roles. Jerrod Carmichael and Hanna Schygulla feature in the below clip; despite their relatively slim screen times, they remain memorable parts of the larger narrative.

Trust the Script, Know the Script

True for Poor Things, true for all films and series and plays exceptionally acted. The full ensemble of actors have a clear understanding of how their script is written and where their characters are placed. This enables them to make bold choices that remain supported by the text.

Engage in script analysis. Find out how all the pieces fit together by breaking down the words on the page and mining the subtext. It’s the same set of ‘rules’ we spoke about with characterisation: that kind of logic can make you bulletproof, and aid you in knowing when and how you can make the script yours.

A Great Director…

Emma Stone speaks highly of Poor Things‘ director Yorgos Lanthimos. “I obviously have full-blown, very intense trust in him”, she told The New York Times. And it shows. Her character Bella Baxter is put through some extreme situations—the kind of thing that requires a close working relationship between actor and director. And such closeness and trust results in the thrilling performance that is already racking up accolades.

Develop a healthy relationship with your director. Lean on them for dramaturgical support and character information. Don’t be afraid to try things in front of them that might not work: the worst they can say is no, and even a bad offer can uncover something more interesting beyond it. Most of all, build that trust, and remember that no matter the job, you’re in this together.

…And an Intimacy Coordinator to Match

One last point: it’s fair to say the content of Poor Things is fairly extreme. Actors participate in some graphic sex scenes—and the treatment of Bella Baxter raises uncomfortable questions for an audience around agency exploitation. However, sex in Poor Things is a positive force, especially for its protagonist. And its positive, unflinching portrayal in the film is vitally important.

What’s the lesson we can take away? An intimacy coordinator is the actor’s best friend. IC Elle McAlpine, who worked on Poor Things, explores the way safe practices can be used to create moments of intimacy—and not shut them down, as many (usually male directors) might think. As with most roles in the industry, it comes down to communication: “There is a language in this work that helps make it professional … that helps people open up, and really consider what might make them feel uncomfortable.”

Any time a character you play does something intimate, you need an intimacy coordinator on set/stage. Speak to your director about finding one if they are yet to do so, and approach them with this knowledge: many ICs will work pro bono on smaller productions, simply to support the actors. Your resulting performance won’t only be stronger and more truthful, it’ll make you feel that way as well.

Conclusion

So there you have it: lessons galore to be learned as an actor from Poor Things. As state earlier: give this film a re-watch, no matter how you found it the first time around. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, there are plenty of things you can learn that will help you develop your own process and craft.

And don’t forget, such analysis isn’t only for Oscar contenders. Everything you watch/listen to/read/play can help you garner a greater understanding of character and story. Be a sponge and soak it all up—such is the joy of the artist’s life.

Happy viewing!

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