The Great Acting Blog: “Noirish Project Rehearsals”

The Great Acting Blog: “Noirish Project Rehearsals”

Billy: What if he, y’know, tries to glass us or something?

Jimmy: Glass us? Dickie? Dickie wouldn’t glass us. You don’t know him. He’s actually a really nice guy.

Billy: I thought you said he was dangerous.

Jimmy: I said he was POTENTIALLY dangerous. 

Billy: That’s dangerous enough.

– Some dialogue from the script for Noirish Project.

 

Rehearsals continue apace. The ground-work has been done. The script analysis process which I discussed last week has been gone through, followed by the next stage, which is to find a concrete, exciting action to play for each scene. Then the fun starts, which is to actually start doing the scene with the chosen action. This is where the scene starts to take shape, and the acting begins to fizz because we now have the confidence to commit fully to playing the scene, and working off eachother in the scene, creating afresh each time (rather than deciding in advance how to do the scene, and doing it that way regardless of what the other actor in the scene is doing). I have decided to record the rehearsals this time, and replay the recording each time we do the scene. I have found this to be immensely useful (especially since I am directing aswell as acting in this production), because obviously I can see exactly what we’ve done and respond accordingly, but it also gives credence to my notes: I can literally point on the monitor to what I am talking about.  Also, as a bonus, I can review all the wonderful, unplanned moments which spin out of doing the action, and which we are not conscious of whilst playing the scene, little physical “tells” emerge, especially when the character is lying. As always, it is important to forget about these moments the next time I do the scene, because if I consciously try to jimmy them in, then they will no longer be organically created with that vital energy, but inferior reproductions.

In my blog, Poetic Acting, I expanded more fully on the style of acting the film will employ. The script is very gentle and slight in places, and so the performances will be mostly made up of small but meaningful moments, with the occasional bouts of drama and comedy. Despite the minimalism, the acting challenge posed by the script is a considerable one. High drama and comedy create an energy, a  momentum, which the actor may “surf” and carry him through the scene, however, this will not really be the case in Noirish Project, where the actor will have to remain focussed through some quiet moments, but then, from a standing start (so to speak), snap-up some energy for other, more intense moments. Absolute attention will have to be paid at all times.

 

I will certainly let you know how it goes.

 

 

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