Boundaries and Limitations

I want to write a little bit about two recent blog entries written by my fellow Nosedivians, Patrick and James.
 
I think that an actor, like any artist, needs to be able to make their work a reflection of themselves. Any truly creative instinct will come from a place inside of you, from the bedrock of beliefs and desires that make you who you are. To dismiss an actor as a hack because they choose not to use certain words or do certain things in a performance is dismissive of their individuality and free will.
 
Now, the places you will find artistic inspiration tend to be toward the boundaries of what you are comfortable with. An actor who is passive and unwilling to stretch themselves into new types of roles will end up giving a boring performance. But, there are many different ways to work outside of your comfort range, and I don’t think it is necessary to break every taboo in your work. Breaking taboos can lead to revelatory moments, but when it is done for purely for the sake of crossing a line, it becomes sophomoric. In my mind, an actor can legitimately choose to not do certain things on stage (profanity, blasphemy, nudity) and still be considered to be an artist. Moreover, if you completely cede you will to a playwright or director, your performance will become less artistic, because it will no longer come from you. The danger comes when an actor refuses to cross ANY line they have set for themselves. This will lead to comfortable drivel.
 
Basically, I’m saying that it is completely legitimate to have a personal line that you will not cross in a performance, so long as you are actively searching out other ways of pushing your boundaries. If we did not have these boundaries, everybody’s worldview would take on the same shape, which would be incredibly boring.
 
On the other hand:
 
If as an actor there are things you will not do, that’s fine. But for God’s sake, make this clear in the audition process. DO NOT accept a role in something that you feel you will need to substantially change in order to perform. This is a recipe resentment and bitterness between you and the writer/director. I always try to make clear upfront what a show entails for the actors. A lot of the work Nosedive does is laced with profanity; when I’m cutting sides for a cold-reading audition I always try to pick scenes that are representative of the extreme elements of a show, in order to show the prospective actors what we are shooting for.
 
When we produced Ruins (a show with a great deal of nudity and sex in it) we laid our goals and expectations for what the performance would require out on the table, talking in specifics about how much nudity each of the roles required. Several actors who auditioned were uncomfortable with the requirements, and chose to take themselves out of the running. I have an enormous amount of respect for these people; as a young actor in NYC, you want more than anything else to be working. To turn down a show based on your personal beliefs is a very hard thing to do. But I tell you, by being upfront about it in auditions, they saved me so much hassle and grief down the road, and I am grateful to them for that.

i can't even find the words...

Seymour Hersh claims that the US government has videotapes of boys being sodomized at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in front of their mothers.

I pray that this is not true.

Nosedive Updates

If you haven’t been to the Nosedive website recently, you should check it out. We have a ton of new updates posted, including:

* The first entry of Lil Jimmy’s new column, Jamespeak. This will be a regularly updated feature on the site, with James sharing his thoughts on theatre in general, and Nosedive in particular.

* Production photos from Mayonnaise Sandwiches, as well as behind the scenes pics (look for Beneath the Mayonnaise at the bottom of the Photo Gallery)

* My portfolio page, featuring photos and information on excellent productions of Cabin Fever, Woyzeck and many others.

* Recently discovered photos of the Ruins cast in their natural environment (i.e. McGee’s Pub; check the House of Nosedive link at the bottom of
the Photo Gallery)

Enjoy!

They Really Like Us!

Found out last night that Nosedive just won an Off-Off Broadway Review Award for Mayonnaise Sandwiches. Awaited Visit won one of these a couple of years ago; we had a great time at the ceremony and look forward to going again this year.

Critical accolades haven’t always been on strong suit, so this is really gratifying. I know that awards like these don’t mean that much, but it is a great feeling to be recognized, especially after pouring our efforts into the company for the last (nearly) 5 years.

Will post more details as we get em...

All Tongue, All The Time

When I was in Junior High I came across this strip and was so tickled by it I tore it out of the Bloom County collection and pinned it up on my wall. Ran across it this morning and thought I would share...

Now I just need to scan that Doonesbury "Impossible Dream" strip that was hanging next to it...

Little Plastic Tombstone

Had the first reading of the next Nosedive play yesterday. This one is called The Dying Goldfish, and it deals with illness in the family (specifically the effects on a stroke that an older uncle has had) and the ways that language and intellect play an importnat role in relationships. I'm very excited about it -- It seems to be a very tight play about specific characters and issues, something that hasn't always been true with our productions in the past. Hada great time hearing it out loud.

Other than that, had a pretty quiet weekend. Saw Kill Bill V.2 (liked it, but wasn't swept away) on Saturday. Mostly just loafed around and slept otherwise, although I got a fair amount of exercise in. It looks like the Vegas beauty pageant thing won't be happening this time (I was asked to be considered for a judge slot for National America Miss... cheesy, but it meant a free trip to Vegas, so I was kind of excited). They still may sub me in if they lose a judge at the last minute though, so we'll see...

Man, I'm having a tired, brag-ass kind of Monday. Ah well, it's halfway over already.