Takeaways from Acting Classes on Zoom
Michael T. Oakes
I, like thousands of other university acting students, have had my classes take a radical shift in style via converting to Zoom. Suddenly an incredibly personal medium now has to be filtered through a fairly impersonal medium. Sure, my cohort of actors still sees each other, but there’s nothing like the energy of being in the same room. However, that doesn’t mean it has been a throwaway experience. Zoom acting for me has not been transformative nor has it been invaluable.
This period of time has presented more challenges than previous semesters, but we as actors love a challenge. One of my favorite quotes from this year comes from one of my professors (shoutout to the fantastic Carla Noack); she said: “If we stare at a peanut butter sandwich on the floor all class period, part of our job as an actor is to try and find value in it”. Zoom has been my version of staring at a peanut butter sandwich and I wanted to share my attempts at takeaways. These are the three biggest lessons/moments in my time as a Zoom actor.
Number One: A Reminder to Listen
“Really listen to your partner” is something we’ve probably all heard as actors and it sounds so simple! Just look at the other person and listen. But we’ve (more than likely) also all had moments where we don’t. Those on-stage moments where your brain just shifts thoughts to something else and you have to hope the muscle memory of the line will carry you, rather than having had listened to your partner. On Zoom it seems like it would be easier for your thoughts to drift, but in my experience, it hasn’t. Having to be attentive to my partner takes more focus on Zoom because of the opportunity for missed moments. Technology isn’t always reliable, so you really have to hang on what your partner says to get the fuel for your next thought. If they cut out, it creates an opportunity as a listener to live honestly in the moment and ask what was said, rather than just pushing through the line because you know it’s your turn to say words.
As a speaker, if you cut out, it creates an opportunity in character to reiterate something you’ve said. Out of character, it presents you the opportunity to practice going back when you need to go back rather than fighting your way through the awkward. When you’re uncertain of if you’re going to hear someone or uncertain on if you’re going to be heard, you have to sit in that unknowing and that can reinforce the action you’re playing or heighten the moment you’re in. Steer into the technological uncertainty, there is some value in it.
Number Two: Breaking Habits
A drastic change in form always presents an opportunity to see if you’re stuck in a way of performing that doesn’t suit the new form. Recently, I revisited a monologue I’ve been doing for years and tried to fit it to either Zoom or a self-tape. In doing this I found myself stuck in a number of vocal habits that I had a hard time shaking as I kept trying. It was my first time having really listened to this monologue in a while rather than just knowing that I know it and going back to the way that has worked before. This presents an opportunity to really look at the pieces and monologues you think you have down, and just examine them. Maybe you do have it down, or maybe it’s worth trying to shake it up. Which leads me to point number three…
Number Three: Playing with Style
Acting on camera (obviously) allows for different styles of acting to work when compared to on-stage. Being on Zoom has allowed me to play with these styles. What is it like doing a movement piece where the view is just the torso? What is it like entering frame with just your head, and how would that be replicated on stage? How would a Shakespearean clown move if confined to a small square? How would Hamlet move under the same metrics? This is a chance to indulge your various thoughts of bringing a film style to the stage and try them out! This is a chance to examine what kind of aesthetic you can visually create with what you have and see if it would have any merit in a show (who says your strobe light lit Tik Tok dance can’t fit into Moliere?!). Most of all, this is a chance to have fun. Play with the way you think about movement and visuals and speech, even if you don’t put it into immediate action. This has been a personal reminder to me that the theatre is at its best when the artists are playful, and I’ve been enjoying being playful in my space during this time.
As I’ve said before, this does not have to be a major learning moment for us as actors. You don’t have to agree with any of the points above. That’s the amazing thing about art, it’s all subjective. But in a time where many people are down about not being with their friends or acting classmates (myself very much included), I find it important to look at the positives I can find in this situation. Zoom acting isn’t ideal, but it isn’t the worst thing in the world. I encourage all of you to find at least one thing you can say you love about acting on Zoom. Even if it’s small, that one thing can get you through another week of doing it.