"The Humble Storyteller" : The Actor’s Most Important Role
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Ashley Shade
We’ve all been in a show where there was that one actor or actress. You already know what I’m talking about, and you’re already thinking of someone. The ones who will stop rehearsals for something that could have waited, while they waste the time of their fellow actors. The one who directs other performers instead of focusing on their own work. The one who is always late, leaves their costume on the floor, and brings in an opened beverage while ignoring the rules of the space. The one who can’t take a note, because their artistic vision is far superior to that of their director, the one with perfect pitch who never messes up. That’s the actor I’m talking about--that special someone you’re remembering so fondly with an eye roll.
While each of us could write a book about our diva filled experiences, let these memories serve as a reason to remember that which is the true nature of our work. At the root of all else that exists, we are storytellers . We serve a greater purpose than a selfish venture, and that is to tell a story with as much energy, detail, and connection as is humanly possible. It is our duty to dive into the words of the text and music, dissecting each until we are immersed and invested in a story that is not our own. If this sounds dramatic--it’s meant to. We must tell these stories as they are life and death, the text serving as our guide, and the answers to our questions. We are a mirror and an opportunity to change thoughts. We are the shapeshifters of perspective. This job is too great to encompass only ourselves--it requires a type of respect that is difficult to achieve, and impossible to accomplish alone.
For those who are learning the art of theatre (and as a reminder to those who are seasoned), get your hands dirty. Take time to build a set piece, dig through a basement or storage unit for a prop, iron someone else’s shirt. I challenge you to sit beside your lighting op while they are programming a show. I urge you to write a rehearsal report with a stage manager, set out music stands for the pit, assist a director while blocking a scene, and learn how to call a show.
Be an usher, change the batteries in someone else’s mic pack, hang up costumes after a quick change--these jobs are not beneath you. Research with a dramaturg, listen to another singer warm-up, respect the words and punctuation of a playwright, and figure out why they did it instead of changing it. Stand outside the theatre and hand out flyers, sweep the stage floor before a show. Make sure your eyes say “thank you for your time” to the audience when you take a bow at curtain call. It is the most important role you will ever play--that of a humble storyteller.
At its core, theatre is a collaboration, and we have the responsibility to understand and respect it in all capacities. At the end of a show, when everyone else is gone and the theatre is quiet, it never gets old to take a good breath of dusty theatre air and say “look what we did together”.