Jessie_4_I

The parallels between storytelling and acting are something I've been avoiding talking about so far, but since Simmons pointed out the big pink elephant in the room in this chapter I'll go ahead. In this chapter she talks specifically in the section on Facial Expressions about actors needing to conjure up whatever feelings they need to be projecting to make them believable. This is true for some actors, probably most of them, but I've seen many actors pull off some amazing performances on the sheer merit of being incredible liars. There was one actress who had a lead in a musical we did here a few years ago. She had the flu for most of the run. One night she was literally running off stage between scenes to throw up in a bucket and then going back on stage to sing and dance. She was nominated for a regional acting award and performed at the American College Theatre Festival for that year. I could honestly dredge up a million stories from the decade I've spent working in theatre. They aren't that unusual. Does it help to have emotions to draw upon in a performance situation? Sure it does, especially for less experienced performers. But, it isn't really necessary to carry off a good performance. You don't need to believe in what you're saying as long as you believe in your own ability to convince others of it.