( 4 Votes )

The essence of speaking modern plays effectively has much to do with rhythm. I know that in my texts, the words are crafted completely out of a rhythmic sense, and the actors I know who have "hit it" with my language have done so because they have either found the rhythm I used to create the lines or they invented a new rhythm. Either way, rhythm is key.

Modern speech is imbued with a variety of rhythms. Spoken poetry, rap, folk songs, rousing speeches, expressions of anger, emissions of excitement, harangues, cries for help, infomercials - all and everything have their own internal rhythm.

In fact, each character has her/his inherent rhythm, which changes depending on what she/he is doing/saying. Finding that rhythm is pivotal in transmitting that character to the audience.

How to find that rhythm? Say each sentence over and over again with the emphases in different places until you find the rhythm that gives the maximum mixture of significance, intention, and lilt.

Ask yourself - what's the most important word in this sentence? Emphasize that word. Then, what's the most important phrase? Emphasize that phrase. But realize that "emphasis" implies a lot of things. It involves your lips, your teeth, your throat, your limbs, your breath, any tool you can use to give that "thing" a "beat."

Acting modern plays should be much more like rapping than speaking. Get on a flow. Find a pace. Grab a wave of intentions and put yourself on top of it while at the same time letting it lead you forward. First and foremost, give a rhythm to the audience. They will translate this rhythm into character.

Rhythm is to the actor like the infamous 1's and 0's are to computer code. In a long combination, these simple "ons" or "offs" come together to make something very complex. The audience will read your rhythm much like a computer program reads basic data and converts it into something meaningful.

The actor as transmitter of rhythms. That is part of what it means for me to be acting modern plays.

< Prev		Next >