Perfect Your Stage Acting Technique

If you are a budding musical theatre performer, you need all the help you can get to make it onto that illusive West End stage at the top of the bill. That’s why I thought I’d pull on my own experiences of the industry and give you a few tips to help you perfect your acting technique.

If you don’t have any experience in the industry, you may think that it’s all about talent; that if you have the skill, you’ll rise to the top with no trouble at all. You couldn’t be more wrong. An actor needs to know their craft to be successful in it, and that starts with the differences between stage acting and film acting.

Stage Acting vs Film Acting

Young Performers often fall into the trap of imagining that performing on a stage is a similar experience to performing in front of a camera. This couldn’t be further from the truth and that is because you are performing in front of a live audience.

A live audience comes with its own set of unique concerns. One that you must drill into your head is that you must get it right and do so consistently. You don’t get a second take and if you screw up, word could spread and it could damage public perception of the entire show.

You also have to remember the immediacy of a live audience. In front of camera, you perform, then your performance is edited, airbrushed and positively mangled to ensure it appeals to the audience. On stage, that responsibility rests on your shoulders. You and you alone are responsible for evoking the required response from your audience.

Bring it to Life

So, now you know why stage acting is such a unique style of performance, what can you do enhance your ability to bring a part to life in front of a live audience and establish yourself as a skilled stage actor?

· Follow Direction: On stage it is crucial that you follow direction. You are not a diva, you are performer; going off script won’t be hailed as innovative, it’ll be seen as obstructive. The director knows what they’re talking about – learn from them.

· Cultivate your Voice: In musical theatre especially, but even in non-musical productions, your voice needs to reach the back of the room. You need to take care of your vocal cards.

· Learn the Lingo: Stage acting is at the end of the day an industry, and like any other industry, it has a language all of its own. Learn terms such as ‘blocking’ and what they mean so that you can effectively communicate with those around you.

· Live Life: Don’t sequester yourself away and cut yourself off from the world. The best stage actors draw on their own experiences to bring their characters to life, to supply depth and believability.