So, you nailed your monologue, somehow managed not to trip on the way out, and impressed the director enough that he went out on a limb and actually cast you. Either that, or you've already been told you've been precast for the role. Regardless, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Don't go into it lightly. Dive in headfirst, and take every step of the process very seriously. After all, this is what you want todo, right? And you owe yourself, your audience, and your fellow actors the decency of a good performance, not to mention the debt you owe thedirector for casting you. Keep in mind that the day this all gets boring and mundane, it's time to get out! But I hope that day never comes because, if you truly possess the gift ofperforming, you are one of the most blessed people around. Thousands would amputate a limb to have the ability you have, so find the glory andfun in what you do. Give everything you have to your role, even if that role has the fewest lines and the least stage time. There is a reason and purpose for every part in a play; if not, the playwright would have just left your character out and notwasted everyone's time. Every role deserves a believable and committed portrayal. After all, it is the purpose of theater to enlighten the audience and, thus, change the world, and ittakes every actor playing his or her part-whether big or small-to achieve that purpose. Though it is always the goal of the actor to win the audience over with a truthful and engagingperformance, it is never our goal to upstage the other actors-a concept that will be covered in more depth later on. Playing bigger does notalways mean better, nor does volume effect believability. Some of the most gripping performances by the most notable actors in history have been delivered with a minimalist, even calm, dynamic. You must find the essence of your character, knowing his or her deepestdesire, then play it with truth (see Seventh Commandment). Do not be an audience to yourself.Let the audience be the audience!A good actor should be able to use anything he or she is given within a scene. I've heard far too often: "I just couldn't connect with the otheractors because they were unfocused and not playing the moments." That is never a good excuse. If you have done your homework and havetruly committed to your character, you can use any circumstance-even distraction-within that scene to achieve your character's goal. The buck stops with you-period!Ultimately, the key to your success as an actor is respect-respect for yourself, your role, the other roles, the other actors, the director, thestagehands, and the list goes on and on. Respect breeds respect. If you do not have respect for all the people who work to make a show happen, you will unwittingly sabotage your own future as an actor and doom your career to failure.Reputations are made and broken every day in this business, and we are usually our own worst enemy.As you begin to get better roles and make more connections in the industry, it will become more and more important to keep your head out of the clouds. Remember, the guy you thumb your nose at today could be the head of Paramount tomorrow! It never hurts to be nice to everybody. Enough preaching. A theater actor myself, I believe that theater is the greatest of allperformance arts. There is nothing like the feeling you get from interacting with an audience-hearing their laughter, their applause, and even their sobs. We talk about magic in the theater, and that is when everything is clicking as it should between all the players (the actors, the audience, the technicians, the stagehands), a surreal-almostsupernatural-effect is produced. Although this magic should occur with every performance, in actuality, it only happens occasionally when allelements of the equation are in harmony.
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