Here are a few basic tips

They can be applied to the theater, or almost anything else!

Cheating Out

Your actors are engrossed in a scene. In order to make it look realistic, you want them to face each other. However, there will be an audience watching and you want to make sure they aren't missing any facial expressions. What do you tell your actors?

Cheating out is a performance technique that helps solve this problem. By directing your actors to face partially toward each other and partially toward the audience, they create the illusion of facing each other while also playing toward the audience. 

Exercise: Train your actors to cheat out by having them play out their scene as they normally would. When you see that they are not cheating out, yell "cheat out!" 

Breathing from the Diaphragm

Your actor is doing an incredible job getting into character. She embodies heartbroken, delighted, and terrified with perfection throughout the play. Yet, she is often difficult to hear due to a high pitched or soft voice. What do you tell your actor? 

The diaphragm is located in the lower belly, and can add fuel to one's voice. By directing your actor to breath from her lower stomach, she will have greater control over her voice. This will cause her voice to sound stronger and clearer. 

Exercise: Train your actor to breath from her diaphragm by placin her hands on her lower stomach and saying the alphabet (make sure she's focused on speaking from her lower stomach). That way, she will feel what it's like to use her diaphram as opposed to her head.

My friends and family thought I was crazy when I told them I wanted to pursue theater. However, after discovering these tips, I have successfully directed multiple plays at theaters throughout the Boston area.

Tiffany Johnson

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Anchoring

Your actor is very talented, but lacks confidence. This shows itself when he moves unnecessarily in place. He looks nervous and awkward, and it's very distracting. What do you tell your actor?

Anchoring your actor may help him stay put in one place, and allow the audience to focus on the scene.

Exercise: Train your actor not to move too much in place by holding down his feet during a reheasal. Eventually, we will learn not to move unneccessarily on his own. 

Moving in Thirds

Your actor has many great qualities, but movement is not one of them. He often looks boring because he is always standing in one place. When you ask him to move, he doesn't know where to go. What do you tell your actor?

The rule of thirds is a theater concept that says that the stage is broken up into three parts. To have a dynamic stage picture, actors should move between these three parts of the stage. By directing your actor to move between these three parts, he should have a better idea of where to move and feel more comfortable doing so.

Exercise: Train your actor to move around the stage more by laying down three stickers, one in the middle of each part. Have him move from sticker to sticker after each sentence. This will help him find a balance of when and where to move. 

These tips are the best I've seen! I have been directing for over a decade and still check back here to review the basics on a regular basis. 

Kevin Young

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