AWARENESS TEST

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

JOHN HOUSTON ON: WORKING WITH ACTORS

John Huston

DB: Let's talk for a moment about working with actors. How do you work with actors?

JH: I always do as little directing as possible . . . (To read more.)

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

ON CONTACT BETWEEN ACTORS

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

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Frances McDormand and Morgan Freeman as a suffering couple in the revival of "The Country Girl" at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater.

". . . It’s a law of theatrical physics that electricity is generated onstage only when a connection is made: between actors and audience, yes, but first of all among the actors themselves. And for whatever reason, everyone in “The Country Girl” seems to be operating on his or her own isolating frequency."(To read more.)

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"What you do does not depend on you, it depends on the other person." -- Sanford Meisner

ON DAVID MAMET AT NYU GRADUATE FILM DIVISION: A PERSONAL REFLECTION

A few nights ago, Wednesday the 24th, to be exact, David Mamet spoke at the "Chair's Workshop" for the NYU Graduate Film Department, after a screening of his new movie READBELT.

It was the first time we'd seen each other since 1984. Up until that time we'd worked very closely together, for 7 years in the theater. David was my Mentor into show business, he gave me my first paying job as an actor, and my first teaching job at NYU with him, teaching those students who would found THE ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY.

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Summer '83 with original members of The Atlantic Theater Company

As to the aspects of "the work" of writing and directing that Mr. Mamet spoke of on Wednesday night, I thought that perhaps some insight might be of use to those in attendance. And, it comes in the form of a personal story.

As a student at THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYHOUSE, we were oftentimes invited to the productions of our school's alumni. David Mamet's AMERICAN BUFFOLO was one such event during my first year of study. It was running on Broadway, with Robert Duval, John Savage, and Kenneth McMillan. It was a riveting experience to watch three very fine actors, live moment-to-moment, in Mamet's landmark play about the dance between friendship and loyalty. To promote the play, David appeared for a late-night interview, with Duval, on the TOM SNYDER SHOW. During the interview, Mamet said, "I learned everything I know about playwriting from Sanford Meisner at THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYHOUSE."

Fast forward one year . . .

I'm in my second year now at THE PLAYHOUSE, a fellow student and I, go to see Mamet's THE WATER ENGINE, now also on Broadway. Standing in the lobby is the guy who said, "I learned everything I know about playwriting from Sanford Meisner at THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYHOUSE."

I approach him, "You're David Mamet, right? You said, 'I learned everything I know about playwriting from Sanford Meisner at THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYHOUSE!' What was that?" He introduces himself as David Mamet; he introduces me to some very important people nearby. We chat about "whatever/small talk" and, but I never get the answer to my burning question. This and other chance encounters around New York, which include David coming to see me in my first acting part in New York, an Off-Off-Broadway production of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, lead to our working together for years. I never ask David that question again. But, and only, on Wednesday night 30 years since our first meeting, while David answered questions for the Graduate Film students did I get my answer.

It was right in front of my nose this whole time.

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'84, Working on Mamet's adaptation of Anton Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard"

David Mamet loved the craft of acting about as much as anyone could love anything. But his gifts for acting were limited. The Theater was just behind his love for acting. So what did David do, learning that he would never be a decent enough actor to make a living that way in The Theater? David Mamet applied the principles from Sanford Meisner's teachings to: ACTING ON PAPER.

On Wednesday night, he kept saying that all The Actor, The Director and The Writer need know is the answer to three questions:

What does the character want?

What is at stake?

Why now?

Those are the first three elements of Sanford Meisner's INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY, and IMPROVISATION exercises that teach the essential elements, the "spine" if you will, of the Dramatic form:

ELEMENTS OF THE INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY

What are you doing?

What is at stake?

What is the urgency?

Where are you?

Each: Character, Actor, Writer, Director must know the specific answer to these questions, from Mr. Mamet's perspective, as identified by Sanford Meisner's teaching approach.

Then, answering a student's question about the Hero's "backstory", Mamet dismissing the need for "backstory", said something like, "YOU are the Hero." Meaning: from Mamet's subjective point-of-view, "You ask me how I write? I'm the Hero. The Writer is the Protagonist (and all other Characters for that matter) of the story! There is no 'Character.' The Writer is the 'Character'." Mamet's disregard for "backstory" has to do with his sensibility that, there is no need for "backstory" because you already know all you need to know to write the story, because you are the Protagonist (and everyone else in the story). You are writing about your understanding of life - trying to get what you want.

And with that, "DUH" I thought, as the light went on, in my mind. "THAT'S THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION OF 30 YEARS AGO! DAVID ACTS ON PAPER! HE IMPROVISES ON PAPER!"

(Now, of course many of you writers probably, already, know this. But alas, I, obviously, am a slow learner.)

Mamet takes the elements of the INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY and rather than use them as an actor in live performance, he ACTs/IMROVISES with pencil and paper, within an IMAGENARY CIRCOMSTANCE that he creates from his life experience and imagination. Just as in SANFORD MEISNER'S IMPROVISATION EXERCISES, whereby two people with apposing WANTS come together, and make instant, riveting theater on the spot. David Mamet does the same on paper, and as the writing process allows, more, requires, these "paper exercises" can be re-written, polished and crafted to near perfection into those marvelous works that Mr. Mamet regularly creates.

Who would have thought that I'd have learned this in my role of doing "research" for teaching this very same thing in the Fall, right back here at NYU. Like DOROTHY in THE WIZARD OF OZ, who has the power to get home, at the beginning of the story, when the GOOD WITCH GLENDA gives here the RUBY SLIPPERS. I had the answer at my fingertips all along.

We all seem to have to make the journey to truly value and see the power of something that we already possess.

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'81, Working on Mamet's "American Buffalo."

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At the link below, one can find my journal notes from most of my first year of studying the same principles that Mr. Mamet studied, and with the same teachers. This information formed the foundation of our way of working together: A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYHOUSE JOURNAL

This common knowledge formed the basis for our collaboration over 7 years, and on 3 original productions of his works. We ALWAYS referred back to Mr. Meisner's basic teachings, it was our language.

I imagine one of the best ways to deal with this material is to go to the archive and start from the beginning, because the learning was sequential and very systematic.

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"There is no place like home."

WILLIAM ESPER INTERVIEW

". . . The next step in the training is learning Emotional Preparation.

Is that different from prior circumstances?

Yes, in a way. It’s the way the actor relates himself emotionally to the prior circumstances. Let’s say the actor is doing a scene and ten lines into the scene his stage wife says to him, “What are you so happy about?” His line is, “Honey, you are looking at the new vice president of the Crocketsville National Bank.” The audience then thinks, “So, that’s why the actor was so happy.” Emotional Preparation is what the actor does offstage to bring himself alive so that he is emotionally related to his prior circumstances when he comes to the first moment, the moment of his entrance. " (To read more.)

William Esper along with Phil Gushee (Tom Cruise) were my first teachers at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater.

"Among the professional actors with whom Mr. Esper has worked with include: Kim Bassinger, Jennifer Beals, Kristen Davis, Kim Delaney, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Headley, Patricia Heaton, William Hurt, Christine Lahti, John Malkovich, Gretchen Mol, David Morse, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Shay, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, Patricia Wetting, Richard Schiff, Dule Hill, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Price, Roger Bart, Tonya Pinkins, Dean Winters, Aaron Eckhart, Wendy Malik, and Tracee Ellis Ross."

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

IN TODAY'S NEW YORK TIMES

Helen Hunt, on the set of “Then She Found Me,” her first feature film as a director.

NEW YORK TIMES
By MARGY ROCHLIN
Published: April 13, 2008

Q. Describe your first day as a feature film director. (To read more.)

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

PERFORMENCE OF EVERYDAY LIFE

To the Director: How would you analyze this performance? To be answered with specifics and meaning.

Who is this character?

What has happened to make this scene happen?

What is the character's profession?

What is the character's class?

What is the character's social situation?

What is the nature of the character's relationship to the other persons in the scene? (What do they mean to the character?)

What are the character's needs, personal values (also religious, economic, political), the character's deep desires?

What does the character want to avoid?

What does the character fear to lose?

What is the character's family life?

What is the character's financial situation?

What does the character do for fun?

What is the character's social life?

Who is the character like?

Who else is on the character's side?

Who does the character remind you of?

What is the character's "association" ? As in, the "association" of all those who?

What Archetype does the character represent? For example: "the Messenger", "the Spurned Wife", "Hera".

What is the character's "world view" their own particular way of seeing the world? As in, "I only deserve the best!"

What is the character's consistent behavior pattern in life?

If "Drama is two dogs fighting over a bone" - Elia Kazan, what's the "bone" of this scene.

What does the character want badly?

What is the character's urgency in getting what she wants. What's the time limit.

What to do with all of this information?

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THE THREE STEPS

What is the character literally dong?

What is the nature of the action, in this scene?
For example: "To expose a fraud."

What is the action like to me? It's as if . . . ?

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

LISA ZANE: QUE RESTE-T-IL?

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

STELLA!!!

A New Act Unfolds in Drama Dynasty
By JOSEPH BERGER Published: April 9, 2008

When he has heard Stanley Kowalski bellow “Stella!” over the years in assorted productions of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Tom Oppenheim has wondered whether Tennessee Williams chose the name as an insider’s bouquet to Mr. Oppenheim’s grandmother Stella Adler, the teacher who instructed the definitive Stanley, Marlon Brando, in her version of the Method.

. . . Stella, an actress of aristocratic bearing, became a legend as a teacher, instructing or producing disciples who taught a top-drawer lineup: Robert De Niro, Warren Beatty, Harvey Keitel, Shelley Winters, Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen, Mark Ruffalo and Benicio Del Toro. (read article)

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

FROM FILMMAKER MAGAZINE: 10 TIPS FOR DIRECTORS SEEKING TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THEIR ACTORS. BY ADRIENNE WEISS

As a feature film director, your relationships with your actors may be the most delicate ones of your entire production – especially if you are a first-timer without much prior directing experience. From teaching workshops in acting and directing, I’ve noticed that directors make the same mistakes over and over again. These subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – behaviors often sabotage their chances of getting good performances.

The following 10 suggestions – some practical and craft-related, others simply glorified leadership and communication tips – should help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

1. Be Prepared To Talk To Your Actors.

One of the most common mistakes directors make is failing to be prepared to work with their actors. After all, you know the script inside out, maybe even wrote it over a period of several years. So, isn’t it safe to assume that you know enough about the story and characters to direct the actors? The answer is: most probably not. Directing your actors will require an entirely different kind of information than you needed when you were writing your screenplay or making other directorial decisions.

In order to work with actors, you must create a subtext for them, providing each actor with insights into the inner workings of their characters. But in order to do that, you must first answer a few basic questions: What does each character want, and how is he or she going to get it? Actors need the answers to these questions in clear, simple and active language. But these answers aren’t always obvious – you must give yourself the time to think through the script, scene by scene and character by character. If you don’t take this time, odds are you’ll talk too much on set and only succeed in getting random results.

I once watched a director ramble on about the metaphorical meaning of a prop to an actor. The actor stood there nodding, making polite, intelligent sounding noises. However, when the director finally finished, not only did the actor have no idea how to play the scene, but her energy was confused and dispirited. The director had left her with no practical insights as to how to play her scene. Winston Churchill once ended a very long letter with the comment, "I’m sorry this letter was so long – I didn’t have time to make it short." The only way to be brief and to the point with your actors is to take the time to crystallize your thoughts before opening your mouth. (read more)

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

BRODY BAKER 'T TAKES' DIRECTOR

April 3rd, 2008. New York Times Magazine
Catching Up With|Brody Baker, 'T Takes' Director
By JOHATHAN S. PAUL

The man behind the “T Takes” film series, the New York writer and director Brody Baker, answers questions from readers. The series featured the improvised performances by Hollywood’s bright young things, including Josh Hartnett, Michael Pitt and Lukas Haas. It was shot during the Sundance festival. To watch all 12 episodes of “T Takes,” go here.

Tell me about the logisitics of the shoot — how long did it take, did the actors interact off camera, is the Viking Lodge a real place?

We went to Utah two days before Sundance started and stayed almost to the end. I think we had about six or seven shooting days. Twelve days in Utah total. At the most we shot four shorts in a day, sometimes one a day. We generally had an hour at most with each actor. The actors were never on set at the same time. We scouted the Viking Lodge our first day in Utah — we drove around and pretty much stumbled across it. The motel is about 15 miles outside of Park City in Heber City, and if you’re ever out that way and need a room, stop in and ask for Kenny. He’ll give you a helluva deal. (read more)

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

JOHN SLOSS

After the first interview there is an interview with John Sloss, worthwhile to view.

John Sloss is the founder of Cinetic Media, a managing partner and founder of the entertainment law firm Sloss Law Office LLP, and a principal in the independent digital film production company InDigEnt. Through Cinetic Media, Sloss has facilitated the sale and financing of well over 200 films including many box office and critical successes. Sloss has executive produced over 45 films including Before Sunset, the Academy Award®-winning The Fog of War, Boys Don't Cry, and Far From Heaven. His law clients include Bob Dylan, Jesse Dylan, John Hamburg, Todd Haynes, Jared Hess, Killer Films, Richard Linklater, Errol Morris, Kevin Smith, Morgan Spurlock, Whit Stillman, and Gary Winick. Sloss has been profiled by The New York Times, appeared on the Charlie Rose Show and been named one of the top 10 industry dealmakers by Daily Variety in its A-List issue. Prior to founding Sloss Law Office in 1993, Sloss was a partner at the international law firm Morrison & Foerster. Sloss received his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Michigan. He lives in New York with his wife, producer Kathryn Tucker, and daughter Loulou.

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

ERASERHEAD: DAVID LYNCH

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"The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."