PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Backstage Drama"

Each week, Paden Fallis poses one question to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: BACKSTAGE DRAMA Actors. They can be inventive, courageous, and inspired. They can also be petty, bull-headed, and narcissistic. Yet, a handful of us are put into a rehearsal room together and expected to play nice, work it out, and find the play. How does this happen? How can a divergent group of actors come together, amidst all their idiosyncrasies, for the betterment of the show? We’ve all worked with actors who are generous and we’ve all worked with actors who are difficult. So, what makes for a good teammate in the rehearsal process? What makes for a bad one? And, how do you manage? - Paden Fallis, Performing Arts Contributing Editor

PAGE CLEMENTS How many times have I said, “It is rare to have a true ensemble experience”? As unfortunate as this may be, it is reality. I have found that staying true to your own work every single day and not emotionally investing in the obvious problems others may be having proves successful. This doesn’t mean I shut down from others either, but I examine the pros and cons and communicate with the director as much as I am able. At the end of the day, the show is the primary focus, not the backstage antics. I remember being in a lovely play a number of years ago with a truly incredible cast, director, producer, and venue and only one glitch: one egocentric actor who invested in negative energy and poured out her issues everywhere she went. Everyone initially reached out to help her, but to no avail. In the end, we all turned to our work as individuals and gave the show all we had, effectively stopping the “disease” from spreading. It worked and the show lives in my memory as a positive experience. I now know that being kind, as cheesy as that sounds, is infectious. We will all have shows with bumps and bruises, but better to have minor scrapes with tiny bandages than chronic, painful internal injuries! I recognize we are here for a short time and must relish every opportunity we have with respect and graciousness.

NATHAN KLAU I remember my first professional job after college, a tiny non-union tour of Anything Goes. I was making like 300 bucks a week and may as well have been on Broadway in terms of my excitement to be working. Meanwhile, there was the jaded older character actress (and by older, I mean mid 30’s!) complaining at every turn about anything and everything, always begging the question, “THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE?” In terms of dealing with the difficult actor, I think ultimately your job is to do your job. If something has to be addressed and it is clear that this particular actor will not be open to a discussion, then I firmly believe in stage management (or the director) as a means of rectifying the situation. If an actor is not physically hitting his or her mark and it is negatively affecting your performance, then take it to the “authorities” and let them deal with it. Beyond this, all you can do is show up and do the job you were directed to do. The rest is out of your hands.

MARK ORISTANO I’ve never taken an acting class. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned on stage. If I have an acting “bible,” it’s True & False by Mamet. There is no character. There is no reality. There are people on a stage, saying lines written by an author. Learn those lines, say them truthfully, and make each line move the play forward for the audience. The key to co-existence is mutual respect. My process will likely be totally different from yours. At times I may seem like I don’t even belong in the audience, let alone on stage, but while I’m exploring what I need to know to make my work its best, you need to stand back and respect that work. I will allow you to work excessively “method” if that’s your thing. If you insist on being called only by your character name backstage, fine. (Although I may decide your character’s name is “Moron.”) As long as we all arrive at the same place, and we carry the playwright’s intent out to its conclusion, we should be fine. (However, if you decide to change the fight choreography on your own some night, you may get a sword some place you don’t want it.)

THOMAS WARD All I can do is treat other actors the way I want to be treated. Here’s how I want to be treated: I want my ideas to be considered. I want to be heard. I want to be allowed to try ridiculous things that probably won’t end up on stage, but you never know. I want everyone to be on time to every rehearsal, photo call, costume fitting, and half-hour call. I want to know that my colleagues are going to make every entrance when it’s supposed to be made. This is the most important thing I want (and therefore try my damnedest to provide): I want to feel like I’m being listened to on stage, not only what I’m saying, but how I’m saying it: my tone, my gestures, my physical choices, etc. Whatever the process any actor uses to achieve these things, whatever their training, approach, and “school of thought” may be is fine with me. I respect it all. Let’s just be in the same moment together. And let’s not worry too much about what the audience is thinking or doing. They’ll respect us for it. My biggest pet peeve is to be on stage with another actor in a scene and realize their attention is on the audience and not on the scene.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Page Clements has been a professional actress, vocal instructor, and private coach in NYC for over 20 years. Currently an instructor of voice, dialects, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre in New York, she has just completed an instructional video for actors and public speakers to be released later this year. She has appeared in over 50 productions throughout the country, received the Favorite Vocal Coach and Dialect Coach Awards from Backstage in 2009, and is a member of Actors Equity Association. Nathan Klau’s touring credits include Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Forever Plaid, and Anything Goes. Regionally, he has worked at Goodspeed Opera House, Arkansas Rep, and Theater-by-the-Sea. A native of West Simsbury, CT, Nathan graduated from Yale University in 1994 with a degree in History and Theater. He hopes to use it someday. Mark Oristano has worked a 30-year acting career in and around a 30-year sportscasting career, which included stints announcing for the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys. On stage, Mark has appeared in works by Shakespeare, Mamet, Simon, Albee, and his own work, including his one-man show, And Crown Thy Good: A True Story of 9-11. Mark lives and acts in Dallas, Texas. Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

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