Creating from the Outside In

In my first directing class at Carnegie-Mellon, my professor Greg Lehane shattered every myth I cherished about acting. He said, "for the purposes of this class, it doesn't matter if the actor feels anything while doing a scene -- as long as they follow your directions."

I was stunned. I thought actors had to feel some sort of emotion while on stage. How else could they convincingly portray a character?

It took a long time and lots more experience in the theatre for me to realize the truth of Greg's statement. Being a young and self-centered artist, I didn't understand that the audience comes to the theatre for their own enjoyment. It doesn't matter whether or not the actors on stage feel any emotions; the play succeeds only if they cause the audience to think or feel something during the evening.

What does that mean for your life? It means that in order to maximize your success, you need to think first about how your actions affect others. Remember that it's your actions that matter, not your feelings. You may feel sorry for that drowning man, but unless you throw him a life preserver he will drown without appreciating your sympathy.

When you've developed your plan go ahead and act on it. Don't wait for it to feel right, just start doing. You'll be surprised how quickly your actions will become natural.