AUG
26

Teaching Your Actors to Be Good Scene Partners

By Christina Hamlett 

Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 52 books, 278 stage plays and squillions of articles on the performing arts.  www.authorhamlett.com. 

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from a director in my early years of acting was to trust and respect my scene partners as I would a best friend.  In true friendships, no one is “the star” of the relationship or the one around which all activities revolve.  There are constantly new things to learn about each other as well as personal strengths which can compensate for respective weaknesses.  This is the same director who emphasized that even the lead player cannot carry the entire production; they need fellow castmates as well as an appreciation for the tech crew that works hard to ensure everyone looks and sounds their best during performances.  From the get-go, this requires encouraging your performers to be an ensemble, not a competition.

Building an ensemble can be easier said than done.  Here are some simple suggestions to teach your cast members that will contribute to ensemble building more than they’re even aware.

Listen like it’s the first time

Even if you’ve rehearsed a scene 83,000 times already (yes, an exaggeration but sometimes it really feels that way), one’s character is hearing these words for the very first time.  Active listening and authentically reacting to one another through facial expressions, dialogue, and body language is essential to keeping a scene fresh.  Have you ever excitedly told a story to someone who was checking their cellphone or watching classmates across the room?  If you’re not 100 percent “in the moment” with your scene partner, they will know it and so will your audience.  Strive to make each other feel fascinating.

Don’t react before your cue

Just because you know your scene partner’s next line, that isn’t permission to react to it before it’s actually delivered.  Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who interrupts and finishes what you were going to say?  You don’t get points for diminishing a fellow actor’s line by revealing your own response to it prematurely.

Give genuine compliments

I once had a director who never dispensed praise.  “If I don’t say anything,” she said, “it means you’re not messing up.”  If esprit de corps was the objective, her method was an epic fail.  Since we were all in the same boat, my fellow actors and I took to supporting each other with admiring comments and kudos for a job well done.  Acting is hard work and nothing is more powerful for lifting the spirits than hearing our efforts are being noticed.  In my troupe’s rehearsals, cast members were always generous in letting each other know if they liked delivery of a particular line or if onstage synergy especially resonated.  Finding a cheering section within their own ranks was gold.

(Remember, however, that any constructive feedback should only come from the director.)

Ask for advice

In concert with praising each other’s work is the importance of seeking out tips on how to hone one’s craft.  Everyone in a show comes with skill sets they’ve learned in drama classes or picked up in prior productions.  Instead of quietly envying someone who can effortlessly memorize lines, master comedic timing, or move with such fluid grace, ask them for pointers.  In my experience, those who were once newbies themselves are often flattered to assume a coaching role with someone enthusiastic to learn.

Never upstage

Not every scene is going to be about you.  Whether you’re a minor character or simply one who spends a lot of time waiting to be interacted with by fellow players, resist the temptation to draw attention to yourself with facial expressions and/or distracting body language unless specifically directed to do so.  If your ego gets in the way of the plot because of your need to constantly be noticed, the entire scene can potentially suffer as will your castmates’ opinion of you.

No such thing as too much rehearsal

Time is always at a premium in school and amateur productions and, quite often, the only chance a cast gets together is when they’re required to for rehearsals and performances.  Whenever possible, arrive a few minutes early or stay a few minutes late to do “speed runs” (saying lines as fast as possible without stopping).  Speed runs with your scene partner(s) can even be done on the phone between rehearsals.

Learn to read between the lines

In a perfect world, no one would ever have problems outside the show.  Life, however, frequently serves up family issues, messy break-ups, homework stress, etc., any of which can cause a scene partner’s performance to seem “off.”  It takes only a moment to be kind and express concern by asking, “Are you okay?”  They may not spill the beans on whatever has them upset and distracted, but a little sensitivity at the right time can smooth the way to get them back on track.

Whose mistake is it anyway?

When a scene partner flubs a line or misses a cue, it can invariably look like your mistake if you don’t know how to react.  True, they’ve clammed up and look like a deer in the headlights, but the onus is on you to get both of you out of it through some spontaneous improv or rewording the previous cue to jog their memory.  Blame-gaming afterwards isn’t a winning strategy, either.  One day in the future it may be you who needs rescue.

Show up prepared

Nothing drags down rehearsal or the energy of scene partners more than a castmate who shows up late, isn’t off-book when they should be, or goofs around.  Theatre is fun, yes, but it’s also a serious job that calls for everyone to put forth their best effort and be respectful of the time all participants are investing.  A strong ensemble cannot be brought together unless every actor in it knows when to share the spotlight, when to pull back, and how to play off each other and intentionally bring out their respective best.