Monday 28 July 2014

The acting gene?

I was speaking to my mother yesterday, telling her how much I missed acting and being on the stage and she wondered where I got my talent for acting. Her (flattering) words, even though she very rarely saw me on stage and I think the last time she heard me acting was for that radio play two years ago. She told me that she was terribly shy as a child and that for a school play she had ran away from the stage. I am terribly shy too and I remember my first performance at uni: my legs were shaking, I thought I would collapse on the stage. It did not happen though, and I carried through the role. It was only a few lines: I was playing Purgon in Le malade imaginaire. But the lecturer and stage director had told me after the very first rehearsal that I was a natural. When I took acting classes later, I learned that being a natural means very little: you need to develop your talent if you want it to become a craft. Something I have never done enough. Nevertheless, I do think I have at least some talent, some natural skill for acting. And I wonder where I got it from.

4 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i have always had the opposite problem. there is never a big enough stage for me. it is a curse.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

You should join an amateur theatrical society and scratch that acting itch! I'm sure England must be loaded with them.

Mantan Calaveras said...

I've never done any theatrical acting, but I played two or three roles in out short film "Zombie Awareness Now", and four or five roles in our upcoming feature length movie, "Blackbird Pie".

The director had a lot of fun with me in Zombie Awareness Now, because I could improvise off the cuff.

I have to say, I've never found anything as fun as being on a movie set. It's like being a kid on a playground.

Guillaume said...

@Jaz-You did/do acting?
@Debra-I am looking for something.
@Mantan-I need to see these movies.