Acting Games

112200 Resource 100519 12031 12031 1136398526188 1136398526188 Controlled My First Experience Saying Lines

Perhaps the toughest thing about acting is getting on the stage...

My first experience with saying lines wasn't quite such a positive experience. It was part of a Cub Scout presentation on Heroes of the Wild West, and I was supposed to be Kit Carson. I had a monologue which was maybe five sentences long, and though I practiced and practiced, when I stood up on the stage and saw all the parents and other Scouts, I completely blanked out. I couldn't remember a word. It was awful. It was horrible. I felt the blood drain out of my face, my hands went as cold and wet as a puppy's nose, and my tongue swelled up in my mouth. After what seemed like ages, I heard the voice of an angel. Somebody's mother had brought a script, and she started feeding me my lines, one word at a time. I looked at her, she said a word to me. I looked at the audience, and said the word, then looked back at her. Eventually, I got through the whole paragraph. Since that experience, I've seen many television shows and plays in which a person "freezes' onstage, or when looking at a camera. I never laugh. Never. Because I know how it feels.     Many years later, in a community theater production of "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off," I suddenly blanked onstage. I paused. I looked around. I was alone. Nobody's mother was going to bail me out of this one. I thought back to what I had just said. I prayed. I took a deep breath. A word came to my mind. I said it. Another word came. Then another. Finally the logjam burst and I realized where I was in the show. Everything was fine after that.     Ever since that experience, I have made it a point to memorize EVERYONE'S lines when I'm onstage, and keep a script handy when I'm not. Just in case. Someone might need an angel looking out for them. You never know... 9 application/xml false Acting Games This book of acting games and improvisations will assist students in developing their creative abilities. For everyone, all of the essential elements of acting and character development are explored. http://www.pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=ACTINGGAME&id=2 Kids Take the Stage Here is a fun guide to help you through the process of putting young people onstage-how to lead them, teach them and direct their plays, even if you have little or no prior knowledge of the stage. http://www.pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=KIDSTAKETH&id=12 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322) 66.180.106.142 66.180.106.142 DRAMA false true false false true 100519 blog blogsite/PioneerDrama/web