ty and not always associated with what they say. Stanislavsky taught us that we need to be aware of what our character wants at all times. Stage directions can give us clues we may not have without reading the entire play. For example: In “Doubt: A Parable,” Sister Aloysius says, “Sit down.” In parentheses, though, you see that Father Flynn takes her chair at her desk. Also in parenthesis, the playwright wrote: “She reacts but says nothing.” What a clue! So, first and foremost, find and follow your stage directions.
2. Word Stress
Once you know your character’s intention and establish their demeanor, explore the actual words they say. Every character has a personality and a demeanor, as we just talked about. Now take it to the next level: find out what are the most important words said in every line. Highlight that word or those words and give them special color and musicality. Make sure your audience does not only hear those words but fully embody their meaning in the context. Some words need the stress. Other words are there to support that. Remember: Words are important. Stress them accordingly.
Now, just the opposite: when not to speak. There are moments of silence in almost every dialogue and even in monologues. Silence means that nothing else is being said. If you can place a period at the end of a sentence using only your demeanor, that is a powerful performance. Discover moments when your character is silent and make them come alive with a subtle but powerful presence at that moment. That can be challenging but it is worth it. Silence is gold!
Well, we already talked about silence. So, why are we talking about pauses now? Are they the same thing? They are not. A pause gives continuity to a thought, keeping it on track or even steering it in a different direction. Sometimes a playwright will write your pauses for you in parentheses but sometimes they won’t. In that case, discover where to place them. Pauses can be used in combination with word stress or between sentences and they do not need to be very long to be powerful.
And finally, our 5th tip…
Demeanor goes hand in hand with subtext. For the most part, people do not constantly say what they are thinking. The subtext is what your character is actually thinking or feeling when they say what they say. It is your job to express that to the audience. Very likely, you will have to do it in a subtle and natural manner to avoid over-acting. Still, be aware of your subtext at all times. That will make you move in the scene in a more realistic way. It will also make your journey in the story rich. So, when you have that audition script, establish what your character wants, think, feels, when they say what they say. It will even help you memorize those lines, I promise.
I hope you enjoyed these tips and write them down to remember them when you are preparing to get in character, especially in auditions.