The Partnership

Before I jump into the lessons from last week's class, I want to give an update on my acting career outside of the studio. In my first go-around with the most infamous part of acting—the audition—I had two widely different experiences. Recording the self-tapes was an awkward ordeal but a massively important experience moving forward. Talking into a camera alone can be difficult, but self-tapes are not going anywhere, so it was great to start learning this skill now.

The in-person audition had me more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. Performing in front of a group of strangers and analyzing every word and motion I performed was enough to make my stomach churn. I had zero expectations, but one thing I had yet to consider was the type of feedback I would get. After my first attempt, they asked if I would be comfortable reading another scene for the same character. I was nervous enough with the script I had been studying for days, and now I had to go into a scene with zero lines memorized. While it was horrendously nerve-wracking, this was my best learning experience. You can prepare as much as you want, but you can never be sure what they'll ask of you in the room. This is something I plan to keep in my back pocket moving forward.

A few days later, I finally got word about my auditions. Despite putting forth my best efforts, each team decided to go in another direction. While I would love to lie and say that the rejection did not phase me, I was hurt because my goal was just to do them. But, I am not dwelling on it as a negative. I choose to see the pain of rejection as a sign I am doing something right. The no's did not deter me from trying again but only increased my desire to do better the next time. Now, onto the class.

This week, Ani gave some great advice about the partnership in acting. This art form is like a dance between multiple characters. If everyone is not honest and giving it their all, people will step on others' toes and cause a mess.

Another way to look at acting without good partners is like trying to clap with one hand. Not great. However, another complementary hand is brought to the scene, and a beautiful rhythm begins to hum. Even though Ani focuses on one student at a time, the scene partner must do their best to set the other actor up for success.

I am sure others can relate, but it can be hard to focus on your scene partner when you are trying to ensure your performance goes well. Every scene is a give-and-take between each actor. You are not just trying to deliver the best version of your lines but create a realistic and honest scene between two people in a world. If you don't believe me, try an activity at home. Have someone read a scene with you where they cannot do anything with their

character but read their lines in a monotone voice. Then, do the scene again with both of you trying to give an honest performance. Which one felt better?

Alright, you don't have to do that to prove my point. What I'm trying to get at is that acting teaches us how communication and teamwork can make or break various situations. This is something we can take into our personal lives as well.

So, what's the big takeaway from this week? Selflessness. With every script you get, think about the moments between the lines and how you can catapult your scene partners' performances. There is so much we can learn as actors from being active listeners and building off what we are given. 

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