The Best Rehearsal

A couple of weeks ago we were rehearsing a short scene for an independent movie. After a few go-throughs we realized that we were acting the scene very well - but we weren't really experiencing the imaginary situation as people, as actors. So we thought it through again, finding the simple and most meaningful aspects. We talked about human behavior, logic, desires, hopes, conditions, all in simple terms and ideas. And lo and behold, we became people again in the scene, and not "acted people." It became honest, easy, personal, alive and creative in very small ways. And relaxed. It was a much more true rendering than what we had achieved prior with our "good acting" skills. Now, I have known this state before as an actor. In it you are impulsive, spontaneous, incredibly relaxed, connected, and wholly present. Finding this again was like a huge "oh yea!" for me, something I hadn't forgotten but which I had got away from in the kind of work I have been involved in most recently. There is so much cliche and fake energy and bad acting that is prevalent on stage these days. We are all guilty of it at times. Much of it passes as "good" just as we thought we had been good until we realized we were actually just "acty." So in these last two weeks I have been highly sensitive once again to what is possible and what can be when actors want what we dare to call "truth."

Worth Repeating for Shakespeare

Either the text that has come to us as Measure For Measure is a hodge-podge of lines and scenes not compiled in it's original performance form, or we can throw out any idea of Shakespeare's infallible genius or the notion that he always makes it easier on actors with "the words." Yes, there is still some interesting and some intriguing moments and implications, but its by no means a logical and coherent text, story, etc. Bluntly speaking, it's a mess, especially in terms of a time line and time frame, which is supposed to make for urgency to the moment. Yet it makes little sense in that regard.

A Mess.

The timeline and sequence of events is all screwy in Measure For Measure. Or else someone has to explain it to me. Some say the script that arrived wasn't the play that was performed. Seems likely to me at this point. I find it interesting and intriguing but I have "issues." Help me out someone - One day, two days, three days? More?

Acting!

That One Happy Moment. Faulkner.

Commedia

Mother Courage

The Cook

"Durn That Road, and It Fixin' Up To Rain"

Doing Faulkner.

Backstage

Going For the Big Moment

Who Are We?

Stanislavsky had the exercise/improvisation about the tree on the hillside. The actors had to portray themselves as trees. And of course the actors had to ask themselves questions as to their state of being, their purpose, etc. I'm changing it to the Sahauro Cactus on the hillside in my own work.

My own personal motto by the way is "Cultivate Heart. Nourish Nature." Some might right away recognize it's origin and implication or meaning. (I've posted about this before). It's from a larger phrase that essentially says/means Cultivate Oneness and adopt a Universal Mind while recognizing the Buddha Nature in all things. I consider it and use it for everything. Including acting and theatre.

Also, some people believe that Sahauros represent our ancestors or that our ancestors "live" as Sahauros. Tribute to our theatrical ancestors, our teachers.

And this Sahuaro stands above a rock on which I have lately spent time meditating, exercising, and just enjoying the views.

BoomTown Profiles - Matt Walley - Part Four, conclusion.

Matt Walley is a smart man, a good guy, and a highly talented theatre artist. He likes his dog, pro football (Bears Fan), family and friends. He has a wonderful sense of humor and a kind demeanor. People are comfortable in his presence. I am. Except when he is a clown. Then I’m terrified! It’s not him. Just me. Clowns you know. Actually Walley plays a wonderful clown. It is part of the work he champions. He brings it out of great tradition and the wonderful, engaging personality that I was just alluding to shines through in this creation of his. How can you not love Walley? And how can you not love his Clown? Every actor must choose how and where he/she will perform. And then you must study and work toward that. Walley has chosen a unique and interesting way of working. And he has studied and prepared himself well for the work he chooses. Walley and Angela Horchem have established Theatre3. In this venue, they create works which include the use of their wide range of skills - clowning, music, storytelling, beer brewing, arts and crafts, to name but a few…and of course acting. With other talented artists, Paul Amiel included, they have made some productions that stand on their own in terms of style and content and form. Seriously, they are part of this thing that is going on in Tucson that is completely “hairbrained” and makes everything exciting. Like when Joe and Cindy at the Rogue decide to have Patrick Baliani translate and adapt freaking Purgatorio for a production. Or Christopher Johnson decides that he can work 4 or five jobs, direct 19 plays, act in 8, take yoga, and post on Facebook. And next month is even busier for him. Or Michael Fenlason at Beowulf Alley decides that the theatre will give money to charitable organizations. To name but a few in a whole bunch of possible examples! Our renaissance is being created by all these people who just don’t know any better! Tip of the iceberg, tip of the iceberg. And now, even our spectators are getting seriously involved. Anyone read Pat McKnight’s emails and postings about the state of theatre here? The collective energy is fast growing. If only we could get that big State Theatre out of shambles.

Walley’s biography and resume as an actor and theatre artist, which I have only barely touched in these posts, is testimony of hard work and artistic progression and a life lived with purpose. I hope my thoughts and opinions in this brief description provide a glimpse, a small profile of the man and artist Matt Walley is. Having Tucson at the crossroads or vortex or as some ideological inspirational force in all of it is a marvelous happening. His presence as part of our theatrical landscape and topography puts him and us squarely in a place to learn, to create, and to grow. We, Tucson, are one.

Comments are open. Be respectful but be vocal.

BoomTown Profiles - Matt Walley - Part Three

Let me talk a short bit about Walley’s work. These are my words, my impressions and come from an admiring point of view. But I might get some things wrong, or incomplete. Don’t hold Walley himself to anything I say. Consider my thoughts and know my clear and strong point of view about the work of Stanislavsky and Strasberg, and the tradition thereof.

What jumps out to me when I think on the work I have seen Walley do, whether it be acting or directing, is a notion which I know from Evegeny Vahktangov. Rehearsals are judged or measured by the amount of material and inspiration they provide for the next rehearsal, and it is the in between time, from one rehearsal to the next, where the work “sinks in” or becomes alive for the actor. And the companion piece to that notion is that each rehearsal, each moment of rehearsal, is a creative act unto itself. Also Vahktangov. So I would say that this applies to Walley and his work. Each rehearsal stands out as sound kind of inspired endeavor, some creative action brought forth. There is never “hack” work. Never a time of simply blocking, or moving or going through the motions of the words and actions that seems to occupy large chunks of many rehearsal processes. With Walley it’s an adventure. You must work. You must discover, and you must do, always. And leaps and bounds appear from one rehearsal to the next. It may not be clear what is happening but thoughts are brought forth - and more importantly, the work is sinking into the subconscious, permeating the actor’s creative sense. And when the next rehearsal begins, the work begins anew with a vigor brought on from the previous rehearsal. You get the idea. The explanation is pretty easy. Creating that kind of working environment over time is not easy. But Walley does it.

I am thinking of Walley’s portrayal of Bill Walker in Major Barbara. As good actors do, though rarely, Walley embodied the entire theme of the play in his character. He didn’t just play his character’s actions and intentions, he played all the thoughts and ideas expressed in the play. It was a beautiful piece of acting. And it was that work and that kind of work which makes me long for a little more conscious craft ala Lee J. Cobb. Surrounded with like actors, and given the right material….who knows what could happen. As Bill Walker, Walley had subtle gestures and postures that distinguished him from other characters. It was a unique kind of awareness he held onto during rehearsals in applying and working with these postures and it carried over into the performances beautifully. Details and “unspoken” thoughts gave it a depth and an intrigue. That is kind of Walley’s way, finding the “hidden” details or nuances of action, and letting you as a spectator kind of discover or realize it along the way.

Lately I have noticed more and more actors with high talent fall into a deadly acting with a capital A kind of thing - in other words, they become atrociously bad as slaves to clichés and habits, especially when a scene calls for strong emotion and meaning and sensitivity. Actors just don’t have it available to them and so they throw out that tremor voice and that false energy and weird facial contortions and its all just fake junk really. Walley on the other hand, even if he cannot or doesn’t pull it off fully in the moment as an authentic experience, at least approaches those types of scenes with a care and consideration. He tries to figure out the specifics of what might occur in such a moment, and so he avoids clichés and the general badness that most actors bring. When Walley gets his hands on Shakespeare he is particularly adroit at putting together completely-logical-to-the-play and situation actions while bringing the words to actual life and meaning with the proper thoughts behind them. His Shakespeare is not mere recitation as is common. But rather is full character action and doing. His work on Shakespearian roles that I have seen has been an excellent example of his careful consideration and ability to empathize with characters, humans, in particular situations.

If you don’t know of or haven’t seen Walley’s work as an actor or director, look up Theatre3 here in Tucson. And when the time comes, go see it. But don’t hold me or Walley to any of these explanations that I have written here. For nothing will prepare you for what you will see. I don’t mean things are extreme. But Walley will somehow create something new, something different, something unexpected. It may engage you and it may not. But it will have come about from authentic exploration and noble attempt. Walley is uniquely dedicated as an actor, director and teacher, as evidenced by his continuing growth and change as a person and as an artist. He seeks and eventually he finds.

More to come in part 4. Walley is a big subject!

BoomTown Profiles - Matt Walley - Part Two

Matt Walley was “forced into” or perhaps “led toward” theatre in his high school days after pain and injuries to his body made playing football not such a good idea. He took to theatre right away, and those in charge took to him, casting him as the main character in his first play. Walley would go on to get an undergraduate degree in Theatre and would also heal and begin to refine his body. He became a weightlifter, a bodybuilder. He got big. But his acting career was kind of non-existent. He didn’t do much. Walley arrived in Tucson in 2001. He got a job in the stuntman show at Traildust Town. And also became involved in shows at Live Theatre Workshop, acting and later directing. For Walley, Live Theatre Workshop was a blessing - giving him much needed opportunity and experience as an actor, and later as a director. It was there at Live Theatre Workshop where he learned to really ply his trade on the boards. But he left Tucson, going on to New York and the prospects of more theatre work. Circumstances led him to apply for a graduate program. He got accepted and back out west he came, to California and his new studies at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. There his “loves” coalesced - theatre, physical activity and body work, martial arts, nature. He excelled at the school completing his degree and perhaps most important of all met Angela Horchem. Together these two talented people conceived of the idea for a theatre, one where they could apply their deep knowledge of craft and their keen eyes and instincts for artistic expression, while engaging their bodies in physical ways - theatrically speaking! And so they went searching for a place, a home, a city, in which to begin this new endeavor. The first choice collapsed under economic strain, literally leaving making a simple living impossible. This was just after the crash of 2008. Tucson “beckoned” and they came. A Grande Steal for our city! (I can go on a long list of attributes about their combined knowledge and skills. But lets just say we are glad they are here.) Before I get to their work as co-artists and creators (which surely will be a profile unto itself sometime soon), I have to get back to Walley for a bit. By now, his body which at one point was a bodybuilder’s mass and strength, and by Walley’s account couldn’t move much, had become refined and given to detail and awareness and definite movement and needs. One only need watch Walley work and move on stage, or see him teach a TaiChi class or hell, drink beer. He has style and elegance and charm and grace. I saw Walley act back in the “old days” at Live Theatre Workshop. At least once I did. And I have had the pleasure recently of working with him at the Rogue Theatre, seeing him create a character over a rehearsal period, listening to, watching his way of work. I can’t quite piece together the details or the difference in his work then and now, but I believe there is a profound distinction. I can see him standing there on stage in the little Live Theatre performance space as Tom in the Glass Menagerie. I was freezing cold because it’s always, or used to always be, about 28 degrees in there. So my mind was numb. Fuzzy. I remember the simple but actor-ly way he stood and carried himself, hands at his side, neutral, actor neutral. He was good though. I have no doubt the show was rehearsed a mere six weeks at most, and the cast was together that amount of time at most. I am not critical of the show and Walley’s work in an artistic sense in that regard - but no show, no cast of actors, can come to much of a mature artistic fruition in six weeks of rehearsal. As much as we would like to think it can and does, and go so far to organize our work in that fashion, it just ain’t so. It doesn’t happen and it won’t ever happen. But you can get the resemblance of a better staged reading in that time. Sounds harsh. It’s not, just true. But anyway…Walley was good, or it was evident he could be really good. But as I said, I can see a profound change in his work from then to now. He is aware and alive in much more specific ways now. He attempts more. Bravery is his. At a point in his life when others might have stopped progressing artistically, Walley zoomed! And is still going!

End of Part Two. In Part Three I will touch more on Walley’s current work, his Clown, his directing, teaching, and of course Theatre3.