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!
No comments:
Post a Comment