When you are on stage, it is easy for any beginning actor to fall into the pitfall of just smiling and being ready for your photo op. But this is not real acting. And any good director’s job is to create learning opportunities for teens to grow on stage, to deliver scenes with realness – not just a photo-op. And that realness? That’s where the best memories are made!

When you are on stage, you need to use your space, and give your body resistance to the area surrounding you. And you did this differently as your character…. And each character you create on stage will be VERY different than you, with unique personality traits, and motivations that you will represent with different animation in your acting physicality and expressions.

You have the opportunity to be a real storyteller on stage. You are taking the audience on a journey -a story arch with your scene partners. Stage presence is being PRESENT. If you “check out”, so will the audience, because the magic of theater and stage will be broken. This takes stamina and using your rehearsals to build this muscle memory allows for real transformative change and gorgeous stage presence.

Real stage presence call for each cast member to be energetic and activated, showing animation. Think of this as a forcefield that extends across the stage and into the audience. It is easy to fall into the trap of only activating part of the body or face when every part of the body is needing to be “activated” from your hair to your toes. Alive and animated, moving and attracting real and raw feedback. So create tension and release WITH your scene partners, and in doing so, you will stand out as an Acting Professional!

A Challenges to Percolate:

Do a simple mirror warmup with yourself or your scene partner. Challenge yourself to be bigger and give your muscles more resistance and realness.