Actress – Page 2 – LATTE Theater

Emotional Wellness and the Stage

Teens have very full lives with competing responsibilities. Positive emotional framing encouraging resiliency goes a long way toward promoting emotional success. And in rehearsal and the performance spotlights, it can set a tone that can propel a teen forward with balance, self-awareness, internal motivation, and confidence. This tone affects how we think, handle stress, relate to others, our thought patterns, and much more! We especially need to respect that teens have brilliant brains that are still developing. The good? Teens thrive on challenge and engaging in creative activities like acting, which can strengthen healthy patterning and help the brain mature.

Much of that development is tied to social experiences in adolescence. And the Performing Arts are the definition of social, as we interact onstage. So it is VERY important that teens develop healthy acting skills that support their emotional wellness. We should never be “playing” for just one role or one show…. but for life! This need to protect the psyche and development is imperative until the mid to late twenties (when the prefrontal cortex is responsible for skills like planning, and healthy decision-making). So we want to nurture strong peer relationships, and social experiences. Seek out approaches that give maximum good and limit unnecessary strain. I always say, “Push yourself, but do not push yourself over”.

Because of this progressive development, it is essential to recognize possible emotional triggers (both positive and negative) and practice effective coping techniques that help teens use stress management. When you work with emotions and mental processes on stage for a character, you need to frame the material in a way that allows you to develop healthy awareness and separation from your core personality. Promoting overall well-being for teens means working consciously to develop executive functioning and project management skills, and “build in a buffer” that limits anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. This encourages emotional wellness as teens triumph and move from being overwhelmed by the plethora of responsibilities that demand their attention, to making conscious choices on balancing their time and resources to succeed best. And know, it is all about “Progress, not Perfection”!

A challenge to Percolate – Building in a Buffer!

Take a project for stage or school and build a timeline. Put in extra lead time in case of boredom, ennui, other projects, apathy, or crisis,

Choose a character from a movie or a monologue that is unlike you. Then, think how you are different than that character and how you might be similar with movement and your reactions.

The Java Jive: Depicting Trauma on Stage

It happens. You get an incredible role – with trauma in it. Thankfully, you haven’t experienced anything like this in real life. You haven’t lost a loved one. Or been trapped in a garret to avoid persecution. Or been burnt at a stake. Or walked down the street and be assaulted – or accused of something you never would do. So how do you deliver a real and authentic performance when you have no such life experience to draw from?

We’ve all seen it happen. A normally talented performer becomes wooden and emotionally-affective during a fight scene, retreats during aggressive stage conflict, or worse – “fights the part”. How do we transcend this “fight or flight” instinct? How do we keep it real and authentic on stage?

It answer is simple. What parallels have you experienced that you can draw from? Maybe, thankfully, you have never lost a spouse, parent, or sibling, but, you might have helped a friend through the pain – or know the pain of losing your pet. Think on how you would, with kindness and empathy, help them. Then, use that as your starting point.

The stages of grief are universal. The rules would definitely apply to this pandemic. As humans, we deny. We bargain. We are shell-shocked. We grieve. We become depressed and angry. And finally, we find some acceptance. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Because the stages of grief can come and go as we process these painful losses. The loss of a job and our identity. The loss of our childhood home. The loss of a child. The loss of what we thought was permanent and safe and protected.

That is what we take to the stage. That is what we give to the audience. The honesty of the emotion. The bravery of showing it through our actions. And portray hope for the future

Challenges to Percolate:

Be super brave for five minutes today.

Think about something you mourn. Remember “the emotions in the room” at that time. Think what got you through it, that you could bring to a role in healing.
“Text” a letter to a character you struggled with, showing your support for them, and then read it as that character would. Allow this to be a “moving action” to heal.

~ Felicia Pfluger

© The Pfluger Empathy Movement Method

The Java Jive: Fatal Flaws and Fantastic Strengths.

As you develop your character, think of them in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. What fatal flaws will they conquer? Which of their strengths will help them triumph? What other characters of the stage have complimentary faults that together, could be their undoing? Which combined strengths could be used to help them triumph over adversity? Tag team with your fellow ensemble to create this. Are the tensions internal or external? How can they be heightened? When the audience is sitting in the darkness, what “magic” you created will make them lean forward in their seats?

Create an emotional scavenger hunt for the audience. Before the “moving action” of the play takes place, ask where can you embed foreshadowing. Where might you build tension early on to give the audience inklings of what might happen? Remember, it is only through your action, and little “tells” that anything can be visualized. Your breathing. Your eye contact – or lack of. Your posture changes. Yes. these gifts to the audience allow you to create the backstory to bring forth the tension and build the dynamics of your role, so that the play is going someplace.

Challenge to Percolate:

Pick up a script and take some time to “play”. Choose two areas to build tension as “the stage is being set” in the first scenes.
Think about your favorite movie characters. Write down bits about her that make her/him character authentic – that make you “root” for them well before the crisis.
Choose a character in a show you hope to act some day. Create a few journal entries, in their voice, over a week. These can even be from a decade before or after the story we know takes place. There are no limits. Just have fun! Play!
Look at the relationships between family members in the show. What habits stretch generations? Which are a character developing their autonomy or rebelling?

~ Felicia Pfluger

© The Pfluger Empathy Movement Method

The Java Jive: What’s in a Script, Anyway?

Congratulations! You got the part! Now what? THE SCRIPT! Think of it as the best treasure hunt you will ever go on. It has hundreds of “life hacks” for the character you are creating.

Some are easy. Who is the playwright? When did they live and what cultural aspects of their world influenced this story? What political and historical relevance affects the interaction of the characters and ensemble? Be the anthropologist on a quest. Is the play staged in a different era than the life of the writer? Then both eras need to be inlaid in the character.

How will you create the life of your character? What was the clothing like then? How will this affect your movement on stage and your character? What tidbits are in the dialogue of other characters?

Create a journal for your character with all these facts. Write down tidbits about the character’s age and relationships. It will affect their movement and spacing on stage. What other characters are they closest to? What characters are there the most conflict? How do these aspects and growth change during the show?

What daydreams can you imagine about the character? This discovery and creation process is the backbone of your role! Your time in the spotlight

By committing to invest in the script, you’re allowing yourself to inspire your future audience and create magic in this world.

A challenge to Percolate:

Choose a character in favorite movie or book. Write down bits about her that make her/him character authentic.

© The Pfluger Empathy Movement Method

THE JAVA JIVE: Acting Means Inspiration!

You are surrounded by “Inspiration” every day. And that inspiration, channeled, can make you INCREDIBLE on stage. Inspiration is the “verb” of Inspiring. It’s NOT the idle dream of making it big. It’s the lifeblood that allows you to craft your character and bring it to life with nuance, honesty – creating magic.

INSPIRATION allows you to eloquently craft a story as a stage ensemble, because you are developing a wholistic micro and macro world view – not drawing from a single source, but from an ocean of learning and understanding. In short, inspiration EMPOWERS you to be a spherical, unlimited powerhouse.

Rule Two – Where’s Your Inspiration?

So, how do you get IT? Don’t rush it. Give yourself permission to disconnect from tech as you know it and connect to life differently. Immerse yourself in every art form. Explore an art museum or different cultures. Maybe attend a music concert or a dance form that is unique to you? You will find inspiration in HOW to move differently in character. Explore nature, a zoo, or a National Geographic video. Asking how creatures interact or fight SHAPES our character portrayals.

People-watch, take pics or sketch in public. Take in a nature walk and listen to how your breathing changes. BECOME a student of the world and cultures – in a Museum. Be aware and inspired by the “different”.

Immerse yourself in different perspectives as to NOT lose your perspective. This INSPIRATION will inspire countless people to become their best selves.

Challenges to Percolate:

Devote ten minutes to nurture yourself by:

Thinking HOW you would describe your world and story to someone from a different time or culture.
Do something different.
Read and ACT a classic poem.
Make a pact with a friend to share your “people watching” stories.
Listen to a This American Life in podcast.
Think how art shapes a culture or society or how it reflects it!

THE JAVA JIVE: So, how do you “DO” acting?

Acting Means Learning how to be Aware and Stay Activated!

You know that there’s MORE to you than scrolling through Instagram! So don’t cheat yourself by taking your foot off the gas! The secret is to “Push Yourself, but Not Push Yourself Over”! There is always room to grow, on stage – and off. The secret is that ACTING is that it is a VERB! Something that you AUTHENTICALLY and ACTIVELY “DO”!

Rule One – Progress, not Perfection!

To TRULY ACT, we MUST TRULY “BE” present on stage, and present in life… And that takes STAMINA! And you need to exercise your stamina like you would exercise your muscles… or your brain. First! Give yourself permission to not “be perfect”. Acknowledge that this is a process.

Why don’t you start by setting a timer for five minutes? In short, BE PRESENT while “people watching”, listening to a conversation in the room, or watching a show – and REACT authentically to the stimuli. If you are feeling super brave, read and “perform” for yourself in the mirror. Make friends with your facial expressions, your breathing, and your emotions. Because what an audience WANTS to see is how an ACTOR/ACTRESS responds and reacts with realness. Give them, and you, that gift! Let them see that light bulb moment! Remember, on stage to “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy”. Genius comes through trial and error!

Challenge to “Percolate”: Show your virtual “audience”/family/friends five different reactions and responses that are unique and let them guess your thoughts and reactions. Go for a BIG reaction. To quote the Frizz, “Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy”… and prepare to be AWESOME!

LATTE Cares

LATTE Theater (La Grange Area Teen Theater Ensemble) believes in our future together, because we realize the potential in every child. LATTE focuses on more than excellent theatricality, but lifelong success and happiness. Since 2009… LATTE has prepared ages 11-19 by surrounding them with a safe haven of strength through stage that fosters transformative social capital.

LATTE Empowers Youth through Stage Craft with:

Deliberate and Intentional Programs
Educating Social-Emotional Healing
Motivating Personal Growth and Skill Development
Engaging Collaborative Leadership
Supporting Family Engagement
Facilitating Community Resources
Providing Safe and Innovative Spaces
Allowing the Freedom to Create
Jump-Starting Critical Thinking Skills and Project Management
Shares Coping Skills, Self-Soothing and Self-Regulation Techniques
Giving a Great Place to Laugh and Learn Together