CURTAIN CALL: THINGS THAT EVERY STUDENT ACTOR SHOULD KNOW

I’ve never been a fan of curtain calls. I used to say that that it was because I wanted to “maintain the truth of the world we created onstage,” which sounded sort of cool in my head. But then I realized that I really just didn’t want to go back out there because I thought my smile would be weird. 

Another thing that troubled me about curtain calls (besides my potentially weird smile) was that no matter how the performance went, we would always get applause. Sometimes we’d even get a standing ovation, whether or not the performance actually deserved one. 

Now I include a talk about curtain calls early on in all my acting classes. I tell my actors that no matter how good or bad the performance is, their audience (usually parents, relatives, or friends) will applaud for them. But then I tell them not to be satisfied with something they’re guaranteed to get. I want them to know that they deserve the curtain call. So after that talk, my job becomes putting them in a position to “deserve the applause” – while at the same time, taking the focus off the applause. 

So how do we accomplish this apparent contradiction? By stressing certain key points that I believe are vital for young actors. Or really, for any actors. Here’s a partial list, in no particular order.

1. Memorizing lines is no big deal. It’s one of the most basic things an actor does. It’s a starting point, like memorizing your multiplication facts. It’s just something you do. Early on, we praise young actors entirely too much for their ability to memorize their lines. Yes, it makes them feel good, but it also makes them think it’s a big deal and to some, something that’s “difficult.” But it’s not. You simply put in the time and get it done. As soon as you get the script in your hand and know your character, you memorize your lines.
2. There are small parts. If you look at amount of lines or time onstage, there is no way you can convince a student that there are no small parts. And yes, it troubles me when people count their lines – even though I used to do the same thing. But to tell them that all parts are the same in importance is a lie. At a company, not everyone is the boss. Not everyone is the queen ant. But it’s important to recognize that all the employees are vital for the job that they do. If not, they would be let go. Without the worker ants, the queen wouldn’t survive. Likewise, a character wouldn’t be included if the playwright didn’t feel like they were a vital part of the story. Are they as important as the lead? Maybe not. But they’re vital to the story, and in the end that’s what matters. It’s not your feelings about the part you were given. You have to trust that you’re in the exact place you need to be to tell the best story onstage. And your job is to bring that character to life in the most amazing way possible, whether you have 84 lines or 3. And that’s coming from someone who dreamed of a lead role in All My Sons and ended up as Frank Lubey.
3. Focus on your character, not yourself. Feeling self-conscious or nervous onstage? That’s because your focus is in the wrong place: It’s on you, not your character. When you put your focus on the character instead of on your own feelings, and work for their wants or needs instead of your own, something awesome happens. The nervousness and the self-consciousness disappear. Why? Because bringing the focus to your character’s wants and needs means that you’re actively working for something – even when you’re not speaking.

A side note:  To be able to do this, you must actually know what your character wants. That’s why we do character bios and spend a lot (perhaps too much) time talking about the characters. But in the end, the more you know about the character you’re playing, the easier you’ll find it to immerse yourself in the world of your character instead of your own. 

   4.  Come through. Your fellow actors must be able to trust you, to know that you will do everything you can to come through for them, for yourself, and for the play. That means doing the work before rehearsals, doing the work while at rehearsals, and doing the work after rehearsals. It doesn’t mean never making a mistake. It means setting up yourself and your other actors to have the best chance of success. That’s the only way that you can truly take an audience on a journey through the world and events of your play. What people sometimes don’t realize at first is that the majority of that trust is developed offstage, even (especially) when you’re not at rehearsal. In class, in the hall, wherever you see each other, you are always creating either a community of trust or one of distrust. And only one of those creates success.
5.  When you’re onstage, don’t act. It’s one of the worst things you can do. When I first tell my actors this, they often stare at me with confused looks and then one will say “But aren’t we actors?” Then I explain that sure, you’re actors. Off the stage. When you’re doing the work, learning the basic tools that will allow you to interact with the audience during the show. That’s the performance aspect. And if you develop those skills, they should be an afterthought during the show, because you will just automatically do those things – they should become as automatic as locking the door without actually remembering doing it.

But onstage, you are your character and you must respond as such. You listen. You respond. You work for your character’s goals and wants. You forget what’s going to happen, because this is the first time any of this has happened. You can’t plan how you’re going to say something or how you’re going to respond or listen only for your cues, because the moment you do any of that, it becomes a performance and the truth of the moment, the show, evaporates. Maybe not for your audience, but for you and your character.

Those are just a few of the things that my actors and I discuss. Are they difficult to accomplish? Absolutely. But my goal isn’t for them to actually accomplish them. If they do, awesome. But really, it’s all about being aware of them, working to accomplish them, and getting better at them each time. To me, it’s not about the end result. Or even the performance. It’s about the process. And if you focus on the process and work hard, the performance will always take care itself. 

And the actors will know that they deserve that curtain call. ​


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