Make an Entrance!

Many times your first entrance onto a stage is the most important. It is the audiences chance to see you for the first time. Your entrance can be a significant moment in a scene. All eyes are on you, the audience is waiting to see what your character will bring to a scene.

Then you enter and … nothing! You don't really enter … you just mosey on in, like it's no big deal. Then you start 'acting'. What you may not realize is that before you have even said a word the audience has had to figure out who you are and why you are there.

As a director, I have to stress how important it is to show how important your character is in a show. SHOW being the key word here – not TELL. People learn best by doing and experiencing the right way of doing something.

Author and drama teacher Al Viola expands this concept to all stage actions. He defines a Simple Physical Action as the process of performing a physical activity and knowing the reason why. Yes, I'm talking the classic, “What’s my motivation?” Knowing the reason WHY you are doing WHAT you are doing will tell you HOW to do it. Whether making an entrance, an exit or performing any other stage action, once you can consistently convey your motivation through your actions, the stage will be alive with energy!