Category Archives: Theatre Journal

Preparing for a Role: Ready for Performance!

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

The pre-battle speech is an icon of literature, stage and film. From Shakespeare’s Henry V admonishing his band of brothers on the field of Agincourt to William Wallace admonishing his Scottish army to Knute Rockne encouraging his boys to “win … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: Keeping Focus When Siri Joins You on Stage

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

One of the things that I love about live theatre is the fact that it is, in face, “live.” Movies and television spend countless hours honing and perfecting exactly what they want you to see how they want you to … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: Production Week

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

In a stage production, the final week before opening night is generally referred to as “Production Week.” It’s the home stretch when all of the various elements of the show must come together before that first performance. My previous posts … Continue reading →

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Doing the Harlem Shake with Theatre Central

Posted on February 23, 2013 by

When my fellow cast members told me we were going to do the Harlem Shake, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. As Carl Bales used to tell me: “If you want to feel young, hang around with … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: Bits & Moments in the Grind

Posted on February 22, 2013 by

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted about my preparations for a role in the Central College Theatre Department’s production of Ah, Wilderness!. The last time I posted we had the show blocked and had begun the process of really … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: “How Do You Memorize All Those Lines?”

Posted on February 10, 2013 by

It’s the most common question I get as an actor from those who have never been on stage: “How do you memorize/remember all of those lines?” There are two important things that are true about memorizing lines: You’ve simply got to … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: Rehearsal Process

Posted on February 3, 2013 by

Time is flying and between work, sleep, and rehearsal I’ve not had much time to write. I’m finding that the rehearsal process for college is shorter and more intense than I’d remembered. In community theatre you tend to rehearse a … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: Digging Into the Character

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

As an actor, I want an audience to willingly suspend their disbelief for a couple of hours and really believe that I am the character I’m portraying. When I step on stage in Ah, Wilderness! I want those who know … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: The First Rehearsal

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

So last night was the first rehearsal for Ah, Wilderness! at Central College. It was a lot of fun to be on campus. It was a great mix of young people. I’ve seen many of Central’s actors on stage in … Continue reading →

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Preparing for a Role: Digging Into the Script

Posted on January 11, 2013 by

[This is part of a series of posts in which I'm documenting the steps I go through when I'm preparing for a role on stage. I thought it might be interesting to someone, somewhere, at some point. For what it's … Continue reading →

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