Penny Templeton: Creating Acting Lions - Page 3
Very few books cover the art of making the right choices – the choices of how to approach one’s character, it requires more planning than many would think. Finding the right choice in a performance is extremely important – how many young actors and actresses are aware of the importance of finding that choice before taking it to show?
When auditioning for a role in a play directed by Wynn Handman, she remembered that all of the actresses were crying in their monologues… When Penny started to cry, Wynn suggested that she try something else. She needed to find different choices in order to land that part.
“I was one of the first actresses to have a video camera, so I went home and set up – I rehearsed the different choices that I had on camera and looked at them to choose which worked best. I got the part.”
One of the most beautiful things about theater is that unlike multiple takes in shooting television or film, you never have to make the same choice twice – this allows an actor to add versatility to the portrayal of a character when every night is opening night.
You won’t always get that role, but that angst is just what you need to make you hungrier.
“Failure and its accompanying misery is for the artist his most vital source of creative energy.” – Montgomery Clift, one of the greatest actors who ever lived. This quote appears in Penny’s book along with many others that will keep you on your toes and focused.
So, be sure to check it out – and stay tuned for more from Penny and a word from some of her students on technique and how to best apply it in the business of show.
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