Prague Playhouse

Why should we work?

February 6th, 2007 at 02:45am brian

Living in Prague, there are a lot of people who get work in commercials and even in films without putting in the work on their acting craft. What’s the big deal in putting in the time to work on the craft? Will you see any difference in the kind of work you get as a result? Well, while there isn’t the definitive answer, I just wanted to explore some of the reasons why it’s a good idea to focus on working on the craft rather than worrying about whether you get a particular job or not.

There are quite a few reasons why you should take the craft of acting seriously. Starting with the most basic things: being on time for your rehearsals and classes will train you to be on time when it comes to doing the work. Nothing screams unprofessional like an actor that doesn’t make it out to the pickup car on time or one that the PAs need to constantly track down. While that may not seem like a big deal, after a while you will get the reputation of being difficult and untrustworthy. Is it a dealbreaker when it comes to getting cast in something? Probably not. Could it prevent you from getting a recommendation for something bigger. Possibly!

Preparation is another area which often falls by the wayside when Prague actors are gearing up for a role. Just think what an impression you can make when you come to a film audition with not only your lines memorized, but with having an opinion about the imaginary situation you find yourself in. You’d better believe that coming prepared (and on time) to an audition is a sure-fire way to get called to the next one, even if you don’t book the one you’re called to. How do you practice preparing for auditions (and eventually jobs)? By coming to acting class prepared, with fully fleshed out activities and doors (if you’re working on Meisner) and deep meanings. After doing several hundred of these exercises, working on a 2 page audition will seem like nothing and it will put you head and shoulders about the rest of the pack.

By working on acting in a consistent way, not only do these two basic principles start to get ingrained in your habits, you also start to develop a good acting physique. Instead of having to ramp your acting muscles up to speed for each audition, you will simply be following the momentum of your practice work. The audition or job will just be another exercise in a long line of exercises. As such it will not be as stressful as it would be if that’s the only time you do any acting. Being more relaxed allows you to respond in a much more freely, which is good for your acting.

Can you get work without working on your acting? Absolutely. People who don’t work at all on their acting get cast in things every day in Prague. Working on your acting may not result in an immediate increase in how many jobs you get: much of that is determined by what you look like and what kind of jobs are available. You will feel a difference, however, just as a person who starts running three times a week may not win any races but will be more physically fit and healthy and will most likely live a lot longer than those who don’t do anything for their health. In the long run, if you are interested in continuing to act for a living, being lazy about the work is a sure way to failure.

So the next time you choose to go to the pub and have a beer instead of sitting down to memorize your lines, remember this: There will be someone who is more prepared than you. Maybe not in Prague, but nowadays we’re competing not just with other people in Prague, but people from London and Berlin and Budapest.

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