Class Visit Brings Insight into the Actor’s World
A class visit from cast members of the “Blind Mouth Singing” production taught the students about the idea of theater being an art of suggestion, in which actors must constantly own the emotions of the characters they portray. Ruben Polendo, the director; Hilary Austin, the stage manager, and Jon Norman Schneider, the actor who played Reiderico answered questions from the class and helped the students realize that acting involves more than memorizing lines and performing them.
The class session began with a reenactment of a scene from the play. Schneider acted out the scene where Reiderico had just heard the voice of his “imaginary friend” Lucero singing from the well. With the ability to block out the students who were sitting a few feet in front of him, with intent and at times scrutinizing stares, and with the lack of props and proper lighting, the actor performed the scene just as he had the week before on stage. The in-class reenactment carried with it all the emotions that he successfully conveyed in the play. As soon as the acting started, those in the room could really imagine a well in front of him, singing coming from that well, and a moon far off in the distance. Schneider’s acting proved that the art involves more than just performing the memorized lines; it involves getting into the role so that all the character’s emotions, fears, and in this case, insecurities are made real while the setting is what is feigned. When asked about his ability to block out the audience and their stares, Schneider spoke about the concept of the audience being the “fourth wall” in a production. Polendo explained that the actors must always “own” the moment of acting, so the audience can really focus on the emotions of the actors.
On the other side of the production, those like the director and stage manager have to deal with the technical aspects of putting a play together. Both Polendo and Austin explained how funding can have a huge effect on the future of a production. Money in the form of grants, donations, and income from ticket sales all go back to the production: to pay for actors’ and crew members’ salaries and rent for rehearsal and performance spaces.
Additionally, the behind the stage members of the crew must also take into consideration the artistic interpretation of the piece. As director, Polendo used his own interpretation of playwright Jorge Ignacio Cortinas’ written work to create an effective, touching, and poignant on stage production. He chose to make the set, with the well in mind, horizontal, to really make the audience feel as if they were at the bottom of the well. The props gave the stage an industrial feel to purposely make the scenes look generic. This supports Polendo’s interpretation that the story that is unfolding can occur anywhere and at any time: there is no specific city as a setting and no particular time period either. An important and central prop is the hand cranked fan, which is a symbol of “city.” While it symbolizes progress, it is also literally a symbol that walking into city is dangerous.
The in class visit from these members of the production brought the students behind-the-scenes. The talks exemplified that the world of theater is multi faceted: many different aspects, ranging from the technical to artistic preparation must go into the creation of a touching and evocative performance.
Photograph by Zack Brown