Before you begin reading this article, Back Stage kindly requests that you turn off all cell phones, pagers, and beepers; refrain from flash photography; and open any noisy candy wrappers ahead of time.
Now that we have your full attention, it's time to get to the subject at hand—keeping your attention focused while acting.
The above speech is given before almost every theatre performance, delivered by the house manager or via a taped voice-over. Sometimes the request is disregarded or greeted with laughter, but it offers a very serious message: Don't ruin the concentration of the actors or the enjoyment of the audience. And most importantly, don't make the actors break the fourth wall.
What is the fourth wall, you may ask? In the theatre—whether your show has a realistic set or not—if your play is representational, or attempting to create an illusion of reality, then there is an imaginary fourth wall between the audience and the performers on stage (as opposed to presentational, where the actors actually address the audience and often remind everyone that it's only a play). The concept is similar in film and television—most of the time viewers are drawn into the action as if they were unnoticed bystanders.
Breaking the fourth wall is easy: Just speak directly to the audience or look directly into the camera. Certain material calls for this practice—Pseudolous, Ferris Bueller, and Bernie Mac do it all the time. But when it's not a part of the show—when actors get distracted and are forced to stop the natural flow of the story—performers and viewers alike usually need a moment to adjust and get back into it. Cell phones in the theatre are the biggest culprits these days. We've all heard stories of a stage actor who hears one ringing during a dramatic scene and breaks character to tell the offending patron to turn it off. (New York even passed a law to enforce the no-cell-phone policy.)
Live theatre has a certain magic to it that no other medium offers: the chance not only to see a unique version of a story, but to participate as well. Comedies seem to run even more smoothly when the audience laughs out loud, and applause makes anyone on stage feel more confident. But there are downsides to doing shows with a studio or live audience. In addition to the inevitable instances of phone faux pas, whooping cough, and cellophane crinkling, here is a partial list of other distractions that one might encounter in indoor venues:
Door buzzer
Toilet flushing
Falling sets
Breaking props
Missed light and sound cues
Missing props
Gun doesn't go off
Stage crew on set
Somebody talking backstage
Somebody dropping something in the wings
People upstairs
People next door
Outdoor arenas have their own set of nuisances and noisemakers. How many of these disturbances have you had to deal with during shows such as Shakespeare in the Park?
Babies and kids
Birds and squirrels
Passing sirens
Planes overhead
Thunderstorms
Skateboarders
Ballgames in the park
Boats on the river
Cabs, Caddies, and other cars
Auditions and callbacks present actors with more potential pitfalls and interruptions. The auditionees are nervous anyway because they don't have the job yet. And they are sitting in a waiting room with lots of other people who want the same job. So maintaining a level of focus during those precious five minutes in front of the casting director can be difficult, especially with receptionists, rain, day-job demands, and schedule delays to deal with.
Then there is a whole other set of circumstances that could occur while filming a TV show in a studio or a feature film on location. The list is too long to mention, but just imagine trying to act while surrounded by lots of camera equipment, cue cards, stressed-out writers and directors, bustling crew members, curious onlookers, security guards, and snoopy reporters, and you'll get the picture.
"Focus" Group
Because it is the very essence of most acting situations, attention needs to be focused on how to build the fourth wall. Actually, attention and focus are two components of keeping the fourth wall intact during a show. Total concentration is needed for performers to maintain the reality of a scene no matter what may be happening around them. Back Stage has constructed a top-notch team of performers who have had to deal with disruptions on the boards and on the set to get their suggestions on how to concentrate while giving a performance.
Brian T. Geraghty—Stay in Your Own World
Credits: Theatre ("The A Train Plays"), film ("Dog Lovers" and "Stateside"), and over a dozen commercials.
Current Project: Shooting "Art School Confidential" with "Bad Santa" director Terry Zwigoff.
Concentration Tips: "Building concentration onstage is all in the preparation. I go over my lines and blocking until I know them by rote, because in the theatre you don't have a second chance. When I have those things down, then I feel confident. Then a half-hour before I go on, I stay in my own world, focus on those things, then go out and let it fly."
Distraction Action: "When the most annoying and loud cell-phone ring you have ever heard goes off in the middle of a scene, I just wait to speak. It's like holding for a laugh."
Audition Ideas: "I think auditioning is the hardest part about acting because, essentially, you are waiting to go into a room to be judged. Some of the other actors will try and socialize. This works for some people; it keeps them relaxed. But I keep out of that world by not paying attention to anyone, focusing on my material and what I want to do in that room once I get in. This is a great technique because it also keeps the attention on your work—not on how you are nervous or unprepared."
Joan Jaffe—It's About Being
Credits: Film ("Scenes From Hell"), TV ("Late Night With Conan O'Brien"), and commercials.
Current Project: Most recently portrayed Nellie Cohan in "The George M. Cohan Revue" at Danny's Skylight Room.
Concentration Tips: "I focus on my character and the work—being the character, making it very real. Also, listening to the other characters, staying in the moment, and going moment to moment are important. Don't think about what you just did or what you're going to do."
Distraction Action: "I was on stage once when my parents' friend, who arrived late, yelled out, "Hi, Joan, we're here!" It threw me a bit, but of course I kept going. During another show, I went offstage to get a prop and the stage manager told me to speed it up. I was taken aback and demanded to know why. He told me there was a bomb scare and they wanted us to get through the show and get the audience out quickly without upsetting anyone. I spoke my lines so fast, bowed quickly, grabbed my coat, and ran out of the building. The bomb scare turned out to be a hoax."
Audition Ideas: "Use the script. Use it even if you get the sides well in advance. Know it as much as you can, but do use the script. You're not expected to have it memorized—and it shouldn't be. The director may ask you to do an entirely different take on the material than what you presented. As long as you're totally involved in your work, you can do it."
Sarah Austin Jenness—Focus on Your Surroundings
Credits: Theatre: Anita in "West Side Story," Velma in "Chicago," and Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit."
Current Projects: Directing "Glass Slipper, Size 8 1/2" at the 92nd Street Y and workshopping her one-woman show "Jenness Sais Quoi."
Concentration Tips: "Focus on your surroundings. Ensconce yourself in the given circumstances of your character's life. Since human beings can be easily angered over small things, don't bottle frustration—use the feeling as fuel to add dimension to your character."
Distraction Action: "In the theatre, audience members talk to each other, make fans with their programs, and fumble with what sound like industrial-strength candy wrappers. I've had lights go out onstage, props break, doors malfunction, and wall hangings fall, but the show has gone on. A large part of an actor's job is to roll with the punches. The biggest challenge for actors working on film is that they are at the whim of technology. Mags have to be reloaded, continuity is lost, lockups are not enforced, and cuts are called. You will hear 'Quiet on set,' 'Roll out—reload,' and 'That's lunch!' Scenes are interrupted constantly and when you start rolling again, the director could quite possibly jump to a different section of the script. The biggest aid to concentration and focus on a film set is your own stamina. Don't eat the junk food at the craft service table—it makes you lethargic. Get enough sleep the night before, and trust the director. If he or she sees that you are not connecting, you'll be called on it!"
Audition Ideas: "At an audition, strangers are the distraction. You walk into a strange space with strange lighting and are evaluated amongst strangers. For my last directing project, I auditioned over 400 actors. Professionalism and the ability to stay focused shine through and make a lasting impression."
Lawrence Joseph—Meditation and Movement
Credits: Theatre: "Peter Pan" and "Ain't Misbehavin.' "
Current Project: Acting in a film called "Sin City."
Concentration Tips: "Yoga is the practice of mind, body, and spirit together working as one. It has provided me with a means of dealing with various roles. I've found that the greatest tool for me as an actor was to focus on relaxation and even breathing. I try and practice my yoga on a daily basis and find that I have been the most successful at auditions when I have done a session the night before. If I have not prepared beforehand, I try and arrive at performances and auditions with ample time to sit and focus on my breathing, calm the nerves, and focus on the job at hand.
"Also, my training as a dancer helps me to concentrate. The standard dance class includes barres and mirrors, but one of my teachers frequently covered the mirrors. This forced me to focus on knowing where my body was in space, and not rely on having to see myself in the mirrors. So when it came time for performance, I had already learned to focus and concentrate deeper. Then, when I discovered yoga and meditation, it gave me another tool to work with."
Distraction Action: "I once remember having to perform in a theatre that was both an indoor and outdoor theatre. The challenge here was to stay focused amidst the bugs, airplanes, and the wonderful night sky. The bugs became another character in the show, the airplanes were ignored, and the sky a part of the world of the character. I found that if I just accepted and integrated the conditions into my show, rather than fight against something I could not change, I would not lose my concentration."
Audition Ideas: "I would say to find an activity that you could use in your acting that you really, really enjoy and segue that into your acting. I strongly suggest giving yoga a try. There are many classes and books on yoga out there, as well as different forms of yoga to be explored. But the ticket is to find that which works best for you."
Antoinette LaVecchia—Commit to the Objective at Hand
Credits: Theatre ("Magic Hands Freddy" at the Soho Playhouse), TV ("Law & Order" and "One Life to Live"), and film ("Jesus' Son" and "Dirty Laundry").
Current Project: One-woman show "In Spite of Myself," part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival.
Concentration Tips: "As an actor, you simply accept that the characters and the worlds you create are going to be watched by an audience. Within that reality, you commit to the objective at hand, stay present, relax, and communicate. Performing my one-woman show requires that I speak to the audience occasionally and that has been extremely liberating. As a young actor, I would have been terrified to look at the audience. 'Ignore them,' I would say to myself. 'Remember the fourth wall.' But since working on my solo piece, it has become more and more clear that the audience is the other 'actor.' The fourth wall has become less frightening, less intimidating."
Distraction Action: "We were performing an Off-Broadway production of 'The Sweepers' at Urban Stages in an intimate 75-seat theatre and it was the intensely emotional last moment of the first act. Someone's cell phone rang. The woman answered it and in full voice said, 'I can't talk now. I'm watching a play.' Of course it was disruptive to both the actors and the audience, but we held on to each other and stayed focused. During moments like these, you depend on your fellow actors to help you stay focused and stay present in the world of the play.
"I've also experienced performing onstage with an audience member who was hooked up to an oxygen tank. The noise coming from the oxygen tank was constant and distracting throughout the performance, but our ensemble focused on the task at hand and we reminded ourselves how great [it was] that this particular person made it to the show. And there's always those times when a cast member's wig is falling off and no one onstage can keep a straight face. This may be the most difficult of all in regards to concentration. I believe the British call it 'corpsing.' "
Audition Ideas: "The more prepared I am for an audition, the more fun I can have during the appointment. I also make choices and take risks. Also, I check into my body and just make a mental note of what's going on physically and emotionally, and then I give that all to the character."
Richard Lear—Listen Carefully
Credits: Theatre: "Naked Boys Singing," "Julius Caesar," and "The Normal Heart."
Current Projects: Worked on the Meryl Streep production of Sarah Jones' "Bridge & Tunnel" and is in preproduction on the film project "My Brother's Keeper" for Little Ricky Productions.
Concentration Tips: "It is much easier for me when I am on stage with other actors. I can focus so intently on them and the action that is taking place that nothing else exists. I listen carefully to what is coming out of their mouths as if it is the first time I have ever heard it. When I am alone on stage, I try to wrap myself in the emotions that the character is feeling. If there is a prop that I can use to center my focus on, it helps tremendously."
Distraction Action: "The worst experiences were while I was doing 'Naked Boys Singing.' Sometimes the audience members would act as if they were at Chippendales and actually try to talk to you. I was doing a very serious song in a comic show, and I was naked, so it was extremely difficult to maintain my focus. I had never been naked on stage before, so in the beginning it was not easy. After doing that show, I think I could stay focused through a train wreck—preferably with my clothes on!"
Audition Ideas: "I always ask the casting director if they want me to use them as my point of focus or not. If they say yes, then I include them in the scene as if they were the other character. If they say no, and I am doing a monologue, I will place a chair just to the side of where they are sitting, in front of the table. I use the chair as the other character in the scene. It allows me to pinpoint my focus and actually gives me a visual reference. If I am singing and they do not want me to use them, I imagine the person is just over their shoulder."
Dani Marco—The Audience Is Her Energy
Credits: Theatre ("Fiddler on the Roof" and "Hopscotch: The New York Sex Comedy") and film ("Games People Play: New York," "S.I.," and "Damn!").
Current Project: Independent short film "The Shakespeare Theorem."
Concentration Tips: "I allow the audience to be my energy. If a role is comedic, then audience feedback really excites the performance. If the play is dramatic, I feel a sense of heaviness in the room, and that is just as lively. If the fourth wall is down, well, then have fun with it! Play, flirt with the audience—involve them. It's a blast!"
Distraction Action: "One time a baby cried throughout a performance. I just used that 'distraction' as part of the scene. Acting is a sense of reality, so I figured a baby crying happens in real life—just go with it. Most distractions on film sets are sound issues from outside forces—a plane, car, or laughter. The scene usually needs another take or two (or more), so I always see it as a way to perfect my performance and have another go at it."
Audition Ideas: "I've assisted casting directors, and I find that people who talk while waiting to audition aggravate the process—and who wants to piss off a casting director? So I tend to keep to myself. If I see a friend, I just tell them that we can converse after the audition or callback. Staying quiet relaxes me and allows for a clear mind so I can formulate important decisions."
Actor: Gabriel Martinez—Use Breathing Techniques
Credits: Theatre: "The Green Dragon," "As Five Years Pass," and "Hitchcock in the Twilight Zone."
Current Project: Short drama "Capsule," which will be presented Aug. 12-13 at the Producers Club as part of the Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival.
Concentration Tips: "As an actor in the theatre, I find myself using breathing techniques frequently. While on a set for a TV or film role, I find it harder to remain focused. There are so many things going on at once that sometimes I find myself going to a quiet area in order to get away from the chaos. Sometimes you feel as if you've given a great performance, only to find out that you have to shoot it again because you didn't grab a cup with the same hand or didn't turn the same way. Emotionally, you must keep revisiting that place where you are most comfortable."
Distraction Action: "This summer I worked in a theatre in which the air conditioning kept tripping the lighting. While I was on stage, the power shut off completely, and the audience began to laugh. I started to get nervous, but I took a few deep breaths and simply tried to ignore the technical difficulties and remained in character until the power came back."
Audition Ideas: "Never ask to start over, and keep the character constant. Know your monologue back and forth, so that when you go in, you feel as if you nailed the audition. The more confident you are going into an audition, the more focused you can be despite distractions, and the better it will turn out."
Elli Meyer—Keep the Mood
Credits: Theatre (toured in a stage version of "The Jazz Singer") and film (the documentary "B.B. Chaser").
Current Project: Writing and producing a one-man cabaret show.
Concentration Tips: "I put myself mentally in the time and place of the scene and think and act as the character I portray. On a film set, sometimes I have to put the crew out of my mind or imagine them as other than who they are so as not to spoil the mood I've created."
Distraction Action: "One night during the tour for 'The Jazz Singer,' I delivered a particularly harsh line to my son in the show, and the entire audience began to boo me off the stage. One lady even yelled out, 'What a meanie!' Again, while working on a film, the most distracting thing is the crew, so in the tradition of 'imagining the audience naked,' I place them in various roles within the confines of the story."
Audition Ideas: "I do not really have a technique per se. As I have grown as an artist, and encounter new challenges, I find myself more and more on autopilot. It has become second nature. I am still occasionally very nervous, self-conscious, and concerned beforehand, but once I begin, I take ownership and feel at home."
Kathy Renna—Free Your Mind of Negative Feelings
Credits: Theatre: "The Music Man," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Annie."
Current Project: Youth musical "It's a Matter of Pride" through Aug. 1 at the American Theatre of Actors.
Concentration Tips: "I concentrate by really thinking about what I am saying and all of the emotions, feelings, and passions that I have concerning whatever I want to convey. Consequently, you automatically block out unrelated things in your brain. By freeing your mind of anger, confusion, and worry, you actually can then fill it with what you need to concentrate on."
Distraction Action: "I have played at dinner theatres across the country. They are always filled with distractions, such as busy waitresses, noisy audience members, and dishes and glasses always clanging. Film sets are also very distracting places. Keeping eye contact with the other actors really helps me stay focused."
Audition Ideas: "Do not concentrate on what the auditioners may think of you or what other people may say about you. Stay focused on remembering your dialogue or lyrics or movements. Worrying about being nervous really works against you. You are ultimately only in competition with one person—yourself."
Mark Robertson—Trust Your Preparation
Credits: Theatre: tours of "Romeo and Juliet" as Romeo and "The Sword in the Stone" as King Arthur.
Current Project: Starring in his play "Dead Sea," presented Aug. 14-27 at the Linhart Theater @ 440 Studios as part of the New York International Fringe Festival.
Concentration Tips: "I try not to concentrate on concentrating, or focus on focusing. I trust that my preparation has put me in a place where I am engrossed in the circumstances and setting, just really living onstage. The audience is a part of that, too. I let them be in that world of mine. I am also aware of a fourth wall in my mind that they don't have. I hold that over them in a sort of 'I see something that you don't see' way. Trying to focus or concentrate puts me in 'think mode,' the last place I want to be.
"Film and television, of course, is much more difficult. There are tons of people that aren't part of the story right on your stage with you, putting things in your face, talking. In TV and film, focus is a top priority. To stay in the moment, I try to use my imagination and watch scenes from the film in my head that might have happened."
Distraction Action: "I was doing a Restoration comedy on stage, and a cell continued to blare throughout the second act. I ignored it as best I could, then one of the actors smartly yelled, 'What is that noise?' And once I was shooting a film scene where I was supposed to be on a romantic date with this girl, and it must have been 30 below. After doing 10 takes, we got to the point where we could hardly stand, but we had to keep going. I just used that anger in the scene, and let it live somewhere in the subtext, while trying to play up the romance."
Audition Ideas: "At auditions, I always try to remember that the casting directors want me to do well, too. That helps me relax. Do a vocal and physical warm-up before you go in. Then, even though the project that you're reading for may not be completely clear, you will be more open to what is going on."
Finishing Touches
Building the fourth wall can be challenging, but when it's done properly, it makes the theatre, TV, and film experience both believable and magical. Here are some closing arguments on why actors should develop their concentration skills to stay in the moment on stage and on camera:
Robertson thinks repetition exercises are very valuable. "Also, nothing clears us from our heads better than a good vocal and physical warm-up."
To shake things up, Jenness suggests, "Practice monologues with the TV or radio on. And remember, in addition to technical or audience distractions, actors can carry their personal hang-ups with them. Before you even enter the theatre, ask a redcap to check your baggage at the door."
Here is another exercise that Lear recommends: "Read a book in a busy location—in order to comprehend what you have read, you have to focus. Then apply that concentration to holding a conversation with someone in another busy location. If you live in New York, distraction is constant. Learning to maintain your focus in that distraction should be applied to what you do for a living."
Martinez feels that preparedness is key to strengthening your concentration. "If you know your lines and your character's background well enough, everything should fall into place. After an audition, if you don't get the role you were hoping for, just tell yourself you weren't right for the part and simply move on to the next project."
"Own your role," Meyer reminds his fellow actors. "Research your character, know the time and place he or she lived in and learn to think as that person, using his or her emotions (or those the director gives you) and become the character."
Jaffe believes nothing should keep you from giving a great audition. "Don't get sidetracked with worrying about who's in there, who is in competition with you, or what your agent or the casting director will think."
"Practice on camera," Marco points out. "Grab some friends, a camera, and start a workshop class. Also, read, read, read. The more knowledgeable you are in your field, the better you feel and can perform."
LaVecchia provides these final, focused words of advice: "Do your homework. Ask yourself the questions: Who? What? Where? Why? How? Know the given circumstances; understand the style of the play. Take risks in rehearsal and on stage. Work on being present and relaxed, communicate with your scene partners, and fully commit. With all of these elements in place, concentration is a breeze."