Acting Like Real People
Whenever I do a first read-through for Population 485: On Stage, I tell the actors and director very little about the background of the play or the real-life people behind the roles I’ve written. This is primarily an issue of professional respect: The actors don’t need a writer telling them how to proceed in their chosen and practiced craft. I want to allow them to discover and inhabit the roles on their own, without me pushing them toward mimicry or impersonation. Mostly, I just want to get out of their way. Give them room and respect to work in the work they’ve chosen.
But just before we begin, I do tell them this: Every line of this play, every story–even in those instances requiring abbreviation or a composite character–is drawn from an actual human being who felt real joy. Real despair. Real pain. How you interpret the lines is up to you, I tell the actors and director, but every time you step onstage, remember: this story was born of real hearts beating.
It’s tricky, because the play veers from horrific tragedy to goofball fun. I fear inadvertently injuring someone’s feelings in either direction. I took comfort then, when I awoke this morning and read the post below by our director Jake. It is good to know that this play–and its people, its real people–are in the hands of someone who knows both vulnerability and courage.
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