[rocky] Professionalism killed the Rocky star

[jrising]

There was a fantastic discussion at the Rocky party about the state of the cast. The vocal consensus was this:

There's an undercurrent of over-professionalism at the show. In small but definite ways, the drive for professionalism stifles some of the fun of the show and makes working at it a chore. Because the show isn't as much fun, it isn't as good, and the audience has noticed. Both directors, theater 3, and Acid's absence were blamed for these problems.

It's so tough to disentangle real harmful effects from nostalgia. So, tell me: do you agree? Have we gained the world and lost our soul (or raised the bar and broken our backs)? The drive for screen accuracy can push us to do better, but if it drives out jokes and connecting with the audience-- if our performance just duplicates the film-- do we want it? The cast members used to work up the audience waiting outside before the show. Does anyone do that now? We have such a great group, and we can fix these problems, but maybe not without big changes.

Feel free to post anonymously or email me separately.

Comments

[mals13.livejournal.com]

I seem to recall the directors mentioning that it wasn't just screen accuracy that they were being picky with. they also wanted us to make ourselves the character. I watch people copy what's going on, on screen, but I also get bored with that, because it really is just a copy. It's not exactly acting. Make that character yours. Love it, know it and be it. If you miss a blink here, or a spin there, it's not a big deal as long as you're in character on stage. The audience *can't* be looking at both the actors and the screen at the same time, so if it's not precisely screen accurate, it shouldn't be a big deal as long as you're in character and interesting to watch.

I think what the directors said about making the character yours was very important, but I honestly don't think that comment has been reflected in what's being asked of us nowadays.