Acting and Performing 
Ken Drummond June 21, 1999

Purpose of Acting
-To entertain others; to inspire; to convey a message; to bring joy, cheer, hope.
-To spread Master's principles of right living and to encourage others to seek God.
-To develop self-confidence, overcome shyness, learn communication skills.
-An actor is a public servant.

Types of Acting
-Stage/Theater
-Television/Movies
-Radio/Announcing
-Public Speaking

Opportunities
-Plenty of opportunities at parties and other local or community events. Usually you only   have to let the organizers know ahead of time that you would like to do something.         When people find out that you do something and are willing, often you will be asked to   perform.
-Generally you have to build up gradually to obtain larger roles.

Qualities Required
 -Humility: The audience will support you if you are humble.
 -Willingness to learn the various acting skills.

Audience
A receptive audience is an important asset. Master compares an audience to a calf trying to get milk from the cow. The cow or actor must be healthy and caring. The audience draws the performance from the actor by appreciation and support. In stage work it is really fun to "play the audience" or work with the audience. If you are humble and caring the audience will support you with a great deal of energy that you can use to create a successful performance.

Stage Fright and Nervousness
Some nervousness is natural and it is valuable because it causes you to turn your attention toward your upcoming act. The best way to avoid nervousness is to be fully prepared for your performance, having rehearsed it over and over. Master suggests imagining that the audience is made up of children or simple people who will not be   critical of your act.

Other Suggestions From Master
 -Never use alcohol or drugs before a performance (or ever).
 -Do not eat before a performance, as the digestion process will take away energy from your act.
 -To protect your voice avoid eating pickles.
 -Suck on rock candy and/or ginger before a performance.
 -Practice double breathing with tension and the neck recharging exercise.
 -Meditate beforehand.
 -Practice alternate nostril breathing.

Key Points:

Live Performances (Theater/Stage)
-Voice training (projection, enunciation)
-Audience interaction. Get energy from audience.
-Motion and posture (larger than life). Play to audience.
-If interacting with audience, scan everyone. Try to include all in your gaze.
-Confidence. (Know your part.)
-Costumes, props, makeup can help your performance.

Movies/TV
-Audience must be imagined.
-Actions smaller than life for close ups, normal for longer shots.
-Look good. Have a good voice.
-Be able to generate subtle feelings that display in the face.

TV Announcing
-Look continuously at the camera. That is where your audience is.
-Subtle movements of the face are required.
-Cultivate a pleasing and interesting voice.
-Pay careful attention to hair and makeup.

Radio Announcing
-Know your subject. Have resource materials handy.
-Cultivate your voice (ups and downs, gushing enthusiasm)
-Practice speaking non-stop in an interesting way.
 
Public Speaking--Speeches
-Lots of research. Know your subject.
-Best to speak extemporaneously from a few notes.
-Involve your audience.
 
Developing a Personal Routine
-Start simply performing many times for small groups of family or friends, then expand to larger audiences. Accept all acting invitations when you are getting started.
-Find what works for you. A variety is good. Songs, poetry, speeches, impressions, skits, excerpts from plays, magic tricks, etc.
-Memorize something to make it your own, then work to improve your delivery.
-Watch good actors to learn their methods.
-For impressions, listen to a tape over and over.
-To think up new acts carry a notebook and write in it whenever you get an idea. Or use a small hand-held tape-recorder with a built-in microphone. Most of your ideas may not be useful but some will be and can lead to good future performances.

Places to Get Started
-Friends, parties, school classrooms, cable TV, community events.

Voice Development--Projection
Projection of the voice is required for most live performances and all stage work, and is helpful for any actor. Find a place where you think no one can hear you and gradually build up the voice. It can be done in two or three weeks. A theater is an ideal place. A secluded beach may be a good spot. I often work on my voice while driving a car alone. I used to try roaring like a lion, gradually getting louder and louder as the days went by. When I taught stage acting I would get new actors to pretend they were yelling to someone at the back of the theater, or across a field. You have to be careful not to strain the voice in the beginning but one way or another you have to build it up. Then you can learn to do a stage whisper, where it sounds as though you are whispering and they can hear you all the way at the back of the theater.

Voice Development--Enunciation
-Enunciation means speaking clearly and distinctly so that others can easily understand what you are saying. One of the best ways to practice enunciation is reading aloud. Also. if you have something memorized such as a poem or a speech you can practice it over and over, going over a particular part that is hard to pronounce clearly. Again, you need to find a place where you don't think people can hear you.
-It is good to practice saying the different vowels and consonants. Many people have trouble with s's or f's. You will be able to discover the ones you need to work on. Repeat the sounds over and over trying to get your mouth to say them correctly. Study how the voice works. Speech includes the diaphragm, voice box, and vocal cords.
-Reading or reciting Shakespeare or other classical British writings will help you to get an idea of clear and distinct pronunciation.

Body Movement and Posture
Learn poise from the Energization exercises. Practice proper posture in meditation and any time you are sitting and walking. Practice various body and dance movements to develop smooth flowing motions when you need them. Of course for character acting you may need specific postures or movements.

Simple Costumes and Props, Makeup
You can do a lot with hats, coats, robes, canes, wigs, beards, moustaches, etc. Just putting on a costume will help you to be that character, especially when you look in the mirror. Basic makeup includes darkening eyebrows, changing facial color, and changing facial shape with latex and masks. Masks will hide your facial expressions however.

Improvisation
-For thinking on your feet or making up lines as you go along, pick a subject you are familiar with and try talking about it non-stop for a period of time. (Start with one minute.) Then practice talking about a subject you don't know much about. You can often talk around a subject, leading into an topic you do know something about.
-Improvisation requires confidence and experience. Ask Master to help you think of what to say.
-When I began performing, my acts consisted solely of things that I had memorized. Gradually I practiced including some introductory material or other ideas that I would think up on the spot. My act was not dependent on these as I could always go into my main material that I had memorized.

I hope that some of these ideas will be helpful to you. Good luck in your acting, wherever it may take you!