The story has been told of the director who gave an actor the note, “Okay, the next time you do this scene I want to see some real passion and anger, so really tear up the stage.” So when the actor came back onstage to do the scene, he started screaming and jumping around and picked up chair and threw it through the window on the set.
The director, who nearly had a heart attack, yelled, “What are you doing?!” The actor replied, “But you said to tear up the stage.” To which the director said, “Well, I didn’t mean it literally!” Nothing can be more problematic to the success of a project than when the director cannot clearly communicate with an actor and vice versa. Essentially, it boils down to the way each of them speaks and listens.
What Did You Say?
You’d think that actors and directors would be experts at listening to each other, given the fact that we use language as our primary tool to tell stories. The reality is something quite different. Both directors and actors find themselves stymied in their efforts to get their ideas across to each other. The root cause of this problem lies in the fact that we don’t understand the style of listening being used by the other person. Basically, there are two styles of listening: the literal style and the metaphorical style.
The Literal Style
When someone is speaking to you, is this how you listen to them?
- You focus on the exact intention of their message.
- You will keep asking questions until you clarify all of the specifics points of their message.
- You are sensitive to the precise meanings of words.
- You tend to take all communications at their face value.
- You tend not to pass communications through many “filters”.
The Metaphorical Style
Instead, do you listen to someone speak in this way?
- When someone is talking, you tend to search for the overall meaning behind what they’re saying.
- If you understand the general idea, you won’t bother to ask any questions.
- You’re more sensitive to the feelings of the speaker and the emotions behind the speech.
- You’re always on the lookout for the hidden meaning behind the words.
- You will pass every interaction through many “filters”.
Did You Hear That?
It’s important to understand not only your own style but the director’s way of communicating. If you take things literally and the director uses a metaphorical style, then you can “translate” her notes into something you can use to improve your performance. Also, if you understand the director’s style, then you can learn to speak her language.
Take a piece of advice from the actor Eli Wallach, “The big secret in acting is listening to people.”
To read another article on this general topic, go to: Acting Auditions – Understanding the Director
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