By Sami DeSocio
As actors, we hear time and time again that onstage we need to “be in the moment”. What does that actually mean, and why is it so important?
Your job is to embody your character’s mind, body and soul. You must take on the life and persona of another person, whether they be a historical figure (Carole King in ‘Beautiful’), or just a character the writer imagined (Huey Calhoun ‘Memphis’). In order to accomplish that goal, an actor must believe they are the character and take on the characters mannerisms, physicalities, and all other parts. That way, when an actor steps onstage, they leave themselves in the dressing room and emerge as the person they are portraying.
Being in the moment also means that you are focused solely on what is going on around you onstage. You aren’t focused on what you’re going to eat later, what happened before the show, or even what might be going on at home or in your personal life. Onstage, there is very little of the actor seen, only the character-if it’s done correctly.
But being in the moment also means you are aware of your surroundings. Here’s where it gets tricky. As an example, since I referenced the character before and I know the show I’ll use Huey Calhoun. As an actor, Adam Pascal was aware of everything around him onstage. If something was missed, a prop was dropped, or something happened, he reacted accordingly while still staying in character. That’s being in the moment, when you can walk that fine line of an actor aware they are onstage and needing to pay attention and the character aware of their surroundings because it’s their lives.
Listening is also a big part of being in the moment. Meisner believed this completely. It’s important for actors to listen to each other onstage. If you and a scene partner are doing your scene, and one of you drops a line, a paragraph, or even a page (don’t laugh, I’ve seen it happen), hopefully your scene partner was listening and can react accordingly instead of their next ‘scheduled’ line. That’s a major part of being in the moment! Being aware as the actor well enough to help your fellow actors when they need it, and knowing that they can help you in return is a big part of being in the moment.
And finally, and this is more for the actor than the character being in the moment means appreciating what’s in front of you. Of course, as an actor you want to make sure you have a project after the one you’re currently in is complete-that’s survival. But, being in the moment means that each night when you hear that applause you appreciate it and revel in it and allow yourself to be in the moment and really hear it.
When have you found yourself being ‘in the moment’?