“With God You Have To Be Simple.”

 Today Philippe offered some exercises that helped us be charming and gain some actor’s dignity. At first we started with a party of great Vaudeville actors after a show. Whilst drinking and chatting and laughing together, sometimes an actor will play one of their characters from the show. Not fully, not completely committed - just a taste of the style - doing it more for your friends than to be good.

“Just a bit the character. Don’t play too much.”

“We want to see you charming...so intelligent...so good education...”

Several ‘parties’ gave it a go but none of us got it.

“Not artistic enough. Not subtle.”

“No dignity. Actor dignity.”

~

Philippe then offered a slightly different exercise, this time just with one actor at a time. The situation: you were just playing Vaudeville on the stage in front of a great big audience, and you were about to finish the show, but suddenly you died and found yourself in the heavens. You arrive in the clouds, in the presence of God and her angels. 

You apologise to God for coming in your Vaudeville costume, and explain to her what happened to you.

“With God you have to be simple.”

And then begin to play some Vaudeville for her. Just a bit. Reminiscing. Giving a taste of it. Lightly and not too quick.

I gave it a go, entering slow and charming with classical music playing behind me. I spoke with a centred clear voice, and had good sensitivity. But Philippe soon lifted his drum and then killed me. He said the beginning was good but then it became just bla bla bla. He said I should try again, but this time walk around the room a bit. Speak to different angels. Mix it up. 

So I tried again. And did that. And started to dabble in Vaudeville text and characters. Just a bit. Slipping in and out. And when I slipped out I would chuckle to myself and explain to God what a pleasure it was to perform. I did bits from several different plays we’d done and characters I had played. Sometimes being a bit bigger, more physical, louder, but staying more with myself than any character. I did this for a while and then eventually left before saying thank you to God and offered to play again for her another time.

“It was good. We had pleasure. And he was beautiful.” 

Philippe spoke about how funny it is - how fine the line is between you and the character - and expressed the importance of the actor’s humanity.

“When it is just the character we hate you.”

In the playing of it, I felt really light. And free. Philippe also emphasised my freedom. It felt easy. And transition from me to a character was very subtle. Hardly anything at all. Just an accent, or a different tension in my body, or a faster rhythm. But still just me, playing a bit.

“When you work, don’t go too much to the character...If you go too quick with the character you don’t have freedom with the character and we don’t have freedom to watch.”

Be first with yourself, your other actors, and your audience, and then your character.

~ 

Duncan had a go after I did and also found some beauty and simplicity. Philippe spoke about how for Duncan, who is 21, “it’s not bad.” He said this exercise is easier to do at 26/27 years old. 


“At 21 you fight a bit. You are proud.” 

Philippe said it will fall down, but maybe not this year.