Seeing Theatre as an Actor

“So what else can I be doing?” It’s a simple question, and one that you might well have asked a teacher, mentor or colleague in the acting industry. It’s a question I hear a lot when teaching, coaching, directing actors—and often asked by performers who are doing everything right. They’re training, they’re auditioning, keeping their showreel current and their headshots fresh. “So what else can I be doing?” My answer is always the same: “Start seeing theatre as an actor.”

Actors need to see live theatre in order to learn about their craft and expand their knowledge of the artform. They’ll see other actors at work, and learn how to wield their own skills, as well as develop an understanding of how a story is crafted for a live audience. In addition, seeing theatre as an actor supports your industry; you can network, socialise and stay up to date with what kind of work is being done.

The importance of seeing theatre is paramount for any actor—screen or stage. Even if you have no desire to creep the boards yourself, you’ll learn so much from the simple act of watching your peers, your industry colleagues, do what they do. Where else do you get to see somebody on the same journey as you apply the same skills totally unfiltered? Get in on it!

Seeing Theatre as “Actor” vs. “Audience”

What’s the difference between an actor seeing theatre and the experience of the general public? For the most part, it’s identical—and this is an important thing for you to keep in mind as somebody with aspirations in the creative industries. It’ll stop your experience of seeing theatre becoming a purely educational or career-motivated exercise.

Theatre can entertain, educate, inspire, provoke, amuse, delight and even horrify. It can be a deeply uncomfortable experience that pushes you to emotional and physical limits. And it can make you feel like you’re home. Due to its ‘live’ component, theatre is inherently intimate for an audience: it promises and delivers on live and direct connection between artist and audience.

So the trick for seeing theatre as an actor is to watch it through the lens of audience and artist. Enjoy yourself, lose yourself, get swept up in the experience, but not so much that you can’t analyse how it made you feel something.

This will also keep you engaged if the play is particularly awful. Rather than writing off the experience as an expensive mistake, challenge yourself to work out why it’s making you feel a certain way. At the very least, you’ll hopefully avoid the same mistakes in your own, future work.

What to Look For at the Theatre

You’ve bought your ticket, you’ve sat down in your seat, you’re full of cheap red wine and Maltesers. When the lights come down and the show begins, what should you be aware of? Short answer: plenty. Let’s break down what you might analyse below.

• Writing and Storytelling “The play’s the thing.” Take some wisdom from Hamlet and start with the text: the story, the writing, the words as performed. What are you meant to think about? What are you meant to feel? Is the story clear, or confusing. And if it is: is that an intention. (See also: Developing Theatre Literacy)
• Direction Try to become aware of the director’s role in this production. Does the show have a singular style or ‘vision’? If you’ve seen work by this director before, can you track their influences or how they’ve developed? How have the performances been shaped? Do characters ‘gel’ with one another? Communicate?
• Design Design is something most people only notice when it’s very good or very bad. Most of the time, it’s invisible: so make yourself aware. How are props, costume and set realised? What do lighting and sound do to create the world of the show? How do design elements support the actors at work?
• Audience Response Often, you learn as much about a show from the audience as you do from the people on stage. Are they having a good time? Are they shifting in their seats? Can you see the tell-tale glow of people checking a flight-moded phone for the time? What about you: are you having a good time? Is the show all you were promised? Are you being surprised or disappointed? If so, why?’

Of course, the big thing to look for when seeing theatre as an actor are the actors themselves. We’ve given this topic its own fancy subheading (below), but don’t forget to look past your own discipline to the complete whole of the production. Theatre, like film, like any creative endeavour, is always a team sport. And that includes not just cast and crew but critics, audiences and the larger art world.

Learning From Theatre Actors

There is an extremely helpful Latin phrase that was once the motto of the Western Australian Performing Arts Academy (WAAPA): “ars celare artem.” This phrase roughly translates to “it is art to conceal art” and it refers to the ability of good actors to make their craft look natural, effortless, real.

Good stage actors often look like they’re just showing up and baring their souls. The reality is their performance is simply concealing their technique, their skill—and likely decades of training and experience. Right when a performance feels totally natural: that is the moment to really hone in on how a moment is played. What choices has the actor made that seem so invisible?

As a guide, think back to your own acting fundamentals: how has the actor pursued their objective? What are their tactics and actions? What are the given circumstances of the scene, and what’s prompted them to action in their moment before? Any performance, no matter how transcendent, deals with the same basics. Even Hot Priest Hamlet.

Where to Find Good Theatre

Hopefully we’ve got you inspired to get out there and seeing theatre: more theatre, any theatre! If you’re wondering where to find live shows, let’s talk through some places to look.

Top-tier theatre is usually funded—and so a national theatre company or state theatre company is your best bet. Expect big shows, ‘name’ actors and a mix of classics and new work. The downside is the cost, which can set you back over a hundred units of your local currency for a seat. Be on the lookout for deals, cheap Tuesdays and under-30s tickets to supplement your viewing. Some theatres also have rush tickets at the door, if you feel like dressing up and trying your luck on the night.

Mid-level theatres depend on your location, and the culture of your performing arts industry. Here in Australia, where this is currently being typed, mid-level theatre is basically non-existent. What we do have is a strong independent theatre scene, with smaller-yet-reputable theatres producing our next generation of talent. Some of these companies/artists/creatives may be seen by more established theatres, and find themselves moving to ‘main-stage’ work in the upper tiers of the industry.

Independent theatre is really its own tier. It can consist of smaller companies of one-to-two creatives who produce a show or two a year, or more established independent concerns that receive some government funding and are anchored by a brick-and-mortar theatre venue. The big distinction for most indie companies is that they don’t have direct access to their own venue; they pitch to or hire established spaces and produce their work there.

Amateur theatre varies in production value and quality. As an actor on their journey into the professional industry, you will probably get less out of an amateur show as a learning experience. But that’s not to say that you won’t have a helluva time.

And finally, festivals. Theatre festivals, arts festivals, fringe festivals … they’re all ripe for discovering and learning from fresh and exciting theatre. Most shows have a budget of $5-8, but that often forces creatives behind them to be extra imaginative. If you’re interested in creating a vehicle for yourself, festivals are a great place to start some fact-finding and inspiration.

Is Theatre Boring?

No. Well. It can be. But isn’t that the same for everything?

A lot of people tend to have bad experiences with theatre in their childhoods. There’s condescending pantomime, terrible amateur productions, or something you’re dragged to see as part of an English syllabus. Actually, it’s a lot like Shakespeare being introduced to you through a monotonous group-read in a high school classroom…

Theatre also has a cultural stink about it of being pretentious, lofty: a folly for the idle rich. But truly great theatre is for everybody, and the best makers understand this. For you, as an actor seeing theatre, this is an important thing to recognise in the work you see. It might be “good”, but if you are genuinely feeling bored—despite giving it a fair go—then that’s the fault of the play, not you.

Something that theatre lacks more than any other medium is immediacy of satisfaction. You can’t just pop on a live theatre show like you might a movie on your television or a series on your phone. (I mean, you could, but you’d need a troupe of actors living in your house, on 24 hour call to perform.) It’s an experience that requires planning, energy, an investment of time and quite often a sum of money.

But what pays off in seeing theatre is the live-ness of the experience. It’s that direct, intimate connection you share with artists creating at their peak in the same room as you. And unlike a film or video game or even music, theatre happens for you, because of you. It’s communication—a communion—between artist and audience. And it’s f**king magic.

Developing Theatre Literacy

One last thing, and an important one: seeing theatre as an actor helps you develop your theatre literacy. At the top of this article I opened with a question I’m asked by actors looking to do more for their craft and career: “What else can I be doing?” After I give my answer, I usually follow up with: “Soak up culture. Read books, read plays, watch films, go to galleries.”

Why is literacy important? (And by literacy we mean “knowing texts and culture” not “how to read.”) Because it helps you understand what’s been done/tried/dropped/failed before. It helps you contextualise your own style and approach to acting.

Plays and films and theatre and the appreciation of them are the language of writers, directors, producers: the people you’re hoping to impress in a casting. Learn to identify their influences, learn to speak their language.

Conclusion

So there you have it: why you should be seeing theatre as an actor. Head along, get inspired, broaden your horizons and learn from your peers who share your same path—no matter how far ahead or behind you they may be.

And in the end, don’t forget the most important thing: seeing theatre is fun. It’s inspiring, it’s enjoyable. And before you know it, it’ll be you up there…

Good luck!