Michael Shurtleff’s 12 Guideposts for Auditioning 3. The Moment Before
- Every scene starts in the middle. You must provide what comes before.
- We have all come from somewhere, a place or a state of mind, that may or may not change the moment we enter a scene. If it changes it, why? If it is not changed, why not?
- We need to be affected by what has just ‘happened’ off-stage.
- Use your imagination and fill in the blanks.
- The more interesting your moment before — physically, mentally, emotionally — the more interesting your performance will be from the very beginning of the play, let alone the beginning of each scene.
The book “AUDITION” by Michael Shurtleff is full of great techniques not only for auditioning, but for acting in general. I urge you to find a copy as these notes are simplified.
The paperback is published by Bantam Books-Drama, ©1978 by Michael Shurtleff– ISBN: 978-0-553-27295-6 (Drama Book Shop in NYC should have copies.)