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Tina Fey Solved My Revision Block
Jan. 7th, 2012 11:22 amSo I'm listening to NPR last night during the re-airing of last April's interview with Tina Fey, and she spoke of a very important lesson she learned from improv classes.
The question asked of students was, "When do you enter a scene?"
When you think of something to say? No.
When you come up with a good joke or character idea? No.
You enter the scene when someone needs you. When there is a lull in the action, when an on-stage character says something that the audience should see or hear more about.
In other words, improv actor, it ain't about you. It's about what the other actors need to give the audience a great experience.
So there it is, Sweet Omni Narrator. It doesn't matter if you have something to say, even if it's a supremly cool something, even if yuo think it's critically important. If the characters don't need you, butt out.
Aside from its writing application, I found that part of her interview quite interesting, particularly the fact there's no mention of whether the actor may be "ready" to enter. The awareness is shifted outward, and with it the faith the lines will come if the entrance is correctly timed.
The question asked of students was, "When do you enter a scene?"
When you think of something to say? No.
When you come up with a good joke or character idea? No.
You enter the scene when someone needs you. When there is a lull in the action, when an on-stage character says something that the audience should see or hear more about.
In other words, improv actor, it ain't about you. It's about what the other actors need to give the audience a great experience.
So there it is, Sweet Omni Narrator. It doesn't matter if you have something to say, even if it's a supremly cool something, even if yuo think it's critically important. If the characters don't need you, butt out.
Aside from its writing application, I found that part of her interview quite interesting, particularly the fact there's no mention of whether the actor may be "ready" to enter. The awareness is shifted outward, and with it the faith the lines will come if the entrance is correctly timed.
