So you want to cut your teeth in the theatre? The first thing you’ll need to get to grips with is the basics of performing for the stage.
Unlike screen acting, in which there are close-up shots and the opportunity to repeat takes, stage acting is all about convincing in the moment. It’s live, electric, and, yes, it can be a tiny bit terrifying. After all, there’s nowhere to hide if things go wrong. Denzel Washington has said that being onstage is more demanding than being onscreen “because it don’t stop” – and yet he keeps coming back to it because “that’s where you learn how to act.”
Consider this your beginner’s guide to the world of stage acting, what sets it apart from screen work, and the skills you’ll need to shine.
Both stage and screen acting involve performing, but there are some key differences that set theatre acting apart.
Screen acting can focus on subtlety
Perhaps the most obvious difference is scale. Screen actors can often get away with subtle, understated actions since the camera can capture quiet words and small expressions, but theatre actors have to perform to a room full of people, which often requires bolder physical and vocal gestures. Voices need to be loud enough to be heard in the back row, and movements easily noticeable.
“The trouble about the stage is that the audience sees the whole body,” said Ian McKellen, who is celebrated for both his stage and screen roles. “They can take it all in with an objectivity they normally don’t apply.… [An actor] will have to be aware of what their feet are doing.” That means stage actors have to think about their complete physicality at all times.
Stage acting has no safety net
The vast majority of TV shows and movies are filmed shot by shot, with the possibility of a retake. When actors perform onstage, they have nothing to fall back on. Once a play starts, it can’t stop!
Stage actors perform in real time and must stay present, responsive, and reactive for the entire duration of the show. If they make a mistake, they have to think fast to improvise their way out of it – live onstage. Lesley Manville said theatre is the biggest test for thesps, because “you can’t be edited, and your performance can’t be tweaked or made to look better than it is. You’re exposed, and that’s it.”
The audience
When performing onstage, an actor is in a relationship with the audience. “The first challenge for stage actors wanting to live truthfully in imaginary circumstances is that it is really difficult to be unaffected by the presence of a group of observers,” Bill Britton wrote in his book From Stage to Screen: A Theatre Actor’s Guide to the Working Camera. Unlike onscreen, where the camera moves around an actor to capture a moment from its most compelling angle, a stage actor is responsible for doing that heavy lifting. Skilled theatre actors learn to read the room, sense the audience’s engagement, and adapt their delivery to connect with them.
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1. Voice and projection
A strong, healthy voice is a vital tool for a stage actor, but vocal projection doesn’t mean shouting — it’s about breath control, resonance, and clear enunciation. Many actors practise breathing exercises to support their voice throughout a stage run and will steam their voices every evening. Voice coach Sally Stanton says steaming your voice is “probably the best way to get hydration to your vocal cords.”
2. Physicality and stage presence
In his book The Well-Tempered Body: Expressive Movement for Actors, Improvisers, and Performance Artists, David Peterson writes that “physicality is the basis of performance.” Onstage, that is especially important. Stage actors need to use their entire bodies to express their characters, emotions, and intentions. Things to consider include posture, hand movements, and how you react to other actors in the space.
3. A good memory for lines
In film, you can get away with learning a script one scene at a time, but a big part of performing onstage is knowing your lines back to front. There are lots of ways to go about it. Actor Sean McGinley advises “repetition and hard work,” while Anthony Sher suggests learning lines before rehearsals in a “neutral” way “that won’t cut off the creative choices that will happen when the director and other actors are involved.”
4. Understanding live performance
No two performances are ever the same. Lines could be forgotten, audiences may react unexpectedly, and things could go horribly wrong. But that is all part of the wonder of live theatre: It happens there and then.
Adrian Lester told the Guardian he’d “never leave” theatre, because it constantly teaches him new things. “The intellectual and emotional power of the material has always been greater in the theatre for me,” he said. “It’s always a new conversation, because every audience is different.”
That is a huge pull for many actors. Even if it makes you nervous, you’ll need to be comfortable working under those conditions to excel on stage.
OK, so you’ve got a part in theatre. What comes next?
Rehearsing for a theatre show usually follows a similar pattern. First comes the preproduction stage, during which you’ll read the script and get familiar with your character. Then you’ll head into rehearsals and work directly with the cast and creative team.
Technical and dress rehearsals follow. This is a chance to test the show in the theatre – with all the lights, sound, and design in place – before opening to an audience. The public is then welcomed in previews, but the director will continue to give notes and make changes to the piece. Everything is gearing up to opening night, when the press is welcomed in to give their thoughts. The show will then enter the main stage of the run, which could be anything from a few days or weeks to many months.
A key thing to think about when performing onstage is where to stand. In film, the camera controls what the audience sees, but the actor is responsible in theatre. In rehearsals, directors may use the following stage directions when blocking a show to guide actors.
- Upstage: The part of the stage furthest from the audience
- Downstage: The part of the stage closest to the audience
- Stage left/stage right: From the actor’s perspective, facing the audience
- Centre stage: The middle of the stage
These terms originate from traditional raked stages, which were sloped upwards away from the audience. You’ll be given different directions if working in-the-round or on a site-specific production.
Becoming a stage actor demands technical craft, stamina, and a profound connection with the audience. The live nature of theatre can be intimidating. Before his run in the one-man play Second Best, Asa Butterfield told the Guardian that theatre “always terrified” him. “Standing onstage in front of hundreds of people without being able to say, ‘Cut! Can we try again?’ is sort of ‘eurgh!” he said.
But it is also a joy and a feat – one that keeps an actor’s mind active and alive.