Actors are Great Researchers or they should be!

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Actors are Great Researchers or they should be!

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What does “Boston Marriage” Mean?

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I love going to plays and films where I learn something I didn’t know.  That happened this weekend.  I went to see a play by David Mamet called Boston Marriage at Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood, California.  

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Did you know what the term Boston marriage meant in the 19 th century?  Don’t know?  Hey that’s okay I didn’t know it either.  It was a term used for households where two women lived together, independent of any male support. It is debatable whether these relationships were sexual or not. The likelihood was that some were and some weren’t.  But the term ‘Boston marriage” is not sexual.  In the 19 th century women did not have very many ways to live independently. If you recall the women could not vote, many times could not own property and basically were dependent on men and their own families.

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Now in the 21 st century this seems foreign to most of us.  People are more upfront about their private lives.  Women are more independent.  However in the 19 th century it was very different especially for women.  

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It is so wonderful to take a seat in a darkened theater and step into another time in history.  I love learning while I am enjoying a creative, enjoyable performance.  

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Yes, I do love film but I marvel when a theater company on a small budget can create a world for you, the audience, with one set.  Also the weight of the responsibility lies with the actors ultimately.  Of course the play, the director, the set designer and the crew all contribute so much to the work but for the actors once the lights go down and the audience is quiet it is the actors who are in charge for that evening.  In a film the actor is never really in charge about what is in the final product.  That is the director and editor’s choice.  And of course the producers.  

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Maybe that is why my heart and the heart of many actors lie in the theater.  But back to the performance  I saw and why I bring this to you today.  

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Watching the three actresses in this production, each creating their role, I marveled at their ability to share with us how these women lived in this time period.  And of course as it should be it was entertaining too.  They took us on a journey.  

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If you are in Los Angeles and want to see this performance here is a link to their schedule.  There are two other plays playing in repertoire at this theater as well as the one I saw which was Boston Marriage.

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I think watching this wonderful performance, it reminded me that  actors and actresses are constantly learning about the world.   Every time they prepare for a role it’s like the actors are taking a college course in some subject.  For example in these three plays at GRT, the actors had to learn about these situations their characters are in to be able to portray them for their audiences.   It can be about women in the 19 th century like in Boston Marriage or learning about playing an old World War I soldier now living in a retirement home in the play, Heroes, or dealing with Alzheimer’s and aging parents in the play, Painting Churches.  

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I suppose this is why that I feel actors are some of the smartest people I know.  They love to learn and they must keep learning every time they create a new role.  

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Yes I know I have a special place for actors in my heart but I do see how much they must learn and I enjoy their curiosity and their ability to do their research.  Also I don’t think most people are aware of what preparation an actor does unbeknownst to their audiences.

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Now that I have praised you actors, I will now admonish you as well.  It is your job, not anyone else’s job to do this research.  The script of the play or film never has enough information for you to truly play your role.  Yes, I mean the word NEVER here.  It is not possible for the writer to put all that information in the format of a play or film script.  It is your job to find all the details your character must know that is not in the script.  

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So don’t be casual about this part of your preparation.  And I hope you can enjoy this process, this searching for all the information your character must have at his fingertips.  I know I do.    If I could I would give Doctorate’s degrees to actors who do this well.  They keep learning as they prepare for each role and I thank them for doing that.  You smart actors and actresses allow me as the audience to truly be taken into the world of your character and the play or film.  Thank you for doing your work!  I can’t wait to see your next performance!

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