ADVICE?! First lead role in a show!?

Question

I have been offered my first lead role in a play, and the character is a real show-offy beeotch (haha). It's absolutely opposite from who I am. Any advice for making my portrayal more believable? Also, any advice for remembering lines and cues and things?

Answer 1

While you may not strictly have that type of personality, IT is called ACTING for a very specific reason, and that characterization is played by others numbering into the millions, and should be easy to find and emulate. Beyond that, ACTING is a craft in which everyone plays at being someone else.

   Believable would be rehearsing, even alone, getting to know the character, perhaps understanding WHY she is, what you say she is, BE HER, in private, and on stage. I offer an abstract analogy. Might you imagine that an action film actor, who takes out 3 dozen people in 2 hours, might actually be a killer in real life???

   Lead or Filler it's YOUR job to know the lines as well as you know your own name, even spelled backward. It's the Directors job as well as the SM, and ASM to cue you,,,to a point. It's also the job of everyone else on stage to know their place, and for all of you to be a cohesive Unit, in a performance. That's what rehearsals are for.

   Beyond that, as an ACTOR, especially in Live Performance Theater, it's YOUR job to go on, IF something happens, NOT SCRIPTED, as if it was, and not stop/ freeze/ say OMG; and make the best of it. You wouldn't be the first, nor will you be the last, to flub a line, miss a cue, etc.

Answer 2

its easier than you think trust me

i just had my first show (i was the lead as well haha) a few weeks ago and i was so scared i wouldnt remember anything but i ended up having my lines down better than anyone

just believe in yourself ! (:

AND CONGRATS!

Answer 3

When playing an unsympathetic character, it's important to remember that they don't see themselves as unreasonable or wrong. If YOU think of your character as a, as you said, "show-offy beeotch," the character will ring false, as no human being ever thinks of his or herself in that light. As far as SHE's concerned, she's saying and doing the right thing in whatever situation she's in.

You'll need to take some time analyzing your script. It's hard work, but that's part of having a lead role in a show. What is the general theme of the show? How does your character convey that theme? Your character was created for a reason in the greater context of the show, and it's your job to figure out what that reason is, so that you can exemplify the playwright's vision.

You'll need to break down the scenes she appears in individually, as well. When she's talking, what sort of subjects does she talk about most? Why do you suppose she talks about such things? What does she want? Why does she want it? How does she try to get it? When you're able to answer these questions about her, both in a general sense and in the individual scenes she's in, you'll understand her enough to be able to show her as the fully-formed and complex human being all people are, even if the audience isn't intended to see her as particularly complex or sympathetic.

Answer 4

Do you know anybody like this?  In person or on-screen.  Try acting like her for a while - get into the feel of it for a few days.  Tell your friends you are doing a character study and not to take your actions/words seriously until you have it down.  Ask for help - they see you all the time and can tell you specifically what to do differently.

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Better-Stage...

Answer 5

I admit, I've never had a lead role, but I've been in school plays for three years, and I've had other acting experiences. Sometimes, when I'm a character that's not like me, I look at other actors in movies, and I see how they portray the character that's similar to mine. Or, I look at experiences I've had before, and see how I acted in the situation. As for remember lines and cues: I don't really have any real process. For memorizing lines, I just say them over and over again. And for cues, I think of a summary of what it is, and I remember that my line comes after a line with that summary. And in the summary, I am sure to use the words in the cue line. Congratulations for landing the lead, and break a leg!

Answer 6

YAY YOU!!!! it's always so cool when you get a lead role the best thing to do is watch someone like your charcter for example Regina George from Mean Girls