Rehearsing Speeches and Performance
April 27, 2008 – 8:23 amI acknowledge that many branches of performance and speech giving require, necessarily, a great deal of rehearsal. That being said, I don’t really rehearse much. My work, most of the time, doesn’t necessitate it.
My goal as a performer is to create a playful experience. It is not to “put on a show”. If I script, block, and rehearse a ‘playful experience’ for a group of people, it’s clunky. Instead, I try to guide the group into a playful experience. I use juggling and magic and kendama and other manner of prop to entertain, but these are tools to engage individuals and create a playful atmosphere.
The best moments in performances are when something unscripted and unplanned happen…wonderfully. I tend to maximize the opportunity for these moments. I understand that nobody hires me because they need balls thrown into the air. They hire me because they want a group of people to be entertained. Engaged. Educated.
If I am performing in a gymnasium and there is a door half-way up the wall, that door is the most important thing in the room.
Just as I don’t rehearse an interesting conversation or an afternoon of play, I don’t rehearse my performances or speeches.
How do I prepare?
Practice the technical skills, develop the tools.
Contemplate situations, themes and ideas.
Write down everything funny and forget it all.
Commit to a loose outline.
Be playful in word and deed each day.
Pay Attention.
One Response to “Rehearsing Speeches and Performance”
I prepare somewhat the same way and talking to Paul has reinforced this method. I have found that practicing the speech too much sometimes makes it comes across as too rehearsed.
Not practicing enough though can be worse; must find a balance.
I think if I were to write a real wordy speech with different types of moods or messages to convey I might rehearse more to make sure I knew all the words and leave less to improvise.
There was an article in one of the TM magazines once that made a big impression on me though and that was to take a risk; try a different speaking style, be serious if you are usually funny etc., The main point though was to try a different style and this is a goal for myself.
Al
By Al on Apr 27, 2008