The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

When actors make the move from stage to film, they often look like they’re overacting. A performance that reads as truthful from the seats of a theatre becomes way too much when a camera is right up close. As an inter-actor, your most important viewer is the spect who is only inches away. You need to play without “performing.”

If it looks like you’re acting with a capital “A,” your job becomes more difficult. Spects either back off because they feel like they’re being acted at, or they try to put on a show, which is forced and awkward. On the other hand, if you don’t look like you’re acting, they’ll tend to respond in real and authentic ways, which provides you with a much better scene partner.

The key to playing without acting is to release excess tension from the body and voice. Breathe deep and relax your face. Let the truth of the fiction live within you without trying to portray it on the outside. Don’t “perform” your lines. Speak words simply and honestly. It may feel like you’re doing nothing, but if you’re grounded and connected, that’s all you need.

The issue of “acting” becomes even more obvious when actors play as spects. Depending on their training, actors may bring an acted quality to their performances that feels more artificial than the real responses of untrained spects. To help actors and non-actors become more grounded and connected, play in a non-performative fashion. When you don’t look like you’re acting, eventually, spects settle down and live within the fiction as well.