Can actors really cry every night onstage?- Page 3

[LightMyCandle125]

Posted: 3/21/05 at 8:59pm

i just finished a run of "the laramie project" and because the material is so powerful, some girls broke down every night. not acting though. i think if it gets you in a certain place, it is easier to cry w/o breaking character. i think that holds true for RENT. it's such an emotional show and anybody can relate to it, especially if you've been in that situation of losing a friend. but you need to draw a line if you're crying and distracting the audience from everything else that's going on...

[tmm_fan]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:10pm

This thread is like really old, but I stumbled upon it and had to respond.

Acting has always come naturally to me and I am really good at it, but only because I really love it and feel things very deeply; always have. For me, when a scene or monologue calls for me to cry, I don't literally "cry," as in totally breaking down and losing control of the character. Rather, I loosen the tension, so to speak. I totally relax, cause my voice to shake a little, and thus by doing so, get into it so much that my eyes start to water.

For me, it comes naturally. For others, it is a lot tougher and a lot more training is needed. But, when you do finally get to that place of realization and complete release, it is so awesome!

[theaterlover45]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:21pm

Not Blinking makes me tear up.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:30pm

I was thinking about "stage crying" recently actually. The truth is, unless you're in a tiny theater, the audience can't see if you actually have tears on your face anyway. And it's possible to get yourself into the same emotional state as crying without having actual tears.

That said, let it be known that being able to actually cry is not necessarily the same as giving a good performance

[SoulMadeOfSong]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:36pm

I'm no broadway actress (yet).

But I find that if I am into my character enough, if I am fully focused... the tears usually come. I have cried of relief on stage, of greif, of sadness, of happiness. If the emotions are there, and the character is real to me- I can. But sometimes I find its even more poignant not to cry.

Ever read the end of Death Of A Salesman? "Help me- I can't cry." Much more poignant then if she broke down.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:40pm

I second the Celia comment... I have yet to see a performance of the Bee where she doesn't cry... she's incredible

[Horton]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:44pm

I saw Piazza three times, and all three times Victoria Clark was crying and I mean really crying. Amazing!

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:48pm

I've seen JACQUES BREL so many times that I've lost count (I think I'm up to 9 times), and every time I've seen it Natascia Diaz has cried during "Love, You're Not Alone".

[snl89]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:51pm

yeah, I def think it IS possible for actors to cry at least at at least a LOT of performances. Because I mean, that's really what good acting is isn't it? it's being right there in the moment- and when you're right there in the moment and its a very intense, emotional scene, well.. its probably not as hard as some would think to cry. I def dont think many people can fake crying well though.. it just does NOT seem like an easy thing to do.. I've always thought it makes more sense that if you're doing an emotional scene, you're in the moment, and you still can't bring yourself to cry, just let it be what it is and dont fake it. Because otherwise it would just seem like you're trying to hard- its better just to let whatever happens happen naturally, because thats how it'd happen in real life :)

[jimnysf]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:58pm

I could swear a saw tears in Hugh's eyes on stage when he figured out he was in "Lestat".


I know I sure cried as paying audience member when I figured out how awful the show was.

Updated On: 8/19/06 at 09:58 PM

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 10:08pm

If they are good actors then yes, they can and will cry every night. Each actor has his own method to make himself cry, so I can't really tell you how.

For me, I use my imagination. I imagine the worst possible news I could possibly get at that moment, and i'll cry. Once I've taken my bow, I can step out of it, and know that it did not happen.

[mikem]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 10:20pm

Victoria Clark and Kelli O'Hara must have been completely dehydrated by the end of Piazza when I saw it -- as Horton said before, Victoria Clark especially was crying her eyes out during a lot of the second act.

[jo]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 8:38am

>>>When I saw "The Boy From Oz" last June, in the scene where Jarod Emmick sang "I Honestly Love You," I could see tears on Hugh Jackman's face. This happened both times I saw the show that week.<<<

I had the same experience at the Imperial, KEC...several times in fact.

When I saw the same scene in the arena version in Australia, I thought that since the show had a different focus, that we would miss that poignant scene of seeing Peter/Hugh's reaction to Greg's visit. I was so surprised to see quiet tears coursing down Peter's/Hugh's cheek as he grappled with his grief and pain. When the lights dimmed after the scene, Hugh was wiping his cheek.

Very impressive acting moment!

Jo

[mijofly19]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 8:57am

The only two people I have seen cry at every performance have been Celia and Patti Cohenour while she was playing Margaret. Patti was still crying at curtain call both times I saw her.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:19am

Not sure if it's been said, but in my theatre class, we always spend the first couple of weeks on a topic called 'emotional recall.' We're given a list of emotions, and we're told to think of moments when we've felt those emotions most powerfully (if applicable). Then, we go around in a circle and tell those stories, one by one, and it's amazing how people recall those emotions and bring them forth. It's not as fake as it sounds; you're not prone to crying on command because you got into a car accident three years ago. But it definitely helps when you have to think of something to keep you laughing for a few short moments, or to have you cry for a few longer ones. :)

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:35am

I cried when my school put on: Your A Good Man, Charlie Brown for a week. (I was actually in this show)
Beacause: A- I cry when I sing, I'm not sure why... I just start tearing. Yes, I know I'm strange.
And: B- During Happiness.. It's an emotional song for me.

Then I think I got all cried out.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:39am

If the show they are in is a dog, yes

[EmieMarie]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 11:15am

I don't think I've ever had to cry on stage. I had to do a play on the HAulocaust and I teared up alittle, but I didn't cry, THe charater was also really strong so I don't think it would have mattered if she cried (My mom was bawling when she saw it. She said it was so moving, and I was like, "Really?")
I was also in a one act where I just found out that my father was murdered and had to freak out. I pushed myself to cry and coul,dn't do it. That obviously didn't work, so I tried thinking of sad moment, that still couldn't do it. I also had a horrid director that didn't know how to direct. It was the most frustrating time of my life.
What are some of your guys methods on crying in a hard scene?

[HamletWasBipolar]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 12:16pm

Meisner tells a story of a great Italian actress, Eleanora Duse, who during some performances blushed during a particular scene. She didnt do it every night nor did she try. If an actor is on stage and consciously tries to make himself cry through various stage tricks, he is not living in the moment and being truthful. Do actors do it? Yes. Also keep in mind that crying can be subjective of that particular performance. As a human, we dont react the same way every single time to a given set of circumstances. Meisner also taught to cross out stage directions, ie Sarah (crying)...because it takes away the performance that THAT particular actor brings. Stage directions were written for READERS of a play, not the actors. If you are entirely truthful in a performance, some nights you may cry, some nights not..sometimes in different places even. If you are a true instrument there are no predictions of your emotions on a perfrormance to performance basis.

[Producer2]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 12:19pm

I've seen Bernadette cry towards the end of Gypsy when Herbie leaves and Christina at the end of Charity with real tears!!!!

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 12:32pm

Yes, they can.

My mother was hired for her first Broadway play because she could "cry on cue."

She was supposed to cry at the end of this monologue, and she got the part because she could drop tears every time.

...She actually got several jobs because she could cry on cue.

[cutieparrot007]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 1:41pm

It can really happen given the situation, I had to sing a song in a concert recentley, and I sung 'home' from Beauty and the beast, you just get moments when you think of the story, of whats happened, how happy and odd this kid was, then all of a sudden, its this....I could feel myself really welling up but it didnt effect my voice, my teacher tells me that when a singer sings/cries, uncontrollably it sounds idiotic and slightly unproffessional, but when it sounds like....you can still hear the song, but you can notice the tears in their voice, thats so moving, Drew sarich does this in the Out there reprise for Hunchback and its beautiful. Also, oddly, in the Producers, I was Franz Liebkind, I had to collapse to the floor and start sobbing, it was a funny moment and everyone was in stitches, but I had tears streaming down my face, Franz didnt find this amusing at all and I was totally lost, the kid playing Max, when their line came up looked at my face and looked gobsmacked, haha we won the competition we entered for The Producers haha!

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 2:51pm

If you have a great song or great dialogue you can sob. If a song or dialogue is written well, it builds to an emotional climax. Heck, when I sing along to many theatre songs in my car I start crying, so I am sure the actors feel the same. I think about Cynthia Nixon in the Rabbit Hole. I was emotionally exhausted watching her. That was some serious, intense places that she went to.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 6:29pm

I have heard directors and acting coaches alike say that they can TEACH someone to cry on cue. The fact is that over decades working in the theater and attending the theater, I have seen really GREAT actors who can't cry on cue but can make YOU cry in the audience by an expression, tone of voice or physical gesture. I have also seen really bad actors who CAN cry on cue.

For many people it either IS or IS NOT possible, in spite of training and best efforts. Some people connect to other upsetting experiences in their lives and use that to induce tears. Others can just get into what is happening on stage and cry because they are in the moment.

While I don't think crying or not crying on stage makes the moment for the audience, I have noted that some actors with whom I've worked will allow the moment to happen on a given night and the tears really do flow. On other nights they do not cry and must make the experience happen for themselves and the audience in another way. The fact is that emotion can be illustrated without tears and in some roles, and in some moments on stage, it is actually distracting to cry because you find it hard to sing a particular note or to complete a line. While it is fine to FEEL the role, you still have to get the words out and create an enjoyable performance for the audience.