Hello, all! My name is Gregory D. Hicks and I am the actor playing George Jones in The Women of Lockerbie! Like my stage manager, Andrew Blevins, I am new to the world of blogging. However, as I have learned in life and on-stage, saying "yes" to new constructive ideas can lead to many great discoveries!
Speaking of great discoveries, there was a HUGE revelation on Wednesday, September 14th's rehearsal! We were working the scene between Bill and George and we realized that something was missing. As we worked, Emily (the director) was able to get us to try new blocking and new intentions. With these new approaches, our relationships (Bill's and George's) connected in a way that never happened before! This idea of being “Mano-y-mano” was heightened and, at the same time through defending one’s view, the opposite became true. It is a stereotype that men do not often show their feelings but because of this horrendous circumstance, these men show enough vulnerability to teach the other about their side of this tragedy while maintaining an acceptable level of testosterone. What is even more exciting is this major connection was not established with "actor tricks" but by Emily revisiting one of the fundamentals of acting, which is: having concern for the other.
Early in my acting training, I was told a theatre “law” by the acting faculty at ISU that, "You are only as only good as your scene partner." Now, that may not make since to someone who is new to acting or who is an avid theater-goer especially if you have seen one man/woman shows. However, then the other scene partner become the audience that the actor sends and receives to. The reason this holds true is because of another theater “law”, which is: "Acting is about reacting." Once you let someone know how you are feeling, it is up to you, the listener, to: hear the information, process it, and react accordingly. This also makes sense in real life as well, which is probably why the acting style of realism is such a mainstream acting style; overall, it seems to be the most relatable style. With this new found energy and the performance date approaching, I am looking forward to taking using this into our future rehearsals!
Before I sign off, there is another discovery that I revisited from that rehearsal and have FULLY pieced together as I am writing typing this post. They say that to be an actor, "You have to vulnerable." And you do! You have to be ready to lay it all on the line; you have to be ready to show your public audience several private moments throughout your show. So, if that is the case, if you can focus all of your energy (sending and receiving) on your scene partner while your scene partner is doing the SAME for you, you will not be as vulnerable at all! You will not feel naked, but clothed; you will not feel left behind, but carried; and you will not feel neglected, but comforted! And so will they!
Looking forward to sharing our journey from the stage,
George Jones aka Gregory D. Hicks
