Just cause you did it poorly, doesn't mean you're bad

I don't know if other professions are like this, but opera definitely is. There are some people who just don't like to take direction. I don't know what it is. Maybe they feel threatened when someone says that they should do something differently? Well, whatever it is, it's annoying. Let me give you an example: there's a guy in the opera now who looks "inside" a lot when he sings. I don't know if he's just concentrating on singing well, or what, but it looks bad on the big stage. He looks a little downward and gets these huge shadows on his eyes. If you're in the balcony it's even worse. All you see is the top of his head. Now, lots of people, including myself, have pointed this out to him in a friendly way, but any time you talk to him about his performance he's just kind of cold towards you. It's not openly hostile or anything, but you get the impression that he really doesn't appreciate being told that he's doing something incorrectly.

I just don't understand that attitude. If you do something wrong, it doesn't mean that you're bad at it, it just means that you have something to learn. There's no shame in being ignorant, only in choosing to remain that way. Also, even if you know the right way to do something, you don't always do it right. You just need some impartial eyes and ears to make sure that what you think you're doing is actually coming across to the audience. In an even worse case, one girl mentioned that any time the director wants to say something to her double (most of our roles are double cast), he says it to her because her double gets offended when she's criticized or critiqued. That's ridiculous. Anyway, if anyone is ever working with me and I do something that looks or sounds bad, I'd appreciate if you'd let me know so I can fix it. How else am I supposed to get better?

Great Acting

Acting, like any other skill, is something that takes a lot of work and study to be really good at. Most really good actors are very keenly observant of people and the way that they move, talk, stand, gesture, and communicate non-verbally. For less talented actors, they make a good living playing the same part over and over again. A few start as the I-always-play-the-oddball-in-comedies type of actor and then show us some versatility later. Some actors always do basically the same poor acting job, but find a movie in which their weird style works really well. But there are a few really great actors who seem to be able to play anything and nail it.

TW and I watched a movie the other day with one of those actors. In fact, I'd say that he's probably the best actor I've ever seen: Dustin Hoffman. We watched "Tootsie," which I haven't seen for years and I was completely blown away. It's an 80's movie, so there's some language in it, but other than that it's a great movie. As a performer and an actor, I take my hat off to Dustin Hoffman. He's amazing in everything I've ever seen him do.