Laughter is the key

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you! Its very easy to say, and yet one of the hardest to actually, honestly, do. Laughter is one of the most natural reactions for an audience to have. It is all about having an emotional connection to a character, both for the audience and the actor. To move the audience the character must be strong enough to strike a chord, to tug on some memory, to ignite something within the audience. It sounds simple; but its simplicity is the source of its complexity.

I think that many actors are more inclined to play characters written to make an audience weep with sorrow rather than howl with laughter. I’m not sure why?? Maybe we connect with sorrow more readily? Maybe we see some greater theatrical achievement in tears? Or maybe we just haven’t recognized that laughter moves an audience in exactly the same way that tears do. At Drama Centre we would describe this as becoming ‘mobile’ or losing your ‘weight’ a very technical way of saying, the feeling takes over your whole being, it consumes you in a way you have no control over.

This week I have been rehearsing for the Vagina Monologues. Many people misinterpret the Vagina Monologues as women ranting about how much they hate men; this couldn’t be further from the truth. The monologues themselves are based on real women’s stories and although they contain harsh truths … they are also extremely FUNNY! Yes, it is true. These monologues are so beautifully written that they could be read very simply and would still leave an audience feeling emotional moved. As a company, however, we don’t want the audience to simply hear a story, we want them to see a woman, to try and understand what she has been through, to relate to this woman; not just hear her words. These women are not defined by what has happened to them; they are strong, and beautiful, caring and proud and possibly most importantly, they are funny!! They laugh! They are able to enjoy life. This use of humour has played a very big part in rehearsal this week.

It is not an exaggeration to say that I mainly get cast as young children and victims (much to my dad’s dismay) and what I’ve found is that I’ve got very comfortable playing these characters. My body remembers postures and my voice can change almost immediately. The women I play in TVM are neither, child nor victim. One is a 72 year old woman (Monologue: Flood) and the other is a very happy middle aged woman (Monologue: He liked to Look At it); both are monologues that make me crease with laughter! On recollecting this to friends and colleagues alike I had responses ranging from ‘Oh my god I can’t wait to see you do that’, to, ‘but, you’re not a comedy actress are you?’ Firstly what the hell is a comedy actress? And secondly ahhhhhhhhh!!!

I tried reading the lines over and over again, different emphasis, different intonation. Nothing seemed to work, nothing felt natural! Until it clicked. I thought the characters were funny, but I didn’t see myself as funny. If there was still this difference between us; if we were still two separate people I realized I was never going to bring out the humour in her words. I realized immediately that neither character’s I am playing think they are funny, they are just being themselves, being honest! That’s when I let go. I started to have fun with it. I could be as big or as small with the words as long as they were connected, as long as I could feel and see everything I was talking about.

I still don’t know what a comedy actress is, and I’m not sure it’s a term I’ll ever understand. What I do know is that humour is an extremely powerful tool in theatre, and it is one that I want to use more. It joins people together, and flows through an auditorium with such immediacy and excitement, that you can almost feel it in the air. It adds dimensions to characters and actors alike, and ultimately allows the audience an openness and optimism that life can sometimes steal from them. We should all laugh more!! Big, mouth-open, belly-shaking, voice cracking, tears-welling laughter. And maybe then, when we’ve laughed together, and cried together, will we finally learn to work together?!