Arizona Actor Tip: Emotional Triggers
Part of the reason children make such wonderful actors is their ability to imagine. When we are young we have an incredible gift: the power to make-believe. Take a moment to remember your favorite games from childhood. For many of you, they will involve memories of role playing. A simple prop such as a plastic tiara suddenly transformed you into a princess, a magnifying glass made you the world’s greatest detective, or a stick became a sword for the fearless soldier. The truth is, Arizona actors, we never lose this ability as we age. Our mind’s still have that same power to transpose our bodies from a real circumstance into an imagined one. However, as adults many of us learn to suppress that gift. We are told, during adolescence and early adulthood that we need to live in reality, that it is “time to grow up”. Like any muscle, when we stop using it, we forget how to use it. Eventually it dies all together.
Renowned acting coach Larry Moss tells us in his book The Intent to Live that every actor should have several memory triggers. These triggers can be situations from our lives, images, or pieces of art that provoke an organic emotion within us. They do not have to ‘make sense’. If thinking of something ordinary, like a key ring, provokes a memory of your mother and makes you want to cry, then use that. It is our responsibility, as actors, to have our emotions acceessible so that we can bring truth to our script. Imagination is one of the most powerful vehicles we can use to bring back the emotions associated with our personal memory triggers.
So how can we get back in touch with this powerful gift called imagination? And how can we use it to empower us in our search for ‘memory triggers?’ Try this excercise in a quiet room, when you are by yourself. Chose a life event that had an impact on you. It can be an event from early childhood, a situation that is happening right now and anyplace in between. Don’t limit yourself and don’t force a memory to come to mind. Let one find you. Once you have selected this memory, sit with your eyes closed. Are you indoors or outdoors? Are the walls a particular color you dislike? How do you feel about the clothes you are wearing? As you begin to piece together these details, allow your mind to drift deeper and deeper into the memory. Remember Arizona actors, you must use your imagination to put yourself back in that place and time.
The more vividly you allow your imagination to create the details of the memory, the more vivid the emotions that will come. Remember not to judge yourself or your feelings. Allow them to happen as they happen, and be willing to use them to become a better actor.
Work hard, Arizona actors!
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