Subtext

Acting has brought me a lot of insight to life in general that I might not have seen if I hadn't taken it up. I've  been thinking a lot about one thing in particular. Whenever playing a character, I not only have to keep in mind what my lines are, but what the lines of the other people are; more importantly, I have to think:

Why am I saying what is being said, and why am I reacting to other people's lines the way that I am?

In some plays, lines are just lines.

But lines are not just lines in every play.

I have to  play what is going on in my character's life, and what is going on in the other character's lives--more often than not, the lines I am saying have nothing to do with what my character really wants to say. I am playing things that have yet to come, things that have happened already in the play, and things that the audience doesn't even know about, yet play a huge role in my character's behavior.

Listening to the subtext makes theatre so much more interesting.

I realized that in real life also though, I'm not saying the things that I want to say. Or doing the things that I want to do. I feel like an actor in my own life.

Why though?

People never really say what they mean or do what they want either.

Lines are not just lines.

You convert it automatically when you are in a conversation--subtext is often led by body language so you are not only interpreting the words they are saying but the movements they are making and the tone of their voice. Of course, some people are excellent at making their lines very ambiguous.

Life with subtext makes it so much more difficult.

I want honest people. People have turned life into a big game. You know the people that I mean. I don't want to have to read the subtext because it gets confusing to have to read and interpret everyone's different signs. Just tell me like it is and I'll be grateful. Not Finess-less, just straightforward.