| One of my main passions in life is acting. There is | | | | performance will lose its power. Therefore to |
| something very magical about it, which is probably | | | | become good actors we have to develop the |
| why it has such a wide appeal on many people. A | | | | power of concentration and identification and at |
| lot of the magic in acting comes from the fact | | | | the same time overcome our self-doubt and |
| that acting allows you to create your own reality. | | | | insecurity. |
| For a few moments, minutes or hours this reality | | | | And that is where meditation steps in to help. |
| becomes alive and tangible. It is like playing God, | | | | Through the regular practice of meditation we |
| isn't it? On stage we become the creators of our | | | | acquire the power of concentration. Our mind |
| own miniature world. A world as real as lighting, | | | | becomes clearer and more able to focus. As an |
| stage props, costumes, sound, the skill of the | | | | actor this helps us to stay in character at all |
| actor and the imagination of the spectator allow it | | | | times. A clear and focused mind also helps us to |
| to be. We can be a prince, a king, a saint or - | | | | memorize our lines better, an often overlooked |
| sometimes even more desirable - a villain of the | | | | but essential aspect of acting. |
| deepest dye. | | | | Aside from that that meditation also brings to the |
| In the three years I spent studying acting at the | | | | fore the qualities of sincerity and self-confidence in |
| national acting academy in Amsterdam I learnt a | | | | us. These qualities help our acting tremendously |
| great deal about this wonderful art, whose | | | | by giving our performance more depth and |
| purpose, as Shakespeare put it, consists of | | | | power. If we can pour our own sincerity into the |
| 'holding a mirror up to nature' - a mirror through | | | | words our character speaks and suffuse our |
| which we may see life from a different | | | | acting with self-confidence, we can add much |
| perspective and maybe arrive at a deeper | | | | more life and colour to our performance. Here |
| understanding of it. Here I would like to talk about | | | | self-confidence does not mean overconfidence or |
| what it is that creates good acting and how | | | | haughtiness, but a deep rooted and healthy faith |
| meditation can help in developing our acting skills. | | | | in ourselves. The more self-confidence we have, |
| For acting can be learned. Although some inborn | | | | the less insecurity there will be. And the less |
| tendency, knack or talent for drama is helpful, it is | | | | insecure we are about our acting, the more |
| not indispensable. Acting is a skill or let us say a | | | | convincing we will become as actors. |
| capacity that can be developed. | | | | Sincerity and self-confidence are qualities which |
| The key to good acting is believability. In other | | | | belong to our inner life. In other words they |
| words, the audience has to believe in what it sees. | | | | already exist inside us, we only have to become |
| Not only that, it has to be convinced of the reality | | | | conscious of them and bring them to the fore. |
| that we try to create. Because only if the | | | | This can be done through the practice of |
| audience is convinced is our performance most | | | | meditation. My own spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy |
| successful and enjoyable. Now how does the | | | | has commented many times that meditation can |
| audience become convinced? Here we touch upon | | | | enhance our talents and capacities and that there |
| one of the fundamental laws, nay the very secret | | | | is no limit to the progress we can make. |
| of acting. The audience becomes convinced only if | | | | And last but not least, as in anything we wish to |
| the actor himself is convinced. We ourselves have | | | | learn, we need to practise. Practise makes |
| to believe in the role or the character we create. | | | | perfect, as they say, and that certainly holds true |
| We have to believe in every word that he or she | | | | for acting. If you are genuinely interested in |
| utters. If we doubt our performance even for a | | | | leaning how to act I would suggest you join a local |
| fleeting second, if we allow a rift or division to | | | | amateur acting group. Or organize an evening of |
| arise between ourselves and the character we | | | | funny, improvisational skits with friends and family. |
| play and lose our sense of identification with it, | | | | You will be amazed by the hidden acting skills that |
| the audience will immediately notice it and the | | | | will undoubtedly come to the fore. |