Scenes for actors and why its good to practice them.

Glenn Hayden
Mar 31, 2024
3 min read

Updated: May 1

Actor in the Play Workshop. Directed by Glenn Hayden

Actors have the best intentions when they say 'Let's get together and rehearse a scene!'. Often-times though, the motivation is quickly over-run by coffees, gossip, and even the very boring whinge about the lack of work.

The actor's discipline is not just on set or in rehearsal — it is during their downtime mostly, and believe me, the best way of giving yourself the best chances of GETTING work is to remain performance ready.

And performance ready means exactly that — ready to perform. Not almost ready. Not 'I could be ready in a week if I had a scene partner and a decent text.' Ready right now, today, if the phone rings. The coffee is fine. The gossip is human. But the moment that gets in the way of your craft, you are no longer a working actor in waiting — you are simply waiting.

The discipline of keeping yourself sharp between jobs is one of the hardest parts of this profession, because nobody is watching. There is no call time, no audience, no one holding you accountable but yourself. That self-governance is the mark of a professional. And scene work with a colleague is one of the most effective and honest ways of maintaining it, because there is another person involved. Commitment becomes social, not just personal. You cannot cancel on yourself at the last minute. Well. You can. But you will feel worse about it.

Getting together and rehearsing a scene with a buddy or colleague is one of the best ways for actors to keep up to speed. It also takes you out of the isolation of only focussing on your monologue work.

The monologue has its place — it gets you in the room. But a monologue only takes you so far. You are acting alone. Scene work puts another person in front of you, with their own choices, their own timing, their own surprises. You have to respond to something real. That is a very different skill, and it is the one that actually shows up on stage and screen.

Acting is a team sport and it is imperative actors play with others!

The best reasons that scenes are beneficial to your actor maintenance is succinctly explained here by Backstage.

Duet scenes are beneficial because they allow actors to:

Focus on act/react: Two-person scenes encourage actors to focus on their reactions to one another rather than only think about how they want to sell their next lines. The conversational nature of a two-person scene means that actors naturally feel more present than when doing group work, which can lead to more authentic performances. This is the engine room of good acting. What your partner does to you is as important as what you do to them — and often, it is more interesting. Let them surprise you. Let that surprise land. Then speak.
Develop more complex characters: Because they explore the relationship between two characters, two-person scenes necessitate that each actor knows their own character's motivations, backstory, and emotional state. This creates a more robust dynamic between the two characters while also helping actors learn how to better understand their own characters for other roles. The pressure of relationship forces specificity. You cannot be vague about who you are when someone is standing two feet away demanding an answer.
Take a break from group work: Whether it's finagling their position onstage, remembering just where to interject with their lines, or the challenge of interacting with a large group of people, group work can take a lot out of actors. While two-person scenes are intimate and often intense, they still offer a respite from group interactions. The two-person scene is, by its nature, the most exposed form of performance practice. There is nowhere to hide, and that exposure is exactly what makes it useful. You get very honest, very quickly.

The question then becomes: which scenes? The answer matters more than actors typically give it credit. Choose texts that challenge you — writing that is above your current comfort level, relationships that are emotionally difficult, circumstances that are specific and strange. Scene work done on easy, familiar material keeps you comfortable. It does not keep you sharp.

Some wonderful practice scenes at StageMilk.

(Do yourself a favour and subscribe to this fantastic resource portal for actors)

Practice Scenes