Scenes for actors and why its good to practice them.

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 complaints about the lack of work. Believe me, the best way of giving yourself the best chances of GETTING work is to remain performance ready.

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.

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.
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.
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.

Some wonderful practice scenes at StageMilk.

From The Writer: Hello! My name is Alexander Lee-Rekers; I’m a professional playwright and screenwriter. I hereby give my permission for you to use the scenes on this page for personal practice, as well as showreels and auditions. All I ask is that you credit my work—especially if you post it on social media. (If you’re feeling brave, you can tag me via @alexnobodyfamous so I can see what you do with it.) Other than that: have fun, make bold choices and give ’em a go!

Practice Scenes

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