Theater for Dummies: Lesson #2- Morals

As a matter of fact morals are non-existant when it comes to theater. I think it's a misconception that goes back to the fact that people think the character or role performed by an actor is the real person or the actor itself. OF COURSE NOT!!

I have been asked a million times how I could play a lesbian. Umm, well...it's not me, you know. When you go on stage and take on a role you can't think about if that character collides with your moral standards in life. It's not YOU being up on stage...it's a character and it doesn't matter who that character is. As an actor (if you love your job) you fall in love with EVERY character you play (or else you would just not be good).

I have played so many different characters and I learned to love them all. It doesn't matter if you're portraying a dumb, cruel, arrogant (...) character. The actor knows it's not the real you.

I have encountered something while working on a play a couple of years ago that made me think of the question of morals and theater. We had a scene where a girl was raped and one of the extras in the play, a Catholic woman, said she refuses to be a part of that scene because of her beliefs. The director told her that she may go home and never return. You may think that's cruel. Yes, it was a very graphic scene and of course, especially as a woman, you don't want to witness something like that (may it be real or not). But I guess I was the only one that understood the director's attitude. That Catholic woman was just wrong in the job!

We wouldn't have theater at all if we all would just refuse to do something because it doesn't go along with what we stand for in life.

I am anti-racist. In fact, I am probably one of the most active members of an organization fighting racism. But that's me in real life. If I had to portray someone that was racist on stage I would certainly do it. And I would still find things to love about that character. That's my job. That's what I do.

That is theater.