Tears

I'm less and less enthralled with emotional acting these days.

Watching an actor who uses their own emotions as a basis for their performance, I'm always wondering how far they can push it before it goes over the edge. Before they lose control. It doesn't seem safe, and it distances me from the performance because I'm worried about the actor instead of invested in the story.

When an actor relies on communicating through emotions (whatever that means- usually just crying or yelling), they are making decisions for how the audience should feel and think. It's manipulative. It demands empathy and identification rather than consideration. I don't like being taken for a ride.

How did theatre become about who-can-reveal-the-most, who-can-be-the-most-vulnerable, who-can-summon-the-most-tears? It seems so self-involved. I prefer to watch a performance that makes me feel something, rather than seeing how someone else feels about it.

Okay, so maybe it's not emotional acting that bothers me. It's bad emotional acting.