ROCTT

I said I would continue my ROCTT lesson from several posts ago (I did the O, with Observation, but never continued), and I want to complete that train of thought before I go barrelling along into my most recent discovery, known as The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit by Bella Merlin.

ROCTT (pronounced ROCKED) was a concept developed by my high school director (probably just a mutilated version of the theatrical basics) who also happens to be the most awesome high school drama coach I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of high school productions, and most of them pale in comparison to the level of dedication he puts into them.

R
RISK
Take risks onstage! "If you're going to fall on your face, make it big! If you make a mistake, make it a big, awesomely fucked up mistake so we can see it, laugh, know you tried, and find something else that works." Taking risks lets you push your limits and develop yourself as an actor, to figure out what you can do and to figure out what works with you and your scene partners. To take risks requires both of the following T's, however, so read on.

O
OBSERVATION
See my blog post entitled "Imitation." Observation, in my humble opinion, is the best way to learn anything.

C
COMMITMENT/CONCENTRATION
I honestly can't remember which C this applies to, but both of them are essentials, I think. Commitment is necessary onstage all of the time - if you aren't committed to every action you perform onstage, you will not feel or appear authentic to your audience. Concentration is kind of the same thing, only not quite. A sense of focus and concentration on the moment you exist in and everything about yourself while onstage is absolutely necessary. Concentration and focus allow you to remain sharp and on your toes in every situation that arises onstage.

T
TRUST
You must trust yourself and your fellow actors onstage or there can be no truth to anything onstage. If you aren't comfortable taking risks with yourself or the people around you, there can only be awkwardness or falseness. Casts of actors are the closest teams that can be imagined - they must work as one smooth unit together, as little parts of a working machine, to create a fully functional group onstage. Chemistry is created through trust.

T
TEAMWORK
See Trust.


I know that high school lessons may wind up being a little outdated, and I've already been told that I need to start forgetting everything I learned in high school, but I think these things are part of a foundation that all actors should know. These are less about technique than just theatrical bases. Tell me what you think - high school lessons: useless in the real world? How did your first mentor introduce you to the necessities of the stage? Comment it and let me know. :)