When you cry, you really cry: emotional toll of stage acting

*waves*

I can't remember which actress it was who was being interviewed about the extent of her research into the part she was playing. In the end she just said "No darling I didn't go and meet her. I'm acting it"

I perform on stage all the time, both at University and otherwise and I always get overwhelmed at the end, I can't help it. Then again, as said above, I am sometimes emotionally unstable anyway haha.

I suspect the crying is acting in many cases *cough* Sheridan *cough*

I've heard many stories of the cast of long-running productions playing on-stage games to relieve the boredom of doing the same thing day after day, and caught them doing it myself a couple of times. I gather that variations on tag are quite popular. It's difficult to reconcile that with the claim that it's all so emotionally demanding that they can't help but break down in tears at the end.

In terms of the Guardian article quoted, if memory serves the actors were firmly focused on the process of crying on stage - as in, 'the character you are playing is required to undergo a severely emotional interlude: how will you achieve this?' As someone who couldn't act for toffee, I do find that sort of thing fascinating, and it's often something that good actors are reluctant to discuss. So that article was really interesting.

I'm not sure crying at curtain call was mentioned...? But on the whole, I do tend to find that rather self-indulgent. (The odd occasion is fine - first standing ovation, last show, a beloved family member died at the weekend, etc. And there's a difference, of course, in terms of actors who take a moment to step out of character at curtain call after a gruelling show. But when you read about people welling up every night, that's a bit ridiculous.)

Strange how some can't just accept that some people are just acting. 

And no-one is denigrating anyone. Cheer up.  

Well, you may watch it but you don't appear to understand what you are watching. There is no such thing as 'just acting'. 

You can also look back and check who is being denigrated, or maybe you were 'just typing'.

Have you ever acted professionally?

I grew up on the fringes of a show business family, so although I love theatre and cinema I've never thought of the people who create it as anything special and I do get so very tired of performers who vastly overstate their own significance to the world. I've met more than a few people who decide, without ever bothering to find out anything about me, that the fact that I don't work in theatre myself means I absolutely must think myself the most privileged person who ever lived to actually have the opportunity to be in the presence of a real live actor. So when I hear performers talk as if their work makes them unique and special it all seems more than a little pretentious and self-indulgent.

Old joke:
Two actors, strangers, are introduced by a mutual friend at a party. They shake hands, and the first says "It's a great honour."
"For me, too" responds the second graciously.
And the first replies "I meant for you."

But who is saying anything about actors being special?? I've not seen a single word about that. It's simply actors answering questions about how they do their job honestly, and people who have never done that job and don't know anything about what it involves taking pointless offence at the idea that someone who does a particular job for a living might actually know what it involves and use techniques that they know work for them.

Really, how is it remotely anyone's business how someone does their job, as long as they do it?

If I met someone who was an engineer or a plumber or a surgeon, I'd never dream of telling them they were doing it all wrong and that I knew best. You wouldn't tell a surgeon about to take someone's appendix out "pfft you don't need training or any silly plan, why don't you just try cutting them up you pretentious wally?"