Tips from Jon Jory. A legend in the theater, and here at ATL

Rhythm, Tempo, Tone, and Meaning

These four things inform every line we speak (particularly lines of three sentences and more). Rhythm is the beat, which is demonstrated for you in any jazz composition, and it constantly changes. Tempo informs rhythm and with slow and fast. Tone informs both rhythm and tempo with high and low. And, all three of the above are delivery systems for meaning. We want all four things working at the same time. Listen to the acting of others. Is it rhythmically complex? Is it tonally various? Does it contain both fast and slow, or is it flattened out by staying too long in one tempo? And is the actor acting and reacting? Finally, is all of this servicing the line, the scene and the play's meaning? For those of us who love the profession, it is this damnable complexity that keeps us going through thick and thin. Concentrate on one of the four today, but the meaning stays at the center.
****Volume destroys all of the above****
-Tips
Ideas for Actors

By
JON JORY