Daphne Gray-Grant

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November 21, 2007

Lessons in acting

Are you a thermostat or a radiator?

What does an actor do when faced with a quirky line, a vague stage direction, or an insane director?

That intriguing question recently appeared in an advertisement in my local newspaper. The ad was promoting a lecture -- sponsored by my alma mater -- on the topic "How to Act or Not Act." Although the event was aimed at acting wannabes (not me), it also seemed to hold promise for live-theatre fans (definitely me). Best of all, one of the featured speakers was a professor whose extensive acting credits included The X-Files. How could I possibly resist? So, on a recent rainy November evening, I dragged myself out of our warm house and ventured downtown to a chilly lecture hall.

While I was shivering in the back row, taking notes about the history of Western Theatre (you can take the girl out of school but you can't take school out of the girl) the professor gave me an unexpected bonus. He handed me the idea for this newsletter.

A famous acting coach, he told the class, used to ask students whether they were thermostats or radiators. "Oh goodie," I thought. "A metaphor." And as I listened to him elaborate -- actors who are radiators pump the room full of heat whether it needs it or not, while actors who are thermostats carefully calibrate their performance to achieve the specific effects they intend -- I knew he was describing something important. "Hey, that's just like writing," I said to myself.

Ineffective writers, like ineffective actors, are careless with words and their own energy -- spending them profligately. Efficient writers, like efficient thespians, spend their time and effort to achieve very specific goals.

If you would like to become a thermostat, consider the following:

What is the type of room you want to heat? In writing terms, this means truly understanding your audience. Who are you trying to reach? What sorts of things do they do? What's their education? What interests them? You need to really understand who you are trying to reach before you write a word.

"But Daphne," people always say to me. "My audience is so diverse -- how can I possibly do that?" My answer is simple. In your mind's eye, select one person to represent your group. It might be a friend, colleague or family member, but write directly to them. Even if they don't perfectly represent every single aspect of your total audience, this technique will dramatically improve your ability to focus on the reader (room) rather than yourself (potential radiator).

What is the effect you want to achieve? Do you want people to be hot and sweaty, toasty warm or comfortably cool? A thermostat aims for a particular temperature -- it doesn't just throw out the heat willy-nilly. In writing terms this translates into: What, exactly, do you want your readers to do? Do you want them to buy from you? To trust you? To see you as an expert? To like you? To give you referrals? Know your aim; declare your goal; be specific.

Answer these questions and you, too, will become a thermostat-writer instead of a radiator-writer. And in these days of global warming, wouldn't that be a good thing?

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