Friday, June 18, 2010

Shallow breathing

I am reminded, by my stance for the last few minutes of the current production of Titus Andronicus, of the importance of planning for one's death, since it may come suddenly. In this case I receive a dinner fork to the spinal column, and it does more damage than you would think likely. It's important to die in character, of course, but there are some more mundane considerations: don't fall across the leading lady in such away that you cut off blood circulation to any of her body parts, come to rest in a way that you can stay at rest without your knees or knuckles screaming at you and trying to make you writhe, and find a position that lets you go on with the standard actorly business of breathing without distracting the audience by the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest.

I am sure there are the elements of an e-book in this: Sorrow is an Enemy: Leadership Principles of the Andronici. I will send it to the staff at BP immediately.

1 comment:

Robin said...

Judging by the photos posted of the death pose in question, it resembles our battlefield "deaths"...get on your side, make sure your legs aren't on top of each other so your knees don't irritate each other and nothing will get broken if somebody accidentally steps on one leg...all that's missing is a shield to hide under. Of course, we don't have to do the I'm-not-breathing thing. I never was any good at that.