The Actor's Oath THE ACTOR'S OATH The May 2008 edition of Equity News published an “ethics of the theatre” document that was used by the Circle Theatre in the 40's. It has been passed around recently on the internet and has engendered a lot of discussion. Basically, it outlines some of the professional expectations of an actor as an employee. “Don’t miss a performance, be on time, make your commitment to the play a priority, do your best job, listen and respect the director, be courteous and respectful to the play and your colleagues.” For most actors, these are elementary and born of common sense - the kind of team-building lessons that school-children learn when playing together. The rules are not so much ‘ethical’ as they are the foundations of courtesy. There is however, an an element of condescension in the document - like a handful of dashed off 'cider house rules'. While no actor would overtly disagree with the sentiments, being asked to sign such a document presupposes an alarming lack of faith in the cast or company. You might as well ask a pilot to make sure his plane has wings before he takes off. An artist in the theatre walks into rehearsal with a fundamental dedication – one that makes these ‘rules’ part and parcel of daily #life on the stage. If there is to be a vow, let it be a vow, that when spoken, becomes a rite of passage in the theatre - and one that speaks to our struggle as artists. I am an actor or director in the theatre. As such I promise: to embrace a #life-long study my art to respect and nurture my body, voice, mind, feelings and spirit, which are the instruments of my art. "I will learn to know my stops; ...and pluck out the heart of my mystery; ...there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ..."** to always serve the play To seek a definition of the event which embodies the conflict between the main players. To chose my varied actions and tactics in the moment that seek directly to change the behavior of my partner. To clearly articulate how the obstacle of my objective resides in the will or belief system of my partner. Remember that every moment of the play, I will seek to impose my will on my partner by making necessary adjustments until I get what I need or until I fail. In this way I know I will be always head to head conflict to conflict with my partner, I will be consistently involved in the theatrical action, which is the only way to serve he play. Even when the partner has left the stage, it is possible you will continue to warp his will until a new partner stages a new assault on you - at which point,am new conflict be be introduced and most likely a new clash of persons of will begin. And if I direct I will always recognize that the actor must always know what's working. To plague the actor with thousands of notes about things that are not working or are wrong is a lazy mans way directing. The objective is to inspire the actor to keep taking chances. Actors who find themselves criticized night and day lose hope and lose faith and worse lose the creative spark that drew him to the theatre. I vow to never damage that spark - no matter how challenged the actor is to seek personal truth in every action to open myself to my imagination without reserve or fear to become expert in the world of each play I have been chosen to inhabit to respect my instincts and follow my impulses instantly, without judgment. For it is in the spontaneous heat of the moment that #life is kindled as it is my artistic home, to respect my theatre and always wipe my feet at the door, leaving it a better place than when I arrived to approach my work in the theatre with gratitude. Whether I am cast well or cast badly, I will deem it a privilege to be offered the opportunity to create to establish and preserve an atmosphere of creativity in every rehearsjal by quietly affirming the work of my colleagues to rouse the spirit of ensemble by humbly respecting the playwright, my colleagues, my director and all who have gathered to create to accept my artistic struggles and failures without self-doubt, for success is not in the result, but rather in the value, the rightness, and the truth of the work itself - process defines the work. to receive my critics' disapproval without rancor, for they offer only an opinion of a small slice of time and do not know the journey of my heart to honor my teachers and mentors and to always strive, in rehearsal and performance, to work in harmony with the high standards they have set before me to always ‘love the art myself and not myself in the art’ * With this vow, I rededicate myself to theatre as an art and will celebrate these promises as I study, as I rehearse, as I play. by Tom Fulton