MANILA, Philippines?While working on our current project, ?Cory,? we are rehearsing not just with established leads, but also with many new talents who want to develop themselves into the musical theater world?s stars of tomorrow.
As they pursue this dream, some of them have asked us to share some ?secrets? of musical stardom, to give them an inside track in the race, and thus an edge over the competition. Well, let?s see:
First of all, there are no ?secrets??all of the traits needed for stardom are well-known. Trouble is, most young comers are too lazy or impatient to pay their dues, really learn the ropes, and truly see the development process through.
The key basics: It helps if you?re good-looking?or at least charismatic and ?interesting.? Meaning, you have a unique quality that makes you stand out in the madding crowd.
For musical theater, you should know how to sing, act and dance?really well. ?Sort of? puts you in the chorus; ?really well? pushes you up to support or lead status.
What if your skills aren?t all that great? Take lessons?for years, if need be. Read a lot, watch many shows and films, and generally steep yourself in the history and tradition of the world of musical theater, both here and abroad.
Learn to be objective in evaluating your strengths and weaknesses. Don?t listen to everybody?most people have vested interests that color their perception of your abilities, or lack of them.
It?s better to choose only five people to listen to, but they should be the strictest people you know.
Also, learn from your seniors?and from the competition. Established leads embody the talents and qualities you too should acquire if you want to move up in the performing arts.
And you can also learn a lot from your competition, other young comers like yourself, because you all have the same goal, but have very different ways of attaining it.
So, if a technique proves to be effective, figure out how you can use it to your own advantage. Conversely, if another young talent?s manner is a turn-off, make sure you eliminate it from your bag of tricks!
It also helps if you go the extra mile. Don?t just learn your own lines, cues and blocking?learn everybody?s! That way, if somebody with a bigger role drops out or is kicked out of the cast, you?ll be good and ready to take his or her place faster than the rest.
More mundanely, develop yourself into a hardworking and reliable performer. Make yourself ?accessible? to a production, rather than the other way around. Learn how to solve problems on your own. If you acquire a reputation for being talented and reliable, you could become indispensable to a production?and that?s the best place to be.
Finally, love your work. It?s this passion and commitment that will help you survive the many slings and arrows of outrageous (theater) fortune. It?s the ?unique selling factor? that will imbue your performance with the ?felt? and ?giving? quality that theater people and viewers prize.
Yes, there are no secrets, but this factor is such a deal maker?and breaker?that could be the key to success in the performing arts!
Feedback
From Paul Mortel: ?Just like the forecast I made for easing up the traffic problem in Metro Manila, the same thing could happen to our TV networks. As the economic meltdown continues, advertising budgets will be slashed. Hence, we can look forward to the day when we will have fewer commercials on TV, the number of which will be ?tolerable??say, six 3-second commercials per gap of a total of only 36 per hour (just like in the good, old days).?
Pinoy music legends
Rico J. Puno, Nonoy Zuiga, Rey Valera, Claire dela Fuente, Eva Eugenio, and Joey Albert will perform together in the ?Legends of OPM? concert at the PICC at 8 p.m. on Dec. 30. Call Viva at 687-6181, locals 620 or 745.
?Yes Man!?
Jim Carrey?s latest starrer, ?Yes Man,? is billed as a ?positively funny? production, because it casts him as a loser who becomes a winner when he says yes?to everything! Zooey Deschanel and Terrence Stamp also star.
