Giving and Getting Feedback

This appears in Acting in Musical Theatre: A Comprehensive Course.

Giving and taking feedback

The work that actors do is deeply subjective. The raw material of our art is our own psyche,
emotions and internal processes. As you gain experience, you'll also gain deeper insight and sel f-
knowledge, but many of us are inexperienced at understanding and articulating our feelings,
thoughts and impulses. It is not uncommon for beginning actors to bel ieve they are doing one
thing, while the rest of the world sees something quite different. Probably the most important
s ingle issue at this stage of the actor's j ourney is learning to reconcile the disparity between what
something feels like inside and what others receive outside. To help us reconcile this difference.
we need to get quality feedback from our col leagues as w ell as from our directors and teachers.
Then we need to learn how to u se those responses effectively.

Taking feedback
The audience is never wrong.
When receiving responses to your work, remember that what the audi ence discerns is all that
matters. It doesn't make any difference what you meant to communicate; communication is what
rhe other person understood or felt. What they got was what you did. If you don't like the
response, try doing something else until you get the reaction yo u want.

Take the note and be grateful for it and gracious about it.
One of the most vulnerable times in your training process is when you sta nd before a teacher and
classmates to receive feedback on a song or a scene. You may not always like what you hear, or
you may have thought your work was just perfect. But, remember why you're there - to learn so
you can achieve your dream of becoming a working actor. Most teaching is done through oral
feedback. So, if you can think of every bit of constructive criticism as a gift from your teacher or
classmate that helps you get closer to your dream, you will look forward to the notes, not dread
them. few teachers get sati sfaction out of tearing a student apart. They only enjoy helping you.
So, the note is probably offered in the spirit of support.

Yes! And?
Once you've learned to release yourself from the insecurity of getting notes in public, you can
begin to adopt the hungry attitude of a real professional, where each note is greeted with the
response "Yes, And?" Not only does thi s signal that you are really interested in what is being
offered, but it also helps establish and maintain an atmosphere of openness for every c lass o r
rehearsal.
 Don't defend or explain your performance.
The only communication that matters is what happens in your performance, even though you
w ill have a strong personal need to expla in w hat you are doing (especially when it seems you
haven't been accurately received). Put you r attention back into the work and communicate
through yo ur ac ting. The audience won't have the benefi t of Your annotated study guide, so
telling yo ur classmates or your director w hat you meant to do won't help you. This may require a
lot of self-restraint.

Your audience is your mirror-don't cloud it.

You r isk something else impo rtant if you te ll your observers too much. If you ex plain what yo u
are doing or are about to do, you may reduce your director and classmates' ability to see your
work objectively a nd to reflect back to you what they actually saw. Objectivity is a fragile thing
and if you rob yourse lf of an unbiased audience, you won't be able to get it back.

Giving feedback
Say what you saw and felt, not what you w ished or expected to see and feel When g iv ing
feedback to a fellow actor, learn to make a distinction between what you wanted to see, and what
you actually saw. Actors need to hear how they're coming across. Be a good mirror.

Clear notes that reflect what you experienced are most useful. Try phrasing it like, "When yo u
did that I felt... ," "I understood .. " or "I saw... " These sorts of comments are most likely to help
the actor who needs an accurate reflection of his work. Avoid statements that start with, "How
about .. , " or "Try it Iike ... " or "I would have .. ." These put you in the situation of acting the role
for him. That's not your job as a responder.

Restrain your ego. Without realizing it, you may be subtly knock ing down your peers in order to
gain stature for yourself. Giving notes to classmates that are really about p roving how sma rt you
are, or that reinforce someone else's insecurities, has nothing to do with being a member of an
ensemble. Instead, try reaching out to he lp every member of your company to be as good as he
can be. The reflection of their success will shine on you and your entire production.

In rehearsal, you are a character in the play, not the director. Questions of interpretation are best
left to the teacher or director and the actor who is working. Fellow actors need to be careful not
to intrude on that relationship . There are many interpretations for eve1y ro le and an infinite ra nge
of possibilities for p laying any moment. Comments on interpre ta tion from too many sources can
confuse an acto r, and may send the role off in a direc tion that is contrary to what the director
wants. Further, if you are focusing on a colleague's work in that w ay, you may no t be liv ing
subjectively in your own role. Respond intuitively as a character to w hat you see going on
around you, not as a person whose job is to objectively see the whole play. That's the job of a
director. Do your job.

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Asking for feedback
Don't be general. Ask specific questions.
"So, what did you think?" w ill ger you vagu e respo nses like, "nice job, man." Or "I liked/d idn't
like it." These may be affirming or hurtful , but they' re never helpful. You' re looking for
feedback that helps you pinpo int effective moments and to eliminate vague ones. Try asking
questions like: "Tell me who yo u thought I was?" "What do you think my obj ective was? " "What
was standing in my way?" "Who I was speaking to?" and ''What was our relationship?" etc. The
most general questions you shou ld ever ask are: "What moments stand out for you? Why?" With
specific questions, you're more likely to elicit responses you can use.

Learning to give and receive feedback is an important element of your training.

Develop yo ur observational skills as well as your ab ility to articulate your thoughts and feelings
so you can tune your instrume nt to internal ize and respond to feedback from others.