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LIFE: An Acting 101 Primer- 101d: Objectives

 by Chris McGahan

Nice to see you again!


In acting, Objectives are what your characters want. They may be further broken down into Scene Objectives (what you want in this section) and Super Objectives (what you want over the course of the play). You may also be familiar with this as a Spine Statement or Character Thesis, but since I am writing this, I am going to stick with Objectives. Because I like it best.

So there.

Now, hold onto your hats, because your mind is gonna get blown here, in LIFE, Objectives are WHAT YOU WANT. Shocking, right?

This, ultimately, is goals. It’s hard to get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going… Or rather, it is hard to get to your RIGHT somewhere.

Objectives are as unique to people as their fingerprints- sure, we actors may be moving in a general direction together, (“I wanna act! I need to act!”) but where you are going and where I am going is different.

So. What are your Objectives for your career? For your life? Are they competing against each other? What strategies are you using for setting goals and moving towards them? What’s standing in your way?

Obstacles, then, are what are stopping you from completing those Objectives. A common acting truism is that the most interesting obstacles are found in the other characters in your scene. That is certainly true in life as well, but more often than not the obstacles that plague you offstage are YOU.

Actors, directors, hell PEOPLE, stand in their own way far too often. Our habits, our fears, our attitudes, and our baggage all make for common challenges in moving forward in the world.

I said common, not interesting. Because they aren’t interesting- they are blechy and so generic as to be worth ignoring entirely.

How are you standing in your own way now? What habits are standing between you and the goals that you have set for yourself?

Wanna knock those obstacles on their ass? Wanna get clearer and more specific about what objectives you are moving towards? I can help. Click Here and let's take some time to ascertain those obstacles while aligning those objectives!


Please share with your peeps!