Summary: Every actor has setbacks; one day in rehearsal the work is fine and the next nothing works. By understanding that these setbacks are a natural part of the creative process, you won’t give up in discouragement and you’ll be better able to work your way through them. Setbacks can be devastating. The rehearsal process is moving along, opening is approaching, and everything is on track. And then suddenly you find yourself in rehearsal struggling to make anything work. When it goes on for more than a day, the doubts set in and you begin to wonder if you even know how to act or if you’re just faking it. Setbacks happen in every endeavor. They happen when we are recovering from illnesses or surgery. They happen in the market place with big gains wiped out in one fell swoop. You can see them happen to incredible sports figures that are playing at the top of their game one day and can’t seem to make a single shot the next. The key is to learn from the athletes. They teach us that just because you have a setback, you don’t stop working. You have to stay in the game, or in the rehearsal, so you can work your way through the impasse or simply be ready and available when the roadblocks come down. When you hit a setback, go back to the basics. Begin by really listening to your acting partner. Then, reconnect to the given circumstances and play with one element that impacts what you do and how you do. The most important fundamental principle that will help restart your work and reconnect you to your creative nature is to work your body. Instead of trying to figure out the character with your brain, figure it out with your body. You will be amazed at what your body knows and how it will re-ignite you and bring your mind, body, and spirit back into the work. Creative setbacks are a natural part of the acting process. But by working through them, you will get your work back on track and might even discover that the setback has inspired new options and ideas that will invigorate your work.
