It’s hard to allow yourself to open your heart to strangers. You think about being dressed as a comic book hero or an animated character or a dinosaur or a robot. It feels goofy to be serious about any of this. It feels better to wink and nod and make jokes about the whole situation.Continue reading “The Character And The Guest”
Tag Archives: Theme Park
Aim For The Heart
Hellen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Each guest’s heart is the target for the outstanding interactive performer. It isn’t as difficult as it may seem. But, you can’t be superficial. You can’t rely on performance tricksContinue reading “Aim For The Heart”
More Behaviors and What They Suggest
The definition of ‘interactive’ is a two-way flow of information, allowing people to influence or have an effect on each other. It’s commonly accepted that, as humans exchange information with each other, only 7% is done with words. Another 38% is in vocal tone. And the greatest factor in human communication (55%) is body language.Continue reading “More Behaviors and What They Suggest”
Seeing Into Someone’s Heart – Non-Verbal Cues
Without thinking about it, everyone does it. People broadcast their level of attention, interest and comfort in non-verbal messages. It’s a peek at what is going on in someone’s heart. To put it into our terms, these messages are the very first offer you get from your scene partner. As you work, it is criticalContinue reading “Seeing Into Someone’s Heart – Non-Verbal Cues”
Gotta’ Walk the Walk
I’ve been away for a bit. I’m creating a character – using the same tools I talk about in this blog. Walkin’ the walk… Macbeth is the character. The show is an original comedy written by Lloyd Schwartz called Classic Couples Counseling. Lady M and I are one of the five sets of characters fromContinue reading “Gotta’ Walk the Walk”
Eliminate Reasons To Hold Back
Here’s a quick thought about what we do and the creative process. Sure, in our work we have to “color inside the lines”. That’s part of the whole process. We are part of teams that help us prepare performances and evaluate what happens in rehearsals. The final product belongs to many contributors. Still, I runContinue reading “Eliminate Reasons To Hold Back”
Pivot… Spin… Adapt
In your work as an interactive character, the Yes part of “Yes, and…” means accepting what the guest sends your way. The And is your response. Now, you could And them from a menu of lines or bits you know usually work. Imagine, instead, using their offer to make the connection more real. What ifContinue reading “Pivot… Spin… Adapt”
Recover A Scared Kid
A quick tangent. As I was writing, I traced these interactive character ideas back to the one standing rule, “Do whatever it takes to Recover A Scared Kid”. When a character unintentionally scares a kid, performers usually do one of three things: Fumble around until someone moves the sobbing kid away and the meet andContinue reading “Recover A Scared Kid”
Connections
We are created with a deep, instinctive drive to belong, to love and to be loved. Connecting is a fundamental human need. It is so ingrained in us, we make the decision to like or reject someone in a matter of seconds. It’s a survival mechanism. We are hardwired to do that. To our instincts,Continue reading “Connections”
Connections and Interactions Create Relationships
There are two kinds of performers in a theme park. Those who entertain and those who connect and interact. Two separate approaches to the work. Each one has it’s place – when applied in the right situation. I’m writing about working inside an immersive environment, one on one, with a visitor. Immersion in the storyContinue reading “Connections and Interactions Create Relationships”
Interactive Characters 