Have you ever competently crossed a tightrope without falling off? Are you able to ride a unicycle, or expertly juggle nine balls? What about all three tasks at once? And what if I and strung the tightrope across the Grand Canyon, lit the balls on fire, and loosened the wheel?
Though rarely as demanding in terms of strength, balance, or outright danger, the mechanics of acting can be just as taxing on your memory, concentration, and reflexes as circus skills, and yet actors attempt to (and are often encouraged to) take on multiple risks simultaneously, and are then left scratching their heads as to why they failed at every single one of them.
Regardless of how quickly you master physical skills, it is highly unlikely that you have ever taken two or more genuine risks simultaneously and immediately succeeded at both—not without a great deal of luck. But luck isn’t technique, and although random chance occasionally produces pleasing results, only practiced technique is consistently reliable.
Enter, my +1 theory of risk.
By risk, I don’t mean taking several tweaks or adjustments to your performance, like “Pick up the cues” or “Be angrier in that moment.” I mean actual risk. Risk
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