Major and Minor
On stage, there’s always someone who directs the scene; they are in “major.” That means they’ll speak very loudly, be a great actor and be visible. He’ll direct the game and the other actor who is in “minor”.
During rehearsals, you say, “Ah yes, this one’s strong, he plays the game well – let him direct the scene.” The other, “Excuse me, sir?”—yes, he’s minor, less flashy. But you need one to lead, and the other to follow; that’s the role of the major and the minor. The major leads, the minor responds, slightly weaker, to let the major enjoy the game of leading and continue to drive the scene. This conflict between major and minor is necessary to continue the show.
The Fixed Point
The actor stops moving but the pleasure of the game is still in the eyes of the actor. This is a fixed point moment. And when the actor stops, the audience says: “My God, he is beautiful”
It’s a moment to be loved by the audience for actors. It’s very important because the fixed point brings the audience back to the actor’s game – the audience is in direct contact with the actor and it’s a moment they can say what they think of the actor. When the actor takes a moment to be still and silent, the audience says ‘My God, he’s beautiful’ – the actors give time to the audience to be part of the game.
The Actor’s Voice
It’s true that all professions have a voice. If you go to the station, the station-master has a voice to let people get onto the train. If you go to a funeral, there is a master of ceremonies and he has a special calm voice to make a peaceful celemony. In the same way, there is an actor’s voice. The actor’s voice is pleasant; it’s not like banging on pots and pans to scare away wild animals. It’s a beautiful, soft, strong voice… you can seduce the audience with it. Jeanne Moreau and Sophia Loren were wonderful actresses with splendid voices. If you have a harsh voice like that of a canteen worker in the French army, you can’t do theatre. You need to find the charm in your voice; it should be pleasing to the ear. The ear must not be harmed by the unpleasant sound of your voice. You need to have a melodious voice if you want to be an actor. But if you want to sell potatoes on the street, you don’t need to have an actor’s voice.
Impulse
Impulse is a friend to many people. It’s a friend to all sports people, they take a run-up to make a leap bigger, higher, a daring flip. With impulse, they have fun going up, and as they go up, they clear the bar. It’s the impulse that drives them to jump higher. In other words, you hop into a car called “impulse” and ooohhhh, it propels you forward and further. It’s fuel in the tank. So you take momentum and the momentum says, “I’m right behind you buddy,” and it propels you onward. When you step on stage, you take an impulse, and whoop, it gives you strength; you follow it, and it gives you the pleasure to be on stage. To go further and faster, you need Impulse. (When entering the stage, you need a good Impulse for it to work.) Sometimes you call a taxi to get there faster, but you could call Impulse itself. It arrives at your house and says: “Hello, sir, you want an Impulse taxi?” You say yes. “Climb on my shoulders!” and he runs, he grabs himself by the arms and goes faster. Monsieur or Madame Impulse can help you jump higher or glide further on ice. It’s like a friend. Well, it’s not a real friend, but it’s someone who helps you overcome obstacles more easily.