People know me from CHICO'S ANGELS or Julie Brown's HOMECOMING QUEEN so I've been dealing in camp for a while. One reviewer saw my WOMEN BEHIND BARS and called me a "Camp Specialist". So I've decided to to be a specialist and help others learn the style. I've had many actors over the years audition for my productions thinking it's just bad acting they need to delivery and it will be funny. Not so. It's some of the most committed moment to moment work with heightened stakes. Depending on the piece the faster and louder it goes the better. By believing in something that's already hard to believe, you can make anything funny. For instance if i were playing the most beautiful woman in the world, an audience would visually see that is not true, but if I believed it and committed to that character's wants and desires then it would be funny and the audience will follow me into the story. If i winked at the audience and laughed at myself, it may get a laugh, but then it can't sustain a character journey or a two act play. That would lack stakes and a character arc.
A great example of commitment to study is Grayson Hall in Dark Shadows. She wasn't trying to be funny, she was trying to jam pack all these emotions into a half hour TV show. Yes Melodrama and Camp are similar in style, but that's for another blog. Let's enjoy watching an actress commit to the work.
A great example of commitment to study is Grayson Hall in Dark Shadows. She wasn't trying to be funny, she was trying to jam pack all these emotions into a half hour TV show. Yes Melodrama and Camp are similar in style, but that's for another blog. Let's enjoy watching an actress commit to the work.