Acting as a form of dialogue

Posted by Anna Wocka

Interview with Beata Tyszkiewicz, a Polish actress famous for such film productions as Zemsta, Komediantka and Mniejsze Niebo (Revenge, Comedian and Smaller Heaven). She has been credited for her contributions to the Polish cinematography with numerous awards and decorations, including the Order of Polonia Restituta (the Order of Rebirth of Poland).

According to Stanisławski, the aim of the art of acting is to create a human life, a soul of the stage character and to deliver it in an artistic form. How much place is there left for an actor, playing a role in which he should become someone else, to express himself?

Beata Tyszkiewicz: An actor is a comedian in the best meaning of this word. He serves the character, he loves it as himself regardless of its nature and that's probably at what he begins - at standing up for its rights. Subjective rights, of course.

Should the actor's contact with the audience be considered rather indirect or direct?

Tyszkiewicz: There are actors who act for the audience and who are aware of its presence, but there are also those who lose themselves in their drama and they act regardless of the audience, for their own inner satisfaction.

Can the contact with the audience develop as a dialogue? What is the form of the audience's response?

Tyszkiewicz: It depends on the audience. There are cases when the audience is an organised group of people tired after all-day-long visiting of the capital city and falls asleep in the theatre. There are also those who regard the theatre as a temple of art and dress festively. A dialogue with the audience? There are such theatres. Theatres also undergo transformations. Naked characters bustling around on the stage are also to be found.

A true actor is convincing on the stage, but to what extend may he use this ability in everyday contacts with people?

Tyszkiewicz: This is how the civilians think. An actor leaves his characters in the dressing-room together with his costume. Actors possess the ease of contact in their lives, because they look for the path leading to the spectator when on the stage. But this is their charm.

When communicating with different people on an everyday basis, does the acting, coded somewhere in the mind, hinder or facilitate the  expression of one's own feelings?

Tyszkiewicz: As I have said, it facilitates the expression, but there are also actors who are very shy, but they become powerful when on the stage.

Pope considered acting, as well as other forms of art, to be a wonderful carrier for feelings and truths inexpressible by other means. What kinds of messages seem inexpressible to you by means of a medium other than acting?

Tyszkiewicz: Pope had the strength of a hero, maybe the theatre gave him the strength to stand on the stage whatever happened.

It is said that Pope John Paul II was able to grab the crowds due to his traits of a true actor. What are the traits of an actor that allow the speakers to create such a close contact with the audience?

Tyszkiewicz: Well, that's the most important trait - credibility. Pope carried it in the person he was.

When watching the speeches of John Paul II, did you notice a soul of an actor in him? How did it manifest?

Tyszkiewicz: First of all, he was credible in his speeches. Despite that, he was very beautiful, beautiful as a man... his intentions were clear. In every country and all around the world.

Even one glance at a good speaker allows us to see the truth in his words. What is it, in your opinion as an actress, that the Polish leading politicians lack to achieve credibility in their speeches?

Tyszkiewicz: I believe that in order to achieve credibility, one must keep his promises, and that's what our politicians lack.

You're describing credibility as a crucial trait in communication. What other traits of a speaker may, in your opinion, support the intercultural dialogue?

Tyszkiewicz: They should value their own words and not only talk, talk and talk. One has to try to meet the needs of people, take their stand points. One has to enter their customs, faith, traditions. People are not the same.

Nowadays, the intercultural dialogue is very often conducted by means of various exhibitions presenting a given country and its views, or by means of conferences, organised for this purpose, as well as through music events. Do you think that theatre may also support such a kind of dialogue?

Tyszkiewicz: All these forms are supportive, but the most important media are probably televisions, as they reach millions of viewers. Media should treat their audience more seriously. After all, it's not only about filling up the TV line-up. They should start believing in the intelligence of their audience.