What a "Choice" Even Means in a Scene
Oh man, okay. New module, and this is the one where things get a little more real, so bear with me.
We've spent a bunch of weeks on "yes, and," on narrating when you blank, on making your partner look good. All of that is about staying loose and staying generous. This module is about the other half of the equation, which is: at some point you have to actually decide something. You have to make a choice.
Here's what I mean by "choice," because it's one of those acting words that gets thrown around like everybody already knows it.
A choice is a specific decision about how you're doing a thing, not just that you're doing it.
Somebody hands you a script that says "she enters the kitchen." That's not a choice, that's a stage direction. The choice is: does she enter tired? Furious? Trying not to laugh? Sneaking in because she's not supposed to be there? Same line, same blocking, completely different scene depending on which one you pick.
Beginners skip this step all the time. Not because they don't get it, but because picking a specific thing feels like sticking your neck out. It's safer to enter the kitchen sort of neutrally and see what happens. I get it. But "sort of neutral" isn't a choice, it's the absence of one, and it's actually the least safe option, because your scene partner has nothing to react to.
The practical part
Here's a drill you can do alone, no partner needed, which is rare for this class so enjoy it.
Take any simple line. Doesn't matter what, grab something off a cereal box if you have to. "I need you to sign this."
Say it four times, and before each time, pick one specific thing you're choosing:
- You're saying it to someone you're mad at.
- You're saying it to someone you have a crush on.
- You're saying it like it's the fortieth time you've asked.
- You're saying it like you're scared of the answer.
Notice how different your body gets before you even open your mouth. That's the choice doing its job. It's not about performing the emotion word, it's about letting one specific decision run through the whole line.
Do this in your kitchen, your car, wherever. Nobody needs to see it. This is just training the muscle that says "pick something specific" instead of "wait and see."
The opinion part, and I mean this one
Here's where I get a little insistent with people: you commit to the choice or you don't do the choice at all.
A half-hearted choice is worse than no choice. If you decide "I'm playing this line scared" and then you say it at like 20% scared, hedging the whole time, it reads as confusing, not as scared. Your scene partner doesn't know if they're supposed to comfort you or if you're just having an off moment. A full commitment to the wrong choice is actually more useful and more watchable than a timid commitment to the right one. Kids get this instinctively — my son Jackson once had to freeze in place during an elementary school program and instead melted slowly to the floor for no reason at all, fully committed, no hesitation, and it was the best thing in the whole show. Adults have to relearn what a six-year-old already knows.
Why this is hard for grown-ups specifically
I'll tell on myself here. A few years back I was co-directing a show, and the other director kept changing rehearsal schedules on short notice, over and over, for about six weeks. Every single time it happened I said something like "oh, no, that's fine, we'll make it work." Totally neutral. Totally hedged. I never once said what I actually thought, which was that it was driving me a little bit crazy.
Then one night I got in the car with Tyler and just unloaded the entire six weeks of frustration in one breath, no pausing, practically without taking air. He just sat there blinking at me like where has THIS been.
That's the same muscle as making a choice on stage. All those weeks, I wasn't choosing "fine" and committing to it. I was avoiding a choice altogether and calling it fine. The second I actually picked a specific thing to feel and said it out loud, it was obvious and clear and honestly kind of a relief. Scenes work the same way. Pick the thing. Say it like you mean it. Don't smuggle a real choice in disguised as neutral.
A real caution here
One thing worth saying plainly: committing to a choice doesn't mean committing to actual physical contact you haven't talked through, or yelling directly in someone's face, or anything that could genuinely startle or hurt a scene partner. Big emotional commitment is about your voice, your face, your intention. If a scene calls for anger or intensity, check with your partner first about volume and space. Full commitment to the choice, not full commitment to scaring the person next to you.
Before next time
Try the four-line drill at home at least once, out loud, even if it feels silly saying it to your steering wheel. Notice which choice was easiest for you to commit to and which one you kept hedging on. That's useful information for next week.