Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

“There’s so much we don’t know, and we don’t know that we don’t know.” This is the reason actor/director/artist Mervyn de Goeas gives for establishing The Actor’s Lab, programmes on intermediate and advanced acting techniques taught by himself and veteran actor Cecilia Salazar.

He said acting is tough to get into and even harder to stay in for unknown actors, as there are very few jobs. “They’re unknown and the reason you get paid for being onstage is because you are bringing in people. If nobody knows you, you’re not bringing in people and because of that, you really start low and you have to work your way up and no matter what level you are, there is always somebody about to or ready or able to kick you out.”

De Goeas said there were a lot of unrealistic expectations among new actors who believed that they would become instant breakout stars. “They believe everyone is going to love them and it doesn’t happen, and that is just a reality in our business. There’s nobody there to advise you, to say these are reasonable steps and you need to keep learning and educating yourself. Another thing they don’t teach you is that there are so many reasons for somebody not getting a part, whether it’s you’re not right for the part, you’re not right for the co-star, you’re not the right colour, you’re not the right background, you don’t speak the correct way, etc., so if you start small and you grow, that is the way I see to become a part of the theatre.” He also said making oneself indispensable is something actors should do. “If I get some small part in some show, I could help with makeup, I could help with assistant stage management, I could multitask in that way and then the next show they do, they’ll be like so-and-so is excellent because they help out, and then you move up from there.”
De Goeas said his teaching method is a unique style he has developed through observation, practice and research. “My method starts with scripts down, because to me that’s when you begin to work. I don’t get the whole learning the lines on the job thing, because there are so many other elements in putting a character together and making it believable so an audience can relate to you and recognize their common humanity.” He said he also studies human psychology, body language, tone, pitch, breathing, relaxation, meditation, listening and other things that actors need to do to act well.
He said he wants to develop a strong core of actors in T&T who are certain they want to pursue that career path, which is why The Actors Lab is not for people who are just starting out. “It’s like the difference between teaching high school and teaching kindergarten. I have no patience with rank beginners because not only do we not speak the same language, you all have no idea what language I’m talking about and I have to translate everything into newspeak. I’ve seen and worked with amazing actors and I’ve decided I’m going to start looking for those people and those I can’t find, I’m going to start honing them, I’m going to start raising a whole new generation.”
The veteran director said he also wants to do more socially aware theatre, such as he was involved in when he began working in theatre in the 1980s. “We did like As Is which dealt with AIDS, Extremities that dealt with rape, we did Les Liaisons dangereuses which dealt with betrayals, I mean these are real and human issues which we tried to make it as realistic as possible. I have spoken before about the trauma of 1990, and how that contributed to the growth of the comedy industry in T&T, but I think there’s enough distance between now and then for us to introduce new audiences to reality-based theatre.”
He said he wants to contribute to the building of a stronger theatre industry in T&T. “I never once felt that the American or British theatre practitioners or any of them are better than we are, we’re just doing the same thing in a different accent, and ultimately I would like to work with actors I know who know my style and what I expect from an actor. This is about taking us to a whole other level which I know I am capable of, I know there are people who are capable of joining me, but we need to be educated, we need to learn, and once we have that unity, then we can move on.”
De Goeas said he thinks T&T theatre is at a strange place right now and he’s not sure what it will look like in 10 or 20 years. “There are a lot of new voices coming up, there are a lot of new writers. Wherever it’s heading, let’s just be prepared for it, that’s the way I look at it.”