Movement

Appropriate movement is important in a good performance. Keep your movements simple but well done. Don’t overdo hand waving and gesturing. It can give the appearance of an octopus waving its tentacles around without any real purpose.

Movement should be appropriate to your character - a king moves differently to a queen, who moves differently to a peasant, who moves differently to a thief, who moves differently to a beggar. Good movement can mean that the audience has an idea of your character before you even open your mouth!

Moving around the room or stage as you perform can be good if it suits the script, but don’t just pace from side to side for the sake of it. Make sure you are aware of what you’re doing with your hands - are they hanging limply by your side, are they gesturing, are they fidgeting nervously? It’s better to have them relaxed by your sides than to nervously fidget during your performance. If your hands aren’t moving, then you might (at worst) be criticised for not being animated enough, but fidgeting can be downright distracting and annoy the audience.

Click here to move on to the next topic: Timing