Authentic Performance as Creative Living – No Debate!

Recently I was a parent judge at a regional high school debate (forensics) tournament at which over 600 students participated. I continue to be amazed at the high caliber of student performances, whether the events were Lincoln-Douglas or Public Forum Debates, extemporaneous speaking, dramatic literary performances of poetry, prose or speeches, or Duo interpretations.

We judge on various criteria: performing within the rules of each event, time keeping, complexity of material, presentational use of voice and gestures in expressing the material and coordination of partners in Duo performances.

Across events, I noted that, all other factors considered, the key underlying factor in whether a student ranked highly was their ability to ‘claim their voice’; to exude confidence, if not charisma, in getting their message across, to work the material, and to engage the audience. They were comfortable in their own skin. If for no other reason than learning how to do this, I advocate that students should participate in debate, speech and drama classes.

I have been in situations in life where someone makes a case that seems to make sense, and even following their chain of logic reveals no apparent flaws. And yet, it doesn’t feel right or good; something is just….’off’. I have learned that in most cases, the real issue is that the starting premise is faulty or off-base, which takes the trajectory of the final argument far from what is likely or reasonable. So, solid logic alone is not enough to concoct a worthy argument.

It’s like this with the debaters. They might have certain stylistic, practiced ways and memorized material, but when it’s not plugged in to them as a person first, if feels contrived. That’s where practice and simulation training come in. They may need to go through the stage of ‘fake it till you make it’ sufficiently long enough to grow into themselves. Not easy, nor always comfortable.

Recognizing this, I can say that practicing activities like debate, speech and drama are courageous ways to develop this sense of self-worth worthy of claiming as creative living. The irony is that it’s the people who need opportunities for self development and expression the most who are least likely to go out for it. The vulnerability and willingness to put yourself on the line is no easy task especially when still in the learning stages. That’s where having both courage and vision come in handy.  In a ‘safe’ environment with kind and directive guidance from mentors, coaches and peers, participants can experiment in using their ‘voice’ and trying out a range of presentational styles. This will allow them to move through the learning process while also understanding the long-term value of why it’s worth the effort.

One stepping stone method used by many performers is to create a persona- an alter-ego- who shows up when it’s showtime. It then feels like you are masked behind your character and thus less exposed. You may have noticed that some actors are quite shy off stage or off camera, yet appear fearless, bold and dynamic when performing. Think Michael Jackson. They have learned to inhabit these worlds in order to side-step the fear and possible humiliation of personal exposure. Ideally, however, over time with mastery of their presentational craft, their real self shows up knowing how to switch into and out of the character required to do the job. They don’t bypass the self; rather, they work from it as a trustworthy base. To me, this is what is meant by the otherwise oxymoronic phrase ‘authentic performance’. This is where you become the medium for your message; where art and craft intersect with who you are and what your message is.

We could debate about whether this is a healthy approach to success. I suspect that the school of ‘fake it till you make it’ would be in agreement, as long as you keep taking the steps required to ‘make it’, whatever that means in your chosen field. And in this, no debate from me… I vote in the affirmative.