As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the magical world of musical theater, I’ve come to appreciate the profound power of vulnerability. It’s a quality that separates the truly great performances from the merely good ones – that ineffable spark that allows actors to connect with audiences on a deep, emotional level.
But what exactly is “vulnerability” in the context of musical theater, and how can aspiring performers cultivate this elusive skill? Drawing from the insights of leading psychologists, acting coaches, and seasoned veterans of the stage, I’m here to share my own hard-won lessons on the art of vulnerability.
Embracing Your Authentic Self
The foundation of vulnerability, I’ve come to believe, is self-acceptance. Far too often, actors (myself included) get caught up in the pursuit of perfection – striving to craft a polished, flawless persona that we present to the world. But the harsh truth is that audiences can smell inauthenticity a mile away. They’re drawn to rawness, to honesty, to the messy, complicated truth of the human experience.
As Gottman Institute’s Hailey Magee so eloquently puts it, “Controlling behavior is a hallmark of codependency, but the first time we come across the idea that we’re controlling, we sputter with indignation.” In her personal reflections on overcoming the urge to control, Magee reveals the profound liberation that comes from letting go of our need to manipulate outcomes and simply allowing ourselves to be seen.
This is the essence of vulnerability – shedding the protective layers we’ve built up over the years and having the courage to show up authentically, flaws and all. It’s a terrifying prospect, to be sure, but it’s also the key to unlocking the kind of raw, emotional power that can truly captivate an audience.
Finding Your Emotional Truth
Of course, embracing your authentic self is only the first step. Once you’ve mustered the bravery to let your guard down, the real challenge lies in translating that vulnerability into a compelling performance.
Here, the insights of acting coach Viola Spolin prove invaluable. Spolin, a pioneer of the improvisational theater movement, emphasized the importance of “finding the emotional truth” within a given scene or character. This means fully immersing yourself in the character’s emotional landscape – their hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows – and allowing those feelings to flow through you, unfiltered.
As writer Paul Kingsnorth so poignantly reflects, “The relief I used to feel on those long trudges with my dad when I saw the lights of a village or a remote pub even a minor road or a pylon any sign of humanity – as I grow older this is replaced by the relief of escaping from the towns and the villages away from the pylons and the pubs and the people up onto the moors again where only the ghosts and the saucer-eyed dogs and the old legends and the wind can possess me.”
It’s a powerful sentiment that speaks to the universal human need for solace and solitude – a desire that performers must learn to tap into if they hope to create truly captivating characters. By allowing themselves to be fully present in the moment, to surrender to the emotional currents flowing through them, actors can unlock a level of vulnerability that transcends mere technique.
Embracing the Discomfort
Of course, this is easier said than done. Vulnerability, by its very nature, is an uncomfortable and often terrifying state of being. Exposing our true selves to the scrutiny of an audience can feel like stepping onto a ledge, with the threat of rejection or judgment looming large.
But as Hailey Magee so wisely observes, “Boundaries are statements of what we will or will not tolerate. The goal of a boundary isn’t to change another’s behavior but to create safety and integrity for ourselves.” In other words, the key to embracing vulnerability lies in learning to prioritize our own emotional well-being over the need for external validation.
This is a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way. Like so many aspiring performers, I spent years contorting myself to fit the mold of what I thought directors and audiences wanted to see. I was so terrified of being “too much” or “not enough” that I often ended up delivering performances that felt hollow and disconnected.
It was only when I began to prioritize my own emotional truth – to let go of the need for perfection and simply allow myself to feel whatever was bubbling up inside me – that I started to see a real shift in my work. Suddenly, my performances had a depth and authenticity that had been missing before. Audience members would approach me after a show, eyes shining, to share how deeply moved they had been.
The Transformative Power of Vulnerability
This, I believe, is the true power of vulnerability in musical theater. When performers are willing to strip away the layers of artifice and expose their raw, unvarnished selves, they open the door to a level of connection and transformation that is simply unattainable through technical mastery alone.
And the benefits of this vulnerability extend far beyond the stage. As Hailey Magee so eloquently puts it, “Boundaries are a form of verbal self-defense. They are protective mechanisms that maintain the integrity of our inner worlds while also blocking out people, places, and things that we find unacceptable.” In other words, the willingness to be vulnerable in our performances can actually empower us to be more authentic and self-assured in our daily lives.
It’s a lesson that has been transformative for me, both as a performer and as a person. And it’s one that I hope more and more aspiring musical theater artists will embrace as they strive to create work that truly resonates with audiences.
After all, as the wise folks at the Musical Theater Center know, the most powerful and memorable performances are the ones that lay bare the messy, vulnerable heart of the human experience. So let’s embrace that vulnerability, let’s get comfortable with the discomfort, and let’s use it to create something truly extraordinary.
