Acting and writing

Having established that writing is an emotional necessity for writers, I’m now faced with another question. How different is writing from acting? The question came to mind because I recently joined a theatre group. The playwright asked me to play a role that, she felt, had some similarities with me. Even though I didn’t see the similarities, I felt there was a common ground—belief systems, mostly—between the character and me. I felt I could portray her. By doing that I gave my character her own autonomous voice.

When we write—be it fiction or non-fiction— we create a persona. Something similar happens when we act. Neither the writer nor the actor disappear inside or behind the persona or character. However, even though they share some commonalities with their persona/character, they are also very different. It is the voice of characters and personas that determines their most intimate and powerful expressions.