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Have you ever sat in a darkened theatre and couldn’t take your eyes off one particularly radiant performer as they acted, sang, and drew you into their imaginary yet real world? You were experiencing Musical Theatre Performance Synergy, colloquially known as the X-factor or ‘It’!
Synergy is defined as “the interaction of two or more elements, which, when combined, creates something greater than the sum of its parts”. For today’s actor seeking employment in a demanding musical theatre industry, the presence of the ‘It’ Factor is vital. So I went looking for it and for 4 years I researched ‘It’.
My PhD research examined the elements and constructs of performance synergy and whether these can be engendered and commanded at will. My aim was to uncover new knowledge and share these findings with actors to empower them in their craft.
To understand the ‘It’ Factor, I devised three studies. Firstly, I interviewed 42 of Australia’s leading musical theatre actors and the creative directors who cast them, gaining their considered perspectives. The results were fascinating. The descriptors these professionals used to capture this energy were many and varied. The actors described synergy as: “radiance, truthful immersive storytelling, spontaneous imaginative play, generous joyful giving, and holistic embodied connection”. I realised they were accessing seven performative processes that helped them to unlock synergy. These actors were combining their senses, their cognitive and intuitive minds, their emotions, persona, and physicality with their technical skills to form their unique brand of Performance Quotient or PQ. The creative directors described their impressions of synergy using words such as engagement, excitement, and empathy.
Secondly, drawing on their wisdom, my reading, and experience, I designed a toolkit of singing, acting, movement, and psychological tools to unlock synergy in a performer. I then situated these tools in a metaphorical space I call the Sandpit of Imaginative Play. This space creates a mental and physical environment in which to let go, have fun and explore, experiment, and imagine. Participants find greater courage to play in this space.
Lastly, I tested my toolkit in a masterclass with five graduates, each aspiring to attain their first professional role. Again, the results were exciting. The workshop's results confirmed my toolkit's efficacy—participants found greater fun and freedom in the sandpit's encouraging space. And the watching audience felt welcomed and palpably connected. The ‘It’ Factor was in play!
What also became apparent is that my toolkit has the potential for real-world applications wherever genuine human connectivity is key. Further trials of my toolkit with professional actors, teachers, students, and corporate professionals confirmed its broader applications. When we honestly and open-heartedly give of ourselves, and others choose to receive and connect with that, the result is something “greater than the sum of its parts”. And that's synergy for you!
Your Personal Synergy.
Your personal synergy is that innate energy that is a dynamic mix of your Seven Performative Processes — your engaged senses, conscious cognition and intuition, your emotions, your unique persona, your physicality and the technical skills you bring to your performance. Each time you connect with something outside yourself, these processes are engaged in varying degrees. The combination of these 7 processes creates your very own Performance Quotient, or PQ.
Performance Synergy
Performance synergy is all of your personal synergy openly and freely on display, and sharing that with your audience, whether it be one or a thousand. Authentic, powerful and effective communication is about building the subliminal, transactional bridge between yourself and another or others. It's about giving and receiving. It's about tapping into your thinking, your knowing and your being, and sharing that in a vibrant, dynamic way.