Tricks of the trade.

The young actor asks the master coach if she has a trick that will make him a better Shakespeare actor.

She’s horrified. And rightly so.

‘No trick will make you a good actor. Only hard work will.’, she responds. Our young actor was looking for – what I call – a quick fix.

When she recounted this story I blushed inside because I use the word trick in my teaching and writing. I sought out the Tips & Insights entries where I had used the word trick and quickly deleted them.

Last night at 4 am, as it happens, I was reconsidering the idea of trick.

When coming about in a ketch the skipper says to the new sailor, ‘Here’s a trick I learned that makes it easier to reef.’
The experienced footballer says to the young player, ‘A good trick when dribbling by a defender is to lean left and push the ball right.’
Michael Caine offers, ‘When you’re in a close-up a good trick to bring your eye closer to the frame is to look at the other actor’s eye closest to the lens.’

The dictionary defines tricks of the trade as, ‘Special ingenious techniques used in a profession or craft; a clever method used by people who are experienced in a particular type of work or activity.’

It’s good our young actor asks questions. But, when the question is the result of the effect the pervading culture has had on his thinking then it’s up to the master to tell him so.