How Well Could Vulcans Act?

[Nardpuncher]

If there are Vulcan actors ( not actors playing Vulcans)
can they portray emotion?
What would it be like? Would it be lousy acting?

 

[Shatnertage]

Good question.

I think they could act. After all, they feel emotions--pretty strong ones, too--but they are just able to control them. Acting could, in fact, give them a way to blow off steam, if it was safe to let their control relax.

Canon evidence: Spock does a good job of acting in The Enterprise Incident. Or was he acting?

On the other hand, they might not find walking around a stage pretending to be someone else logical, and would instead spend their time doing something more edifying.

 

[C.E. Evans]

A role is a role, even if it's a 180 of who the actor is in real life. A good Vulcan actor can probably play any role a good Human actor can. Vulcans do have emotions--even if they normally suppress the hell out of 'em. If the role requires them to, Vulcans actors can probably tap into emotions on stage so raw and deep that would surprise most Human audiences...and then be totally stoic again off stage.

You ain't seen A Streetcar Named Desire until you've seen it performed by an all-Vulcan cast...

 

[Nerys Myk]

Spock made a good Trader. His Nazi was less than convincing.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

Spock as a Nazi is no Elcor Hamlet.

 

[Myasishchev]

An interesting question, although it raises and is preempted by the question "what sort of plays and screenplays would Vulcans write to act in"? Would Vulcan culture even acknowledge a social role for tragedy or comedy? Even if they did, wouldn't they all be, at best, cautionary tales?

 

[backstept]

I would imagine they would write epic plays regarding Surak and his reformation of Vulcan culture
I imagine it would make for quite a compelling story showing the journey of emotional suppression

 

[Crusher Disciple]

By our human definition of acting, no. Acting is accessing a genuine emotion, and Remaining committed to it until the script or impovisatoon calks for you to accesss another one. Then you use it to convey sincerity. But if the Vulcans have another idea of some playacting, I say knock yourselves out, guys.

 

[scotpens]

I would imagine they would write epic plays regarding Surak and his reformation of Vulcan culture
I imagine it would make for quite a compelling story showing the journey of emotional suppression

And most humans would probably find it boring as shit.

 

[T'Girl]

Your average Vulcan can do an excellent Christopher Walken impersonation.

Their mime walking into the wind is pretty good too.

 

[scotpens]

Your average Vulcan can do an excellent Christopher Walken impersonation.

Their mime walking into the wind is pretty good too.

How are they at Shatner imitations?

 

[Myasishchev]

Your average Vulcan can do an excellent Christopher Walken impersonation.

"Five long years, he hid this IDIC up his ass."

 

[Warped9]

I would imagine they would write epic plays regarding Surak and his reformation of Vulcan culture
I imagine it would make for quite a compelling story showing the journey of emotional suppression

And most humans would probably find it boring as shit.

Not so sure. Considering some of the things some humans today find entertaining.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Acting could, in fact, give them a way to blow off steam, if it was safe to let their control relax.

Very good point. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if many of their "ceremonies" that are closed to offworlders are in fact a kind of cathartic plays to purge themselves of emotional baggage. Given their usual reserve, it would not be surprising if the wanted to keep the lid on that, since it would be quite embarrassing for them.

 

[Sibo191]

How many times have we seen Vulcans go undercover? I know Tuvok did it and T'pol as well so it's reasonable though they would be heavily typecast to specific roles.

 

[Shatnertage]

I would argue that they might find the whole concept of theater illogical and a waste of time. There's a definite Puritanical streak in what we've seen of Vulcan culture. Though we know that Vulcans have music, so they can't mind art for arts sake. Once again, it could be about channeling emotions into controlled outlets.

Remember when Sarek wept during the musical recital in TNG Sarek? Was that because the Bendii (sp?) Syndrome was causing him to feel new emotions, or because it was preventing him from controlling his emotions? If it's the latter, it would suggest that Vulcans do indeed have the emotions needed to act--they just keep them under control.

 

[I am not Spock]

Vulcans have music, literature (the writings of T'Hain) and sculpture (the Katric statues, etc). Why not theatre? It might seem dull to humans, the saga of Surak's quest to unite the Vulcan people, but to Vulcans it might be an essential part of their cultural heritage.

 

[Crewman47]

Totally non-canon but they had a Vulcan play in the Starbase 11 mod for Elite Force, though the characters in the mod itself weren't animated, only the playable character.