Pacing your drunk acting is key. First drink equals feeling relaxed. Second drink equals mild euphoria. Third drink, hilarity ensues. Fourth, paranoia prevails. Fifth, sixth or more, anything from plain old meanness to self-hatred to weepy-weepy to suicidal. You want your actor to bring as much of his or her own experience to the work but not actually be drunk onstage, though I have had that experience. Yikes.
Dallas theater director René Moreno on how good actors act drunk on stage. It’s definitely a fascinating art. Read more about how actors approach the challenge and what goes into mixing a fake drink in this article.
