Well...
My excellent compadres here at TNG have already touched on quite a few faves of mine. So I'm going to talk about a favorite thing that is, by its very nature, unique to the other half of my life that isn't writing.
I think I may have mentioned once or twice (heh) that I'm an actor. Most of what I do is Shakespeare so most of what I do is on the stage. And one of my absolute favorite things is the back of that stage.
Backstage at just about any theatre - especially in smaller or touring houses - is a treacherous maze of cabling, rigging, counterweights, escape stairs, precariously pre-set props, weapons, dust, sticky tubs of stage blood, nefarious unidentified pointy things that have no business being there, fellow actors all of whom seem to possess more that the requisite number of elbows... and darkness.
Every backstage of every theatre I've ever been in has smelled musty.
It is always either too cold or way too hot.
And it is, without doubt, one of my favorite places to be.
Especially right before the house lights go down. Right before that first blackout and the swell of music signals the start of another show.
In that darkness, in the thick atmosphere of anticipation, when you can actually hear the crowd murmur above the shuffle and quite jokes of your cast-mates and you can see the blue glow of the stage manager's light reflecting up into her face as she speaks into the headset and says "Standby... house lights to half... and... go!"... in those seconds before you step out onto that stage to take your place in the blackness, everything is possible. Everything is poised on the edge. It is a between-place of magic and potential.
It is my favorite thing. Every time.
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6 comments:
I don't know how folks don't manage to totally freeze up doing the stage thing. Just thinking about what it would be like scares the living bejeesus out of me.
Beautiful post, Lesley! I've always wanted to be an actress -- of course, I can't act. At all. So needless to say, I've never gotten to exerience the cool backstage atmosphere you describe!
Ah but Dougie, you see, that is the art! It does scare the bejeesus outta ya! And then you take that fear and con it with a game of misdirection and make it work for you! It's great fun. (If your kilt doesn't fall off onstage!)
Jillian - just wait until about 2 weeks pre-launch! I'm starting to get the exact same feelings - only without all the tripping over cables in the dark! (ulp!)
Doug - it's the best feeling in the world. It also helps that you know the second you are out on stage all the fear dissipates and is replaced by adrenaline and joy and the time of your life.
Sigh, Lesley, this entry does not help with my postpartum after R & J. I miss it . . .
I guess I've just always had a healthy respect for my fear. I always follow its suggestions. :-)
Um, yeah. The stage fright never disappeared for me, even throughout cheerleading in high school--it was more like a hightened sense of people staring at me.
Which often lead to profuse sweating.
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