On Being on Stage

You stand just off stage waiting to "go on'. Your pulse rate soars; your mouth's parched; your knees , you are sure, cannot support our body, and, of course, you can't remember a line. What glorious feelings! What reverie! What excruciating pleasure! And you haven't even stepped on the stage yet. You know what I'm talking about if you've ever had to shoot the winning foul shot in the last seconds of the game...... if you've ever needed to make a monumental decision concerning more money than you thought possible, or if you've waited anxiously to open the door on a blind date. Now you may say.... "Why would I put myself through that?" Or, "I have enough anxiety in my life without volunteering to subject myself to more." BUT let me reassure you...... this feeling, this uncertainty, this self doubt precedes the absolute feeling of euphoria when the task is accomplished, when all the rehearsals and preparations culminate in the creation of a fully realized character on stage.

So many have asked me, what is it like? I can tell you that the sense of accomplishment, the feeling of elation is among the best sensations we can have. For instance, while on stage, immersed in your character, you get to experience all the emotions, feelings, vagaries of your role while at the same time you are aware that you are playing a part and keeping an audience entertained. What could be better: You thrill to a new love, or express unbridled rage, or feel empathy for a lost friend, or laugh uproariously at a glib joke, any of the experiences of human beings and then your return to earth and the pleasures of your own life. The actor recreates the human experience and in so doing brings heartfelt feelings of warmth, joy and laughter to the audience. And, if you remember Aristotle's idea from last month, "memesis," we are performing the very natural act of imitating human nature.

But the pleasures of acting in community theater far exceed the accomplishments of the stage. You become part of an organization dedicated to bringing vital, live theatrical entertainments to your fellow citizens. You join a social group that values service to the community, as well as, the social pleasures of interacting with other interesting members of the community, both in the act of creation and in the celebrations commemorating our joint accomplishments on stage. In the end, the spirit of the whole experience so far outweighs the inconveniences of some initial anxiety that most return to the activity again and again.

I'll see you in the theater.

John Sbordone