Opening Night in Theatre

Nothing quite explains how you feel when a show you've been working on is about to do it's first performance, live, in front of an audience. And here I am trying to write a blog post about it... oh well, it's too late now to go back. We are both way to far along in the post to give up now. Opening night for an actor really encourages your best, gives a crazy shot of adrenaline, and can't really be experienced anywhere else.

Opening night encourages your best. Weeks and weeks of rehearsal, hours of memorizing lines and going over your blocking (essentially it means where you stand and when you move at any given moment in a play). Even dreaming about the show or rehearsal is not unheard of for the caring and ambitious actor. Whether you get the role you auditioned for or not, a role requires dedication and diligence. Day in and day out, commitment and excellence. You work hard with a collective group of people and you support one another as you display particulars of the human experience. Why do we do this? Why do we add theatre to a list of responsibilities we already have? Is it for our shot at fame and stardom? Maybe. Is it to impress a family member or a specific person that we fancy? Perhaps. But I would suggest that the actor does what they do for the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment that you feel when you perform for a live audience for the first time. To hear the laughter and the clapping (sometimes at inappropriate moments, but I digress) really is like experiencing a high. The "acting bug" is no distinguisher of persons, especially if you've worked hard and have found a group of people you met on stage/in rehearsals that you would move heaven and earth for, when it comes to who it might bite. It really is that opening night that gets me excited about doing a show.

The side affects of that acting-bug bite include an amount of adrenaline that you might not experience anywhere else. I'm not one for jumping out of planes, or snowboarding down a mountain. But I have a hard time thinking something gives you more adrenaline than acting onstage. Imagine if you will, you're backstage. Your fellow actors are whispering to each other, as you make final adjustments to your costume and make-up. High fives, fist bumps, and hugs all around as you hear the stage manager call "places." You make your way to stage right. You can hear the music being played in the house (where the audience sits), and the buzzing of voices. There are people in those seats! People paid money to come see you perform. Your heart starts beating faster. Your mouth gets dryer. Suddenly, the music in the house fades, the lights dim down, and you are to head on stage. You start to lose feeling in your fingers. Your body moves on muscle memory alone, and then you deliver your first line. The energy you feel from the audience members is astounding. All eyes are on you. Anxiously anticipating the story you, the technicians, and your cast mates have to tell. Depending on where you sky dive, you might get to purchase a video that shows your emotions as you jump off the plane. And your snowboarding story will be told over and over again, and you might have a few witnesses that can back up your claim to that sweet 360 you pulled on that jump. But theatre... theatre is live. There's something about watching and hearing the reactions of the audience.

I don't mean to belittle skydiving or snowboarding or any other adrenaline junky activity. I only mean that theatre itself is unique. Each show that's ever been done is a first and last. The first time that show is done with that group of people, in that space. And the last time it shows, it will not be seen again. It's a piece of history that can only be experienced a handful of times. And the "acting bug" I alluded to earlier can indeed affect an audience member. The first broadway, and only, show I have seen was Wicked: the Musical. It came through Popejoy Concert Hall at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. It was lovely, top to bottom.

Encourage your best. Live for moments of adrenaline. And seek experiences that you can't find anywhere else. If you're not sure where to start, give theatre a try.