The Reason I Do Theater

I got to the theater last night and found out that the father of one of our leading cast members had passed away and they would not be doing the show, their understudy would go on. I was saddened to hear this news and it was hard to get into 'play' mode when you are thinking of your friend and the grief they are experiencing. The curtain was about to go up and I knew I needed to get focused. I said a little prayer, this always helps me get in the right place and afterward I feel at peace knowing things will be alright. The show was interesting. The audience was very quiet except for a few friends that I could hear out there. But I told myself, "Tamari, you have to keep the energy going and give the same show to this audience as you would a more verbal one. They are enjoying the show, they are just more reserved." I remembered a talk that Roger and I had a couple nights previous about how the audience is the gauge for an actor to know if they are performing well. There really is no other gauge or chart or print out to tell them how they are doing in their own performance. The audiences laughter, sounds and applause are the gauge. So, when those responses are not there it makes it hard to keep the energy up and you wonder, "Am I doing okay here?, Do they like me?" The show went on and I was feeling good even though it was hard at times to keep the energy up. The curtain fell and as Brodie and I went out for our bows the audience came to life. They HAD enjoyed the show, mission accomplished! I went out for our meet and greet afterward. As is tradition with this theater the actor stays in costume and goes out to stand in a line to receive those audience members who wish to speak with them and congratulate them, get an autograph, or whatever. I am not a big fan of this, I would rather get out of costume and then meet those people at the stage door that really want to stick around, BUT I do it as part of the tradition for this particular theater. I go out there and quickly see Sister Hall, a woman in my church that is confined to a wheel chair and has to deal with a great amount of pain every day of her life. She is one of my heroes. Such an amazing woman in every way and I love her dearly. It isn't easy for her to come to my shows but she hasn't missed one since I started acting in St. George. She loves the theater and loves to see Roger and I perform. I go right over to her and give her a big hug. She starts to tear up and I say, "I am so glad you came"! She responds and then she gets very emotional. I can't help but hug her again and while we are embracing she says, "You have made me so happy tonight"! She starts to cry tears of joy and I do the same. I will never forget moments like this, they are so precious to me. This is why I do theater. Sure I love to hone my craft and get better at the technique and strive for perfection, but really, I want to touch peoples lives and uplift them. It may sound cliche but it is so true! I had an acting teacher in college that told our class that we could do theatre without an audience. She went on in this speech to say that the audience was irrelevant to the craft. Maybe I misinterpreted what she said, but I think the theatrical experience is dead without an audience. In my opinion it is selfish to do this without an audience to see it, what's the point? I have been given my talents by a loving Heavenly Father and I need to share them with others. I have such a drive within me to do that in some capacity whether it be theater, concerts or firesides, I HAVE to do this. And I have found that what I give, I get back ten fold. Thank you Sister Hall and to all those like her who allow themselves to be moved by the experience and to acknowledge the joy they feel in their hearts. Yay for theater! :-) ***I got a call this morning from Brother Hall. He expressed his gratitude and said that the play was wonderful, but the highlight of the evening was seeing his wife so happy. "She deals with so much physical pain every day of her life and I can't express in words how happy I feel when I can see her so happy, thank you!"