Over the last few years I’ve noticed that my emotions more easily overwhelm me than they did when I was younger. I’ve discovered that I’m a crier. There are songs that often move me to tears when I sing. I have to prepare myself to sing “Dust and Ashes,” and there are times when I simply have to stop. I can’t get through it. “Finishing the Hat” has become another of those songs. “Lesson #8” is another. “Move On” is another. I could create an entire list of Sondheim songs that move me in profound, indescribable ways.
I’m also moved, sometimes powerfully so, by watching young people step onto the stage for the first time, and then watching these same performers grow as they take on new roles. A couple weeks ago I was sobbing as I was watching a video of the end of Act II of the 2019 West End Revival of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons“. And just a few hours prior I was crying while sitting in the back of ACU’s performing arts center watching our sophomore theatre majors perform pieces for their departmental recital. To see young performers pursuing art and inhabiting roles as only they can–it’s a moving thing. There were some great performances at the recital. My personal favorite came from a sophomore theatre student named Chaya whose version of “Send in the Clowns” brought tears to my eyes yet again. There was this one particular note she sang near the song’s conclusion that elicited an audible sigh–completely involuntary–from me, it was just so good.
And then a few Sundays ago…. What can I say about the Paramount production of Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain? It is such a provocative, challenging play (and soon heading to Broadway!). The final monologue performed by Layla Rorem, a standout theatre student at ACU, left me in chills. I’m continually amazed by the ways that live performance can evoke feelings from an audience. It’s one of the joys of performing, to participate in telling a story that can elicit joy, raise questions, provoke anger, and draw us into a world where we get to see things in a new way. This weekend I’m thrilled to be attending ACU’s homecoming production of the musical Freaky Friday. With a number of ACU theatre students who are also friends, I can’t wait to cheer for them and enjoy the experience of live musical theatre.
I’m not in any shows at present, but I’m itching. The acting class I’m taking this year has been scratching the itch, but also making me want to do so much more. The practice room is a home away from home for me these days. I’m currently working on a duo scene with an ACU theatre student from the Tony award-winning play, Red. Beginning next week, I’ll be working with another young actor on a scene from David Mamet’s Oleanna. Tennessee Williams is on the radar for late in the semester, and in the Spring I’ll be taking a Shakespeare class. These days I’m finding the time I spend doing theatrical things to be so meaningful and life giving. It is such a privilege to be in a career and at a moment in my life when jumping back into theatre is possible. It is a privilege I do not take for granted.