Acting Right
Photo by Javad Esmaeili on Unsplash I opened an email from the local community theater, promoting auditions for a two-person show. I’ve been connected to this theater for nearly 30 years, and last year I was cast as a lead for the first time ever. Unfortunately, like so many important events, the show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’ve been wanting to get on the stage ever since. Even as a child, I loved stories and playing pretend. Acting is a way to become a different person, with different experiences, values, and perspectives. There’s also the fun of getting into a character’s head, to understand their motivation or true feelings, and then creatively communicating those traits through facial expression, voice inflection, and body language. Mathematically, the chance of being cast in a two-person show is not very good, especially since I’m not the most talented or experienced choice. I find joy in the audition process, reading as a character ...