Amy Ch. 18

2. Observation. Human nature is such that we act in certain ways in certain circumstances apart from some slight cultural variance. When someone calls you a pig, you get angry. Eyebrows scowl, fists clench, breathing becomes more shallow, shoulders tense, voice pitch raises and in many cases volume increases, focus intensifies. You've seen it - so have I. And when someone tells you you're beautiful --- think about it. Or when someone says, "What's wrong with you!?" Think about it.

3. Repetition. Bring those observations and understanding to your rehearsals; and with respect to Ms. Prentice here, to your acting classes too. Mix well and repeat 100 times. Why? Because unless you're only doing three shows on the weekend, it's your job in a professional environment to reproduce that performance eight times a week. And that IS your goal, right? That's what I thought. So . . . ladies and gentleman . . . I give you part two --- COMPREHENSION."

"Part three is probably the most difficult to obtain and most difficult to sustain. That is staying connected. The entire concept of theatre is to distill human experience into visual performances at an extremely high stakes level. The Greeks believed theatre was designed for the community to experience and share high emotional states. That concept hasn't changed much. How many shows have you seen where you lived and died with the characters? Not many, I presume. That's the difficult part about acting --- to connect to the character and the circumstance so that the audience understands the emotional state you're going through. How simple is that for a pop singer? They're already connected to their own psyche and don't need to recreate it eight times a week. Want to see a connected performance? Go rent "The King and I" starring Yul Brynner. That filmed performance is exactly what he gave on stage for thousands of performances! Did you believe he was the King of Siam? Did you ever doubt it? Or try Robert Preston in "The Music Man." There it is, performance committed, connected and comprehended."

"As you all know, It takes a lot of guts to get up and perform knowing that everyone in the room is waiting for you to fail. It takes guts to audition for a highly critical director or casting director. For most of you it takes the form of auditioning for people you know very well and who know YOU very well. It is way too much like singing for your mother and her friends."

"But, hello stress! It takes real guts to go out on stage after a scathing review and give it your best performance. It takes real guts to go out when your spouse leaves you; or your child is hurt or sick; or a parent dies. But you know what? Theatre is life distilled. Everything you experience is another book in your vast library. That's part four --- COURAGE."

"So here's your homework." Amy felt as if the director were talking to her and her alone.

"Look around you!" Ms. Sullivan cried out, her voice rising with every syllable. "See that couple arguing on the street corner? Watch every move they make and understand THAT kind of physicality. Did that scene make you cry? Watch it over and over to see every tic and eye movement. Watch the great performances and make sure you understand why they're great. Go see "Gone With the Wind" and "Casablanca" and "The King and I" and "The Music Man." Watch any professional sports competition. Learn what commitment, comprehension, connectedness and courage mean. That should take a lifetime."

She waved her arm at them and said, "I'm done."

No one moved, except Anthony who only shifted position to relieve his aching leg in which he'd sustained a slight muscle tear from his dancing.

Yves Tolbur one of the main producers nodded at Ms. Sullivan and took his turn.

"When asked about the making of a great performance, I find myself reminiscing about the first great performance I witnessed. It was at the St. James Theatre, I was around eight, and when Yul Brynner entered as the King, I fell in love --- with his back, with the way be breathed, with the shimmering light reflecting on his smooth skin. He made hair on men seem unnatural. I was absolutely mesmerized by his presence. Nothing I had experienced in my lifetime until then seemed as important. I do not remember any other performance in that production."

"A few years ago I had the pleasure of seeing Elaine Paige in the Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard. This was long after I had studied my craft and had many years to perform and teach what I had learned. Elaine Paige took my breath away upon her entrance as Norma Desmond very similar to the way Yul Brynner had in the "King and I."

"I could not take my eyes off of her. I hadn't fallen "in love" with Ms. Paige anymore than I had with Mr. Brynner. I had, however, been connected to the greatest part of myself, which made me feel as if I had fallen in love."

Each of these performers literally forced me to continually catch my breath. And it was with my deepest ability to hear and experience that I listened to their joy and pain; and from the bottom of my heart and soul, I wanted for them to have whatever they needed before they exhaled their last breath."

Yves remained silent for a full minute and then resumed. No one had even blinked.

"In the process, Brynner and Paige inspired me to replace all judgmental thoughts taught me in my personal life; such was the empathy I had for their character's circumstances. I was experiencing unconditional love every moment they were breathing greatness. At the end of that cycle of inhaling and exhaling, we were both exhausted, and I, forever changed."

"For me, It was a once in a lifetime experience. For them, it was a job they were contracted to do eight times a week."

"There is not a great actor who has the opportunity to perform a great role whose life is not forever changed by this creative process. This epiphany may only happen once. But the job of the actor or actress is to make the audience believe it happens for the first time, eight shows a week."

He paused, then looked each person around him in the eye.

"I hope and pray that you can find it in yourselves to rise to that level with this production. If you do manage it . . .: He paused for a moment, "You'll find a level of immortality that only a very few do."

Yves spun on his heel and walked away, waving his arm in a farewell gesture and hiding his face from view.

The four of them stood there for another moment, then Kathleen said, "As good a sum up as I've ever heard. I'm out of here. See you all tomorrow."

Anna and Anthony each touched Amy on the shoulder as they made their departures. They all knew that it was Amy who had inspired the shows leaders to make their respective speeches; they also knew that it was because Amy was considered special in their eyes already, after one day of production.