A few nights ago, the Spring 2018 One-Act Festival opened and it was amazing. There have been two more performances since then, however, I will be focusing on opening night here. I thought that all the plays were incredibly successful and I could see everyone's hard work come together in a wonderful two-hour performance.
The biggest difference I could feel was the energy. It was tangible and variable - constantly shifting around the room. There was a lot of energy coming from the directors since it was the beginning of the end for all our hard work throughout the term. There was a lot of energy from the audience as their laughter continuously filled the room. And there was a lot of energy from the actors as they stepped onto a stage with a full house of eyes watching them. All this energy swirled around the bodies filling the seats and it was exhilarating.
Seeing the actors respond to the energy I gave off and felt was also given back to me in their performances. Every one of them absolutely thrived with an audience in front of them. I obviously noticed it the most with my own actors since I have been with them throughout the process, however, it was definitely present throughout all of them. Specifically, I found that the interactions in The Courier were quicker and their emotions were deeper since they themselves had a layer of nervous excitement wrapped around them.
It was during this performance that I was able to pull myself away from what I was seeing and watch every show with fresh eyes. There were so many things to appreciate in every piece and I found myself laughing hard and loudly.
Watching my play made me feel weighed down; as if what I saw on the stage was physically holding me in place and forcing me to acknowledge its message. That energy didn't die even after the cast left the stage and the following play was about to start. It was an energy you wanted to sit in for a moment before anything else in life pulled your mind in another direction. That energy is hard to create but I believe that the vision of The Courier combined with the unbelievable talent of its actors, successfully did so, and for that I am forever moved.
Tomorrow is the closing performance and I'm excited to see what kind of energy that brings, but also saddened that this production is so close to coming to an end. Until then though...
Stay tuned for more,
- Lindsey Esch
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