Privilege and intimacy

Before the Thu auditions, I took a weekend audition workshop, monologues and cold reading. To help people, the casting director running the workshop asked for a volunteer to be a listener, someone the monologue auditioneers could "use," i.e., look at and talk to -- it gives them something/someone to focus on rather than an imaginary point on a wall. I volunteered.

It was surprisingly wonderful to have these characters talking to me -- and my job was simply to listen. I felt privileged and honored. I felt what they were saying to me was so special, so important, humanly important, personally and deeply important, that to listen fully was the highest form of respect I could show, and I deeply respected each one of these characters -- it was such an act of intimacy and bravery to tell me their story. I could have listened all day, every day . . .

This is what I like so much about acting (& cold reading) -- getting to know these characters, either by empathizing or listening, is a real act of intimacy . . . a level of intimacy that I don't really have (that often) in my own life. But I guess I could listen like that anytime, just take someone in, really take them in.

Anyway, that's what I really love about it all -- there's no hiding: all love, no fear . . . what acting really is.

oh yeah, got a callback today. Almost forget what that was . . .