I have never had “The Experience” -- I can’t because I am figuratively (or perhaps literally) on the other side of the camera. I never had the experience of being in the audience of my own show as a one-time theater goer. What I have is the opportunity to hear from people about their experience and what the show has meant to them. I have prepared a sheet with snippets of audience reactions. You can see it here.
Having performed the show about sixty times, I can still be surprised by what happens. I want to offer two recent encounters with people who have seen the show.
In August I performed at the Indianapolis Fringe Festival. A fabulous theatrical extravaganza with over 340 performances of sixty unique shows. On a Sunday afternoon I was mingling with others on “Mass Ave,” the street where most of the theaters were located, when a man and his wife walked up to me.
We saw your show Thursday and I want to thank you,” the husband said. He then looked at his wife and they both turned and looked at me, and he finished: “I want you to know that as a result of our experience how we relate to each other and support each other has been changed forever. Thank you.”
I am always humbled and still surprised to hear these stories of "The Experience." They sustain me in so many ways.
Just a few weeks later I performed the show at Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, California. Deb Artz, a member of the audience, sent me an email a few days later saying that she wrote a poem the morning after the performance. What a lovely tribute to The Experience. I asked and she agreed that I can share it with you.
Having performed the show about sixty times, I can still be surprised by what happens. I want to offer two recent encounters with people who have seen the show.
In August I performed at the Indianapolis Fringe Festival. A fabulous theatrical extravaganza with over 340 performances of sixty unique shows. On a Sunday afternoon I was mingling with others on “Mass Ave,” the street where most of the theaters were located, when a man and his wife walked up to me.
We saw your show Thursday and I want to thank you,” the husband said. He then looked at his wife and they both turned and looked at me, and he finished: “I want you to know that as a result of our experience how we relate to each other and support each other has been changed forever. Thank you.”
I am always humbled and still surprised to hear these stories of "The Experience." They sustain me in so many ways.
Just a few weeks later I performed the show at Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, California. Deb Artz, a member of the audience, sent me an email a few days later saying that she wrote a poem the morning after the performance. What a lovely tribute to The Experience. I asked and she agreed that I can share it with you.
THE DANCE (Inspired by play The Actual Dance)
By Deb Artz
An empty ballroom. The silence deafening.
The musicians assemble one by one
First the strings, then the woodwinds.
Even a piccolo. And clarinet add to the mix.
The foreboding sounds of an orchestra practicing.
My soul trembles.
Our partnership sealed in an intimate waltz.
Your touch. Your reassuring face. Your breath.
Only you know what no one else can.
Our union intricately woven in a dance so
Exquisite, tender and affirming.
The doctors say you are okay.
I know differently.
You are so stoic. A rock throughout.
The tears trickle down my face.
A variation in a dance turned somber.
Losses relived throughout the years.
Nothing compares to this.
Never give up. Even now against all hope.
Together still.
An opening inside my heart transforms my fear
Even this dance can be beautiful.
Two spirits never really part.
The music is now my strength.
We dance again.
By Deb Artz
An empty ballroom. The silence deafening.
The musicians assemble one by one
First the strings, then the woodwinds.
Even a piccolo. And clarinet add to the mix.
The foreboding sounds of an orchestra practicing.
My soul trembles.
Our partnership sealed in an intimate waltz.
Your touch. Your reassuring face. Your breath.
Only you know what no one else can.
Our union intricately woven in a dance so
Exquisite, tender and affirming.
The doctors say you are okay.
I know differently.
You are so stoic. A rock throughout.
The tears trickle down my face.
A variation in a dance turned somber.
Losses relived throughout the years.
Nothing compares to this.
Never give up. Even now against all hope.
Together still.
An opening inside my heart transforms my fear
Even this dance can be beautiful.
Two spirits never really part.
The music is now my strength.
We dance again.
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