"I step into the wings and the state of it all hits me. The hum of a packed, expectant crowd ready for a show. I inch my way down along the short passage and there, standing in the cubbyhole space backstage like a beautiful lost waif, is Ben Whishaw. It hits me how different he looks in full costume. We lock eyes and hug. We hold each other for a few moments, trying to breathe in sync and to connect."
"A final squeeze and I turn away and walk back to the edge of the wings where we are to make our entrance. My breathing is steady, but my heart is pump-pump-pumping. This is as close as I get to full-on nervous. I am not afraid though. It's excitement; anticipation; a sexy, knowing thrill. I know there will be a split second of sheer terror when the call comes though."
"It's as if I can feel the giddy heat coming off the crowd even back here in the wings, behind the soon-gone shelter of a curtain, feet away from where Vladimir and Estragon will come to life. It's new and familiar all at once. Branching out crew members decorating the tree. Photograph: Sophie Rubenstein I know it's only been a five-year absence, but my goodness, there's nothing quite like this pre-show pump."
A performer enters the wings and absorbs the charged atmosphere of a packed, expectant audience. The performer finds Ben Whishaw in costume, they embrace, breathe in sync, and share surging adrenaline. Anticipation and excitement replace fear, with awareness of a brief surge of terror at the point of no return. The performer senses the crowd's heat even backstage and savors the pre-show rush after a five-year absence. Crew members finish preparations and the team stands poised. A deputy stage manager calls front-of-house clearance, the performers exchange a final squeeze, and they step onto the platform.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]