Ever since I can remember, being on stage has always been something that I live for. People who know me know that there is no greater passion of mine than getting in front of a group of people and performing at my fullest in any role, be that chorus, vocal solo, band, oral interp, theatre, etc., etc. It is a powerful moment to completely let yourself go and have a sense of pure joy run through your body once you know that you've got the audience to come along with you on this journey that you are presenting them, but I also think there might be something else there. There always seems to be a sense of magic when standing on an empty stage, and that is where I have found myself the most.
The silence of an empty stage is like no other silence I have ever experienced. When you are in a place that is meant for loud productions with flashing lights and cheering audiences, you are kind of taken aback by the hollow you seem to be in. But in this strange emptiness is an amplification of every small sound you make. After all, auditoriums are meant to project the sound out to the audience so as not to strain the performer. Often times when people go to a quiet room to get away, they are trying to be concerned with their thoughts only, and nothing else. When you go to a stage to think about life, you are wholly aware of yourself and your body in the space that you are in. You hear the squeak of your shoes on the floor, the swish of your jacket as you walk, and the deep sigh as you release the stresses of the time, which all serve to remind you that you are a real person (or am I the only one that I kind of sometimes forget that I'm a real human being that exists on this earth?).
Like I said before, the stage is not built to be silent, so when you are on one that is, there is a little sense of excitement for all the possibilities that could be there. It makes the idea of performing in a certain play or musical more real in seeing the space it would inhabit (again, just me? whatever.). In every person, there is a sense of curiosity and discovery, and being on an empty stage is just like seeing a blank canvas and waiting excitedly to fill it with something beautiful and meaningful. It's a magical portal that seems so bare and bland, but will soon bring thousands of people to 1800s London, late-1900s Germany, or any other time and place they could imagine.
I don't know if this article really described exactly how and why the stage is the one place I will always go to if I'm having a tough week and want to just be alone, but I think that this will resonate with anyone else out there that lives for the warmth of the stage lights and the roar of applause as the curtains click close.
