A Touch of Truth

I started educating myself about theatre in high school, when I started buying plays in used books stores and reading them voraciously. I also had a season subscription at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, where I was exposed to great contemporary plays such as Equus, American Buffalo and Cloud Nine. Since then, I have seen hundreds of live theatre shows. But only a handful of them have stuck with me. These are the plays that have affected me deeply, often reinstilling my faith and commitment in the pursuit of truth in the theatre.

I was in NYC for New Year's to catch some good theatre. I saw Albee's Seascape and Abigail's Party, both very good shows. But the performance that burned into my retina was Gabriel Byrne as Major Melody in O'Neil's A Touch of the Poet. My heart was torn open as I saw the pain of having too much pride. And I saw myself, my father and my grandfather. His performance touched greatness. I'm not sure if I can articulate exactly why, only to say that there was a stillness and presence that he transmitted from the stage to the audience from within the reality of his chracter. This is the level that I seek to attain in my own acting. At the every end, during the bow, all the masks of his character were stripped away and he stood with that clear and open presence - just himself.

As for my own pursuits. I have several performance projects that have arisen which seem more pressing than playing "Felix" in Humble Boy. I've been thinking that I shouldn't go to call backs. Yet, since seeing Gabriel Byrne, there's this little thing telling me, you can do that role, you can reach your own level of truth by exploring it. I feel I must make a decision, which is never a good feeling. Decisions are of the mind, the real choice reveals itself with strength and clarity in the body.