Speaker 1: The thing about being on YouTube is, it's all a show. While I do try to be authentic, in some sense, what you see from me is a carefully crafted performance, where I write down what it is that I'm going to say ahead of time. I talk into a camera, doing multiple takes, which are then meticulously edited together over who knows how many hours, mixed with fancy graphics and music to give the illusion that I am not a complete dunce. There's, there's, there's, there's, there's a safety net there. If I mess up while talking, I just cut it out, re-record it, and polish, polish, polish until it's absolutely perfect. Or close enough. In the multimedia world, most of the performances that you see operate this way. On-screen personalities go through an entire post-production process to make sure that you see their performance in the best light possible. But it's different when it's happening live. Whether you're watching a streamer play a game online, or a local musician performing on a street corner, that stuff happens with no safety net in sight. This is a huge reason why I personally avoid doing anything live, because let me let you in on a little secret, I stink at this. It takes me forever to figure out what I want to say on the mic, and you'd better believe that once I do have a script, I cannot spit it all out in one take. I need editing, or my performance probably just won't work. That's why I've always found the idea of performing on stage absolutely terrifying. Don't get me wrong, if I'm giving a keynote presentation, or freely talking about a subject that is in my wheelhouse, I can do okay. I've even done my fair share of acting in front of a movie crew. However, when it comes to doing a scripted performance live, I am hopeless. Because in that world, there is no cut, there is no editing, there's no room for error, and every slip-up is on display for everyone to see. But it's time I got over this fear. It's time to try something new, to get out of my carefully crafted YouTube comfort zone, and force myself to work without a net. And what better way to try than with community theater? For those unfamiliar, community theater is, at its core, a volunteer-based operation, typically where non-professional actors, directors, and crew members from a local community get together to put on a show. A space where almost anybody can participate in some capacity, whether trying to find your footing on stage, or operating behind the scenes. These theaters have been vital to keeping the arts alive in smaller communities, and in my neck of the woods, one such community theater has spent the better part of the last century doing just that, the Springfield Little Theater. SLT has been around since 1934, and has seen thousands of volunteers who have all worked together to bring stories to life. They run eight main stage productions each year, complete with their own design team, costume shop, production staff, and a nationally recognized education program. Actors, backstage crew, front of the house staff, office workers, board members, they've all helped shape it into a vibrant, community-driven theater that continues to bring the magic of live performance to our fair city. This has always seemed intimidating to me, the only time that I have ever done live theater has been in high school drama class, where my on-stage credits consisted of a non-speaking background role in a single scene of the show Guys and Dolls, and let me check my notes here, absolutely nothing else. But it wasn't for lack of trying, I always wanted to have a starring role in a production, but it never happened, on account of the fact that my high school drama teacher hated my stinking guts. I don't even know why, I didn't even do anything. However, now that I am quite a bit older and have been doing performances, both comedic and dramatic, for several years now via video, I figured trying to step onto the stage was worth another shot. So Springfield Little Theater is currently celebrating its 90th year of operation, and to commemorate their emerald anniversary, they're putting on an end-of-summer performance of The Wizard of Oz. While I had my heart set on playing one of the roles in that story, because it is one of my absolute favorites, certain health issues prevented me from participating. But I was in luck, because one of their follow-up shows was one I loved as well. Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I grew up reading the Agatha Christie mysteries, I'm a huge fan of her character Hercule Poirot, and I just could not resist the opportunity to try and audition. So a couple of months ago, I decided to shoot my shot. Springfield Little Theater works in a very structured way, which I appreciated as a newbie. They hold general auditions, which are open to everyone, but there are also workshops leading up to that audition, where you can participate and get the sides for the audition well in advance. Being my first time doing this, I figured that I needed all the help I could get, so I signed up. Walking into the workshop was a bit nerve-wracking. Not only had it been many years since I had ever done anything like this, but with my body still recovering, I wasn't entirely sure how well I would hold up. In case you missed it, a couple of months ago, I had open-heart surgery, and then a stroke shortly thereafter. I'm getting over it, no worries. I figured the workshop would be a good way to sort of see where I stood, both physically and mentally, giving me a unique challenge outside of regular auditioning. Challenge outside of regular rehab. I'll be honest, it was rough. I'd only been out of the hospital for a couple of weeks. My body was still very stiff. My brain is still very sluggish. I knew physical acting, things like trying to remember lines and reading pages straight through would not be easy, but I got through it. The workshop lasted about two and a half hours, and during that time, our small group was given a handful of scenes, and we ran through them several times, each participant being allowed to read for whatever part they wanted. I was not sure how well I would perform, but the atmosphere, I must say, was very supportive. Most folks in the room were huge Agatha Christie fans, and we were all eager to bring murder on the Orient Express to life. As the workshop progressed, I started feeling a bit more comfortable, since our party was rather light. I did not feel too ridiculous standing there and reading lines in my makeshift Akul Paho accent. Before long, I wasn't thinking so much about my limitations. I was simply focused on the scene, the characters, and the moment. So I was performing in front of a small crowd, which was a small victory, but still a major step forward for me. Plus, and this was huge, we got to take the sides home with us, meaning that I then had all week to get comfortable with each scene before the actual audition. � So fast forward seven days, and it was showtime. Sort of. The actual audition had way more participants, and being the actual auditions this time around, there was an added competition factor. You see, unlike the workshop where I could just choose whatever scene I wanted to jump into, here, it was all up to the show's director. I told him the roles that I thought I would be good for, luckily I was given multiple chances to perform. Each scene that we ran had a rotating cast of performers, which forced me to adapt quickly to different dynamics. This spontaneity was a bit nerve-wracking, but it also taught me to just trust my instincts and go with the flow. By the end of the audition, I felt pretty good about how I handled things. I was not nearly as nervous acting in front of a crowd, but I knew that the next stage, callbacks, was going to be the real test. So a callback is when things start to get serious. The director has now narrowed down the auditioners to the people he feels will be the best fit for the production. The question stops being, who here can actually act, and starts being, who can act best with each other? Who of the remaining talent pool has the best on-stage chemistry? At this point, I was performing with basically the best of the crop, basically the best of the crop, and in a weird way, the quality of the scenes went up dramatically. No pun intended. Since by now, everyone in the room had had the sides for a bit, our run-throughs went a lot smoother. Here's where my overachieving nature kicked in. I had been eyeing the role of Hercule Pajot from the very beginning. I did my best to get into the character as much as possible. I started growing my mustache out, working on his incredibly difficult accent. I even got a hold of the actual script for the entire show beforehand, and memorized his opening monologue on a hunch that it might come up in the cold reading portion of the callback. Sure enough, it did. One tiny section of it, so that was kind of a waste of time. Did this impress the director? I have no idea, but it certainly made me feel quite a bit more confident, which I guess is half the battle. In addition to Poirot, I also had my eye on two other characters, Monsieur Bouc, Poirot's friend and confidant, sort of the Watson to his Sherlock, and Samuel Ratchett, who... Both of these seemed like great alternative options if Poirot didn't pan out. And after the callback, I went home thinking to myself, you know what, whether win or lose, I was able to do something. Despite my health issues, I actually made it to and through the audition process. Maybe I can just be satisfied with having completed that, without the added stress of having to do an actual performance on an actual stage in front of an actual real-life audience. Oh boy, the stress. So in the end, I was cast as Monsieur Bouc, which... Uh, here we go. Four days later, I found myself back at SLT for our first official table read, where the chosen performers open up the full script together and read through it for the very first time. At this point, I really felt like a fraud. We all went around the room and introduced ourselves, and I got to learn more about my castmates, their aspirations, and all of the great previous work that they had done on stages before. And I was like, hey, I'm just some dude with a YouTube channel, and I perform in front of no one. Despite this, everyone was incredibly supportive after learning that this would be my first live show, and after the first read, I felt a bit more comfortable about the idea of actually, like, completing the challenge, going on stage, and doing this. Then the rehearsals started. So one thing I learned very quickly, acting live on stage is hard. Not only do I have to memorize all of my lines, but I also have to make sure that my character's accent is on point, that I get each scene's stage blocking down, then immediately adapt said blocking whenever we decide to change it, develop a solid chemistry with each performer that I act alongside. You also have to, like, stay completely locked into your character the entire time that you're on stage, whether you are speaking or not. Because remember, the audience is always watching. Every facial expression that you make, every gesture, every movement has to feel authentic to the scene. It has to be, like, flawless and consistent. You can't, like, slip in and out of character while you're on stage. You can't let it fall apart halfway through the scene, or you will just snap the audience out of the moment. And of course, you have to be mindful of your voice because projection is key. No matter how emotional a scene may get, you have to make sure that the person in the back row can still hear every single word that you are saying. You also, hey, have to keep your energy up the whole time, making sure that your performance stays fresh from opening night to the last show. Oh, and let's not forget the costumes and props, which we haven't even gotten into yet in our rehearsals. You have to make quick costume changes in the wings without missing your cue, and handling props seamlessly is its own little art form. Basically, unlike movies and TV, acting live requires you to juggle a million things all at once and get it right the first time. Because as I keep saying, there is no safety net. Once you're out there, it's all happening in real time. You've got to be sharp, adaptable, and constantly in the moment. So no pressure. Despite all of the challenges that are ahead, I am finding the experience incredibly rewarding. It has thoroughly pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I am learning more and more about myself and working with other people in this entire process. If you happen to be in my local area and you are interested in the show, there are still some tickets available. Link in the doobly-doo. You can come see me fall flat on my face and embarrass myself live. Keep in mind, this is community theater. The show is working with an extremely limited budget. It features an all-volunteer cast. We have only had like a little over a month to put this entire two-hour show together. If you show up expecting perfection, I don't know what to tell you. We are gonna give it our best shot. And the point of this whole thing for me, I guess, is to inspire you to give it your best shot too. Whatever pet project or creative idea that you have, don't sit around waiting for perfection. Just get started right now and make something. If you're watching this video and you are an aspiring actor or performer or storyteller, investigate your own community's options. Like if what I'm doing right now sounds like a fun experience to you, then do it yourself. There are theaters like this all over the place that give you an opportunity to collaborate with others, hone your craft, and be involved in your own local community. So as they say in the biz, break a leg. This video is sponsored by Squarespace, the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful website. Start the process with Squarespace Blueprint, their new guided design system. 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