Gods and Audiences

King Lear: Day 14 & 15

In Shakespeare we are never speaking to ourselves, we are speaking to the gods or the audience. As performers we would not exist without the audience so in a sense, they are our gods. So let's just make that leap and say that very often we are speaking to god. It is so important to make an experience happen for the audience. As actors, we work on back story and character relationships so we can play our parts. Even though most of it will not be discernable or only inform one or two lines, it is still worth it for those audience members keen enough to pick it up.

I had lunch with Wayne Teterick (Cornwall) today and we spoke a bit about his on stage relationship with Jenny Rohn (Regan) and the back story they have worked out. The fact that Cornwall is a power hungry, ambitious fellow informs us of how Regan may warm to him or what their personal life may be like. Jenny and Wayne have decided that they both feed off each other and enjoy their ambitious attitudes as they play off each other. They have also made the choice that their characters are swingers and have an open relationship. Of course, this only plays in a few circumstances, most specifically in scenes where Edmund is present. Their ambition and pleasure in each other’s dark sides plays most obviously in the scene where they torture Gloucester, blinding him and setting him lose to wander the countryside. Again, only several people will be aware of their back story by watching their reactions, but it is that kind of depth that separates a good show from a great one.

It is interesting to find these little pieces of acting gold in a script and even more fun when an audience member “gets it.” My feeling is that these are the people we tailor art for. This show is no exception. It is packed so deeply with layers that the most learned will continue to get more and more out of it. This should make for some good theater.