Theatre & The Performer

Written by Andrew Aue, translated by Matthijs van Eijk, adapted by Nicole Storms - Author of “The Effervescent Frank Lloyd Wright”.

The layers of a performer are almost unfathomable. The creation of acting, singing and dancing are very much linked and ... close-knit. It is almost impossible for these components to expand their true layers. It is solely by hard effort that the performer can conquer these obstacles through his journey. All layers connected, create a lively entity, in which all components depend on each other. However, out of the dark, a hardly noticeable figure rises, expressing its basic animal instincts. On stage, these layers are intertwined within the performer’s personality who will be admired by everyone.

The audience knows little about the performer’s habits and way of life. The performer is a much grander persona in regard to his audience, artist-wise, that is. He lives solely off its applause and the satisfaction he experiences in the theatre. Like a phantom he hovers over the stage and approaches the public almost unseen. The audience itself is almost lifted from its chair and gets carried away in triumph. Without fear and full of awareness of his powers, he flies over the untouched fields over which his dancing shadows unfold. All movements are being reflected by this strange mirror until these shadows vanish.

The affection of his audience enables him to reach further. When the performer is worried and being criticized, he seeks the support of motion. It is only when he is wounded, or cannot escape, that he will defend himself. In circumstances like these, he will be detached from his layer and as a result, his source of power will turn into a sign of sadness.

The ways in which the performer shows satisfaction or dissatisfaction are linked to areas where civilization rules and where only a few people have been submitted to. If there is anyone who wishes to witness the performer in a state of complete freedom, that specific person could try to discover his inner layers. However this could scare people and/or wake them up. The acting sounds like a strangled voice, a putdown, an unusual sound that interrupts the serene silence of the layers, ... even deeper ... so the performer appears with a wrathful face and a hoarsened sound, filled with declamatory questions.

The spectator’s chair is well chosen, comfortably seated, close to the warmth of the spotlights and surrounded by a silver glow, tempered by the soft draft from behind the stage. The audience is satisfied with this reality. The performer bends and bows in order to ascertain himself whether he has convinced them ... or not.

Then, when ... there is the roaring success: a fully wrapped-up audience, spotlights replacing the impenetrable darkness, an overwhelming - echoing – applause.

Then, there ... the performer feels on top of the world. Proud too. Yet not proud-hearted, for this ultimate feeling is a mere expression of his sub consciousness, his powerful self-confidence.

Then, than ... a thunderous applause.