Recital

I had my first pre-show recital last night. It went really well! I sang four short pieces, and I think I had an audience of about 150 there at the start, probably 200-250 by the end of the set. It is hard to guess numbers because the audience sort of sprawls out amongst the park benches and the lawn.

I thought I sang well, and my cast was really supportive. At intermission we take turns doing something called "barrelling" where our director gives a speech about how our show is free and we rely on the generous support of our patrons (who don't pay anything for their admission) blah blah blah... and then the actors come out into the audience with bags ready to receive their money, usually shouting things like, "Keep Will Free." Since I was "that singing girl" I had money flung at me left and right, and got a chance to really talk to the audience and connect with them.

I realised that that is what this (art, singing, Shakespeare, etc) is all about. Especially when the ticket is free and the audience is coming solely for pure enjoyment and has nothing to loose, performance is not about self-aggrandizement, but about connecting to a larger human spirit. I felt that when I went out at intermission and spoke to the audience. I could tell that some of these people had never really been exposed to operatic-style singing before, and then some of them told me they had studied these songs in college before (the 24 Italian Songs and Arias book never fails). I had little kids coming up to me to "Say hi to the Princess." (Is there a Princess in R&J?) It felt so good to give to these people, and also, to give it for free. This is why I came to Kentucky. It all clicks into place now.