For Grace ’11 and Henry ‘11, theatre is not just acting; rather, it is an art form, an exchange, and a community. The bonds formed among cast members are unique and long lasting because trust is an essential component of theatre. The cast of the upcoming fall play, The Sparrow, and of every Middlesex theatre production, must “explore different emotions and channel their personal lives into their characters on stage,” says Grace. Grace will admit the process of putting so much of yourself into the characters is “risky,” but as she and Henry learned while studying at Northwestern’s National High School Institute, that risk encourages them to take the character’s feelings and experiences seriously and handle the designated scene appropriately.
As much as the performance centers on a character’s single, life-altering moment, for Henry and Grace, the audience is most important. Henry explains, “If I am not entertaining people, then I am not doing my job.” Yet, Henry and Grace are not just entertainers, and what makes their on-stage performance an art form is that they both strive to form a connection with the audience. For example, Henry explains that with his upcoming role, he not only wants the audience to enjoy the experience, but he also wants the audience to empathize with his character and “realize it’s perfectly fine to have unconventional desires.” Henry knows that “no one likes to see their ugly side,” but he hopes the audience will reflect on themselves through his character. To help step outside of herself and connect with the audience, Grace focuses intensely on her tone and movement on stage, mindful of how both influence the audience’s experience.
Interestingly, the characters not only have an effect on the audience, but they also impact the actors; the characters Grace and Henry temporarily inhabit sometimes leave their marks. As Grace explains, theatre allows her to “learn about herself in the context of other people.” Through his characters, Henry has learned that “not everything has to work out and not everything has to be the way you want it to be.” While many of the lessons acquired through their years of on-stage performance differ, Grace and Henry both confirm that what has mattered most is that acting has taught them to listen and to trust.
To learn more Grace, Henry, Middlesex Theatre, and the upcoming fall play The Sparrow, please visit the Middlesex Theatre page, where you will find pictures, show times, and more. You can also view pictures from The Sparrow rehearsals on the Middlesex Arts Flickr page.
