Walled
I am a stage actor in the Baltimore-DC area. Have been for thirty years. This puts me in close proximity to the legendary Arena Stage in Washington. This remarkable theatre is noteworthy because it was one of the first Regional Theatres. In the 70’s there was a push to bring professional theatre out of New York City and into the rest of the country. The League of Regional Theatres was born and Arena Stage was a leader. Arena had an acting company of remarkable performers, many plucked from the esteemed ranks of the New York City talent pool. And they were invited to come to DC and make a life in the Nation’s Capital. Proving that professional actors could live throughout the country doing what they loved. Bringing theatre to the masses beyond walled-off New York.
The drive down to see a show at Arena was a treat for me when I was a wet-behind-the-ears twenty something starting out in my craft. How I wanted all the walls to fall away and become Richard Bauer. He was the male lead of the acting company and deeply beloved by the community. A titan on the stage in every character he portrayed, with a voice that lifted to the rafters. I remember returning home and screaming into a pillow to help lower my voice to a pitch that mimicked his. And meeting him afterwards? Genuine and kind. No defensive walls up. No ego to surmount.
Like the name, Arena Stage was just that, a 500-seat boxing ring. Rarely were walls erected as they would kill the view. All the attention could be directed to the acting. So, imagine my surprise when, years ago, I got student-rush tickets to see a French farce and walked in and there was full-scale chateaux center stage. This was the mid-eighties so theatre budgets where flush with cash and could afford such astonishing set design. It got even better. After a flurry of period music to set the tone, there was a crescendo and the walls of the house lowered to form the stage floor. Like the petals of a flower, massive hydraulics powered the opening and my mind was blown at the majesty of what theatre could do. The walls in my imagination had fallen and I took flight.