Studying, Rehearsing, and Really Thinking- “A Reckless Pause”
I’ve been cast in A Reckless Pause, an original play, based on a true story. True story always intrigues me, and seems I find a piece of myself, my family in so many of them. The log line reads: “A rift is caused between two sisters when one collapses days before the other’s elaborate wedding. Can their mother repair the damage before the family comes together that night?” Contains adult situations and language.
That gives you but a small glimpse, the deeper I get into the script, the sadder it becomes. There are many friends who I cannot invite due to the language, and I gave it significant thought & prayer before agreeing to take on the role of the mother. Acting is after all a role, I do not become nor advocate the roles I play, but hope to share experiences that will give the viewer pause to think, to react & perhaps see life a bit differently, even for a short time.
On the surface this is a shocking portrayal of an extremely dysfunctional family, and yes, all of us have our secrets, our problems, that we work so hard to cover up. The more work I put into my character development, searching for clues as to what makes her say and do what she does, I keep coming back to how hopeless she feels, how very lost.
What takes away a persons hope, their desire to live, find joy, see beauty? For me it would be the absence of a faith in something greater than me or anything attainable on or of this world. I think this is the underlying void these characters are struggling with. Theirs is a world with no faith, no God (“You never taught us about God.” “I taught you about all of them”), no hope. The mom (my role) has tried to wedge philosophy, art, literature into that space that God puts in each one of us, the space that ultimately, only He can fill. And what happens when we find that there is nothing in this world that can fill the void? You end up with lives filled with desperation, searching, always trying to fill the void.
I cannot divulge the ending, as with all good stories, there is a great surprise, a lovely twist. I do hope the seats are filled, it’s not for kids, but has a powerful message.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Gal 5:22) And isn’t that a better way to live?
A Reckless Pause will run Oct 2-5 at the GOOD Acting Studio in Marietta, GA Tickets:678-403-8508