Two years have passed between my chance to be on the stage in front of an audience. I got to do some Zoom shows, (Gospel of Friar Tuck Episode 1 and Episode 2) which were a lot of fun, but nothing compares to a live audience. The juggling of playing with the text, interacting with scene partners, and feeling the audience's reaction is intoxicating. I think the appreciation of the audience is fitting as I'm playing Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream right now.
I've probably always been a little too focused on the audience, but they really can be an actor's best friend. They can really help point out the holes in your performance. Sometimes, in rehearsal, things seem like they are working, like they are locked in and "perfect." This isn't to say you should play to please the audience, but they can really shatter the weak parts of your performance. For example, if an audience laughs at the most serious parts of the play, perhaps the stakes aren't quite right. If they sit silently at what you believed to be comedic gold, perhaps the scene needs to be brought back down to Earth.
I celebrate the average audience member. They are far superior critics than any actual critic can ever hope to be. If they know nothing about Shakespeare or nothing about the play or nothing about acting, they are just there to experience it. They aren't thinking about what they would do or what they think the actors should do. They are either moved or they aren't. Are they sitting up? Leaning back? Leaning forward? Are they constantly shifting in their seats? There is a reason we call it "falling asleep." To the same extent, if the audience leans in, are they being pulled in by the action of the play? People may move at random, but is it as random as we think? For those that play video games, sometimes we lean back when playing until we screw up a couple of times, then we sit up or lean in. When watching a football game, we can't seem to relax during the tensest moments.
So, I'm happy to be back in front of the audience. I'm happy to have many acting teachers show me the way each night. I know when I'm faking it because of them. I know when I'm giving it my all because of them. The communal experience is back and its value can't be understated. I missed you with all my heart. Not because you laugh, not because you lean in, but because you make the theatre experience. Without you, this is just an ego trip to show off to other actors. With you, it's an experience we can share.