The Essay: Watching from the Wings

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The Essay: Watching from the Wings: 11/04/2024

11/04/2024

Watching from the Wings

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, Watching from the Wings, 11/04/2024

Michael Goldfarb remembers his theatrical life as an actor.

Michael Goldfarb remembers his theatrical life as an actor. In this episode, he recalls a lifelong admiration for John Gielgud and how he once met him at the theatre door .

Preparation for a performance on stage goes beyond just memorising lines, learning blocking and hoping it will be alright on the night. A diligent actor studies the history of the period of the play, learns about the intentions of the playwright, and absorbs from older colleagues knowledge of how the play has been done in the past.

In his less than stellar career as an actor, Michael Goldfarb went through this process many times.  

In this essay, Michael recalls his admiration for John Gielgud. He remembers The Motive and the Cue, the play about John Gielgud directing Richard Burton in Hamlet. He also had a chance meeting with the legendary actor at the stage door of the Apollo theatre in London when Gielgud was starring in David Storey's 'Home'.

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Rubbing knees with Sondheim and meeting Gielgud at the theatre door. Michael Goldfarb remembers his theatrical life as an actor.

Preparation for a performance on stage goes beyond just memorising lines, learning blocking and hoping it will be alright on the night. A diligent actor studies the history of the period of the play, learns about the intentions of the playwright, and absorbs from older colleagues' knowledge of how the play has been done in the past.

In his less than stellar career as an actor, Michael Goldfarb went through this process many times.

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11/04/2024

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