Perhaps the highlight of my summer so far came last night as I watched Sutton Foster perform live on the Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Main Stage. Manning the CD table might not have landed me a padded seat on the front row, but it definitely had its perks. A VIP pass, yummy hors d’oeuvres, and a snapshot with Miss Foster all came with the deal, not to mention a quick conversation while she signed my copy of her newly released CD, Wish.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this triple-threat actress, she has been blessed with an exceptional career on Broadway. She’s probably most known for her Tony Award-winning performance in the original production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. She’s also played leading roles in Little Women, Shrek: the Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Young Frankenstein.
Her performance last night was at once both thoroughly entertaining and completely mesmerizing. I had no idea she was so funny. Song after song left us laughing, crying, or just plain happy. She possesses the rare ability to turn the emotional tide of a moment on a dime. One minute she’s cracking jokes and belting higher than humanly possible, and the next she’s quiet and vulnerable, singing a gorgeous ballad. Sutton Foster is an incredible vocalist, arguably one of the best, but her facility with story-telling is what sets her apart.
In my time here at BTF, a common thread I have found among the most talented performers is their ability to be still on stage. The actors who most hold my attention in a suspension of disbelief carry with them an ease that marks a true professional. They are not afraid to simply exist on stage, without any seeming obligation to an emotion or movement. Sutton Foster, Jayne Atkinson, Lisa Emery, James Lloyd Reynolds, and Brandy Caldwell have all taught me the importance of freedom in voice and body. In a conversation with Lisa Emery after her opening night performance as Claire in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance, I eagerly inquired about her preferred acting technique. Her response was simply, “I just try to breathe.”
Probably the most valuable lesson I will take away from my summer at BTF is the absolutely fixed connection between breath and emotion. It is amazing what can be discovered where there is freedom in the breath and body. Our center or “gut” holds the seat of our emotions, which doesn’t lie far from our heart and lungs. It shouldn’t be surprising then that what we feel comes out of the same place as does our breath, our blood, and our impulses. A deep breath from the center also has a way of bringing clarity to the mind, which naturally releases a freedom in the body. Our bodies are such complex creatures, and the more I learn about them, the more I see how everything works together. No part is exclusive. We operate the way we were intended to operate when we are free of tension. Maybe that’s why God told us not to worry.
Sutton Foster wasn’t the first person to demonstrate a freedom in stillness on stage this summer, but for some reason she helped me put the pieces together. I appreciated her candor, and admired her artistry, but my evening with Sutton Foster taught me far more about myself and the artist I want to become. And hopefully that truth will help set me free.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this triple-threat actress, she has been blessed with an exceptional career on Broadway. She’s probably most known for her Tony Award-winning performance in the original production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. She’s also played leading roles in Little Women, Shrek: the Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Young Frankenstein.
Her performance last night was at once both thoroughly entertaining and completely mesmerizing. I had no idea she was so funny. Song after song left us laughing, crying, or just plain happy. She possesses the rare ability to turn the emotional tide of a moment on a dime. One minute she’s cracking jokes and belting higher than humanly possible, and the next she’s quiet and vulnerable, singing a gorgeous ballad. Sutton Foster is an incredible vocalist, arguably one of the best, but her facility with story-telling is what sets her apart.
In my time here at BTF, a common thread I have found among the most talented performers is their ability to be still on stage. The actors who most hold my attention in a suspension of disbelief carry with them an ease that marks a true professional. They are not afraid to simply exist on stage, without any seeming obligation to an emotion or movement. Sutton Foster, Jayne Atkinson, Lisa Emery, James Lloyd Reynolds, and Brandy Caldwell have all taught me the importance of freedom in voice and body. In a conversation with Lisa Emery after her opening night performance as Claire in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance, I eagerly inquired about her preferred acting technique. Her response was simply, “I just try to breathe.”
Probably the most valuable lesson I will take away from my summer at BTF is the absolutely fixed connection between breath and emotion. It is amazing what can be discovered where there is freedom in the breath and body. Our center or “gut” holds the seat of our emotions, which doesn’t lie far from our heart and lungs. It shouldn’t be surprising then that what we feel comes out of the same place as does our breath, our blood, and our impulses. A deep breath from the center also has a way of bringing clarity to the mind, which naturally releases a freedom in the body. Our bodies are such complex creatures, and the more I learn about them, the more I see how everything works together. No part is exclusive. We operate the way we were intended to operate when we are free of tension. Maybe that’s why God told us not to worry.
Sutton Foster wasn’t the first person to demonstrate a freedom in stillness on stage this summer, but for some reason she helped me put the pieces together. I appreciated her candor, and admired her artistry, but my evening with Sutton Foster taught me far more about myself and the artist I want to become. And hopefully that truth will help set me free.
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