Question
The Acting Thing
by Hanne Beener
This passage follows a school drama production as they prepare for a play.
As you read, pay attention to the perspective of the narrator of the passage.
It’s Friday, 6:30 p.m. The performance is at 7:00. Backstage is a zoo. The director decided to have a real cat for this play, and it is terrified and howling fit to kill.
I am anxiously and rather distractedly smearing makeup the consistency of latex paint across someone’s face while trying to tell Caitlin she needs more blush and yelling instructions on how to use a curling iron across the room to Em.
I finish off the makeup of the person in front of me and race over to do Em’s hair. It’s a usual routine; the last play we did, it took me three hours to do her hair every night because I was so overwhelmed by all the curling irons, hair spray, gel, and other instruments of torture.
Em’s hair is done in fifteen minutes flat, and you can tell, but that’s why the audience sits thirty feet away. I am now collecting my towels from various places and trying to find someone’s shoes. I stumble over an actor anxiously reciting his lines in a panicked monotone.
Aha! The shoes!
Someone needs help with her costumes. She’s managed to lose them all. That’s just great. We tear apart the
dressing room and then the bathroom.
We find one of her dresses being used as a cleanup rag. I unlock the costume room, and we root frantically through mounds of clothing, trying to find an alternate, every now and then coming up for air to shout loudly.
I am racing through the bathroom on some errand, when I chance to glance at the clock. It’s 6:55. I let out a piercing yelp that is most surely heard in the auditorium, where people have gathered.
I have forgotten entirely about my own makeup and costume and hair. I begin hurriedly to cover my face up under layers of loud colors and change into my costume in record time. Forget nylons; they take far too long to put on. I stuff my hair in a net and clamp a hat on my head.
I can hear the director going on in an excited voice about our fantastic acting abilities.
It’s 6:59. I dash backstage to find my shoes. There they are! Thank goodness for small miracles. I stuff my feet into them, grab my purse, and slide into my beginning position for Act One, Scene One. The curtain rattles open, and the darkness out there grows big and swallows me. I hear a voice speaking calmly and collectedly. The main character’s voice.
___
Adapted from The Acting Thing, by Hanne Beener, ©️ by Cricket Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Questions
How would this story be different if it were told from a member of the audience’s point of view?
The reader would have an objective view of events, which would allow them to feel more sympathy for the play’s director.
The story would include the thoughts of each character, so readers would know how each audience member feels while waiting for the play to start.
The story would be told from an omniscient, neutral perspective, so readers would receive an unbiased description of the play opening.
The story would not include descriptions of the actors getting ready backstage, so the mood would be less frantic and suspenseful.
by Hanne Beener
This passage follows a school drama production as they prepare for a play.
As you read, pay attention to the perspective of the narrator of the passage.
It’s Friday, 6:30 p.m. The performance is at 7:00. Backstage is a zoo. The director decided to have a real cat for this play, and it is terrified and howling fit to kill.
I am anxiously and rather distractedly smearing makeup the consistency of latex paint across someone’s face while trying to tell Caitlin she needs more blush and yelling instructions on how to use a curling iron across the room to Em.
I finish off the makeup of the person in front of me and race over to do Em’s hair. It’s a usual routine; the last play we did, it took me three hours to do her hair every night because I was so overwhelmed by all the curling irons, hair spray, gel, and other instruments of torture.
Em’s hair is done in fifteen minutes flat, and you can tell, but that’s why the audience sits thirty feet away. I am now collecting my towels from various places and trying to find someone’s shoes. I stumble over an actor anxiously reciting his lines in a panicked monotone.
Aha! The shoes!
Someone needs help with her costumes. She’s managed to lose them all. That’s just great. We tear apart the
dressing room and then the bathroom.
We find one of her dresses being used as a cleanup rag. I unlock the costume room, and we root frantically through mounds of clothing, trying to find an alternate, every now and then coming up for air to shout loudly.
I am racing through the bathroom on some errand, when I chance to glance at the clock. It’s 6:55. I let out a piercing yelp that is most surely heard in the auditorium, where people have gathered.
I have forgotten entirely about my own makeup and costume and hair. I begin hurriedly to cover my face up under layers of loud colors and change into my costume in record time. Forget nylons; they take far too long to put on. I stuff my hair in a net and clamp a hat on my head.
I can hear the director going on in an excited voice about our fantastic acting abilities.
It’s 6:59. I dash backstage to find my shoes. There they are! Thank goodness for small miracles. I stuff my feet into them, grab my purse, and slide into my beginning position for Act One, Scene One. The curtain rattles open, and the darkness out there grows big and swallows me. I hear a voice speaking calmly and collectedly. The main character’s voice.
___
Adapted from The Acting Thing, by Hanne Beener, ©️ by Cricket Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Questions
How would this story be different if it were told from a member of the audience’s point of view?
The reader would have an objective view of events, which would allow them to feel more sympathy for the play’s director.
The story would include the thoughts of each character, so readers would know how each audience member feels while waiting for the play to start.
The story would be told from an omniscient, neutral perspective, so readers would receive an unbiased description of the play opening.
The story would not include descriptions of the actors getting ready backstage, so the mood would be less frantic and suspenseful.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
If the story were told from a member of the audience's point of view, the primary difference would be the perspective on the prep work and chaos backstage. Specifically, the audience member would have an objective view of events, which would allow them to feel more sympathy for the play’s director.
From the audience’s perspective, they might observe the frantic nature of the backstage without experiencing the stress and urgency firsthand. They would likely be aware of the impending performance but might not fully grasp the behind-the-scenes struggles and time constraints faced by the cast and crew. This could create a deeper appreciation for the effort involved and heighten the tension they feel as they await the start of the play.
The audience member might appreciate the artistry of the performance while being curious about what unfolds backstage, thus allowing for a more sympathetic view of the challenges that overcome the director and actors in their preparations.
From the audience’s perspective, they might observe the frantic nature of the backstage without experiencing the stress and urgency firsthand. They would likely be aware of the impending performance but might not fully grasp the behind-the-scenes struggles and time constraints faced by the cast and crew. This could create a deeper appreciation for the effort involved and heighten the tension they feel as they await the start of the play.
The audience member might appreciate the artistry of the performance while being curious about what unfolds backstage, thus allowing for a more sympathetic view of the challenges that overcome the director and actors in their preparations.