←Recommendations of Stagefright

A laugh out loud funny look at the insecurities of being an actor. Anyone who has ever trod the stage will howl in recognition at some of Larry Rinkel's observations here as he tackles late audience members, late starting times, audition woes, performance issues and all the other aggravating things that actors deal with if only for that endorphin rush that comes from the applause of the crowd. Spot on and hilarious, this is well worth even a late start time to see.

Larry Rinkel understands the vulnerability, the angst, and the thrill of acting. And he plops it all in the laps of the audience. These reluctant actors are facing the uncomfortable truth: when you’re on the stage, it doesn’t matter if you have clothes on or not, you’re totally exposed. You’re naked. Great fun for actors and audience alike, and a terrific way to start an evening of short plays.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Who is the audience then? Well in this case, five of them are the actors, who can't quite bring themselves to--but the lines they're speaking, who's responsible for those? Who's scoping their psychic reactions and holding them firm in place in their seats when by ordinary theatre protocol they should be onstage? I shudder to think where the prompter's situated in case one of them forgets a line. Fascinating bit of meta-theatre.

A sly and witty piece of meta-theater that had me laughing out loud in places. Imagine a play that takes place amid the audience, the actors sitting next to patrons, and arguing among themselves about why they won't get up onstage. Wonderful pacing that, in the hands of a good director, would make Larry Rinkel's clever script a delight to ride along with.