Last week was my debut In the Arena. I gave an 8 min. talk at the Centre County board of commissioners meeting and I also had a 20 min. meeting with a representative in the local office for Glenn Thompson, congressman from my district in PA.
Although I am an actor and have had many stage entrances, this is not in the same category. Not even a little bit.
In fact, I have spent a lot of my life puzzling at the way people “look” at actors. They often assume a) They are extraverts and b) They crave attention and c) They are not afraid of “getting up in front of people.”
Most actors I know are actually introverts. They are artists not exhibitionists, which is not the same. And I would say they often might have a fear of getting up in front of people, because acting and public speaking are two different animals.
I can’t speak for all actors, but for me, being “myself” is much harder than presenting a character, and although I am not a shy person, I can be intimidated in new surroundings and especially when I am not sure what the reaction will be to what I have to say.
I suppose folks, I am saying, if I can do it, you can do it.
The two things that public speaking have in common with acting is the need for practice, or rehearsal, and a sense of readiness and willingness to perform.
There is nothing more essential than practice for countless reasons, not the least of which is that it calms the nerves because, well, you are prepared, and ready to perform.
We know that we are performing when all of our senses —our whole being has been sharpened for this moment, like an athlete or a cellist. Our mind, body and spirit have been thoroughly purified for this. Quite a statement. But, I feel it is true. That’s why ego is not involved in either pursuits, acting or public speaking. The ego is what has to be conquered. It is the ego that fears so greatly that it will be mortified in the arena, and then face defamation, and shame afterwards.
Everyone during this great awakening of which the pandemic had its role, seems to own a particular pathway for personal growth and change. There is something about the notion of so within/so without. We cannot blame perpetrators for all of our misfortunes when we have allowed complacency to creep into our personal spheres.
In no way do I blame the victim. But, I must be careful not to give the victim—in this case, me, a free pass. I could be braver. I could stand up against tyranny. I have seen it before and I have been silent.
Perhaps that’s why I have to find my voice now. It is much easier to act. Much, much easier to speak through the character of Annie Sullivan, the teacher of Helen Keller who I played on stage in the play Miracle Worker, and who was indeed a brave soul, and whose bravery I was able to capture.
If you ever wonder as I have, for obvious reasons, how an actor can “channel” the qualities of another human being, like Annie Sullivan. It is, I believe, because there is not one human emotion, quality or trait, that each one of us does not have inside of us, because we are human. Yes, even those bad ones. Hence, our beloved Anthony Hopkins sharing the darkest evil of Hannibal Lecter.
I get to be brave. For real. What do you get to do?
Here is the script for my 11 min. talk to the county board of commissioners. I plan on providing tips about the various kinds of research out there and when and how to use it. I hope that it may be useful to you.
https://bailiwicknewsarchives.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/sample-speech-to-local-officeholders.pdf
Familiar territory! I lived in State College in the late '80s and worked as a technician in Acoustics, and also in Speech & Hearing in the Sparks building.
At that time the local government struck me as competent, compared to other cities I've known. Sounds like they've declined considerably since then.
One of the mysteries of this monstrosity is how ALL competent governments surrendered to the torturers at first. Some cities and states were already ruled by destroyers with a long record, but even the non-monsters went along for the ride.
Excellent! Thank you for providing the script. 👍🏻