There’s something to be said about walking into an empty theater, strolling down the aisle and slipping into the perfect velvety seat. How about middle of the room? Middle-front? Maybe you’re a way-back kind of person. After working in or on a dozen theatre productions and seeing at least double that number, I’m here to tell you that wherever your favorite seat is: There’s a better option.
The best place to watch a play is backstage.
Backstage, you see everything—not just what the actors and stage crew are trying to give you. The nervous energy is tangible. You can feel it surrounding you with every anxious jig an actor does, in every hurried footstep as the crew sets about fixing that last, hold-out problem. And the best part? You know these people. You have spent weeks—months, if you’re lucky—putting your sweat and heart into staging this play. You know who had trouble memorizing lines, who had to practice the same scene day after day to get it right. Which set pieces received six coats of paint, and who designed the heavy set in order to make it mobile. The show is personal. And you’re waiting…
The flurry of organized chaos settles right down as the house lights drop and the announcement starts.
Welcome to our production…
And everyone’s face says, “Here we go.”
Backstage, you catch the actors messing around. Every musical number is recreated with ten times the energy in the wings. You see people in all-black waving from either side of the stage, motioning towards something that needs to be remedied. The sound crew is weaving around with mic tape, the curtain puller straps on her gloves…
The curtain falls, and the work lights go up. People in black rush to set the next stage, calling out warnings to move, look out, set coming through. Actors rush into place as soon as the heavy set hits the floor, juggling their own props. The crew settles back into the dark, nearly invisible, congratulating themselves on getting the change in under 60 seconds.
The lead actress nailed that joke and the audience laughter cloaks the sound of a chorus girl’s prop hitting the floor. Everyone freezes backstage, is it broken?
To the set shop it goes! Back it comes not a moment too soon, fixed with duct tape, just as the girl swaggers onstage.
At intermission there is a lull. Everyone smiles, but it isn’t time to breathe yet. Backstage, the intermission only lasts a few seconds. Partly because there is work to be done. Mostly because every minute feels shorter than a heartbeat. Then the cue comes from the light booth. And the curtain is opening…
Then, somehow, it’s the last scene. Everyone’s face says, “We made it.”
The best place to watch a play is backstage. Backstage, you are in the middle of art being created. Every little moment makes the play personal, makes it real. Backstage is full of moments that stick out, that catch the eye. In the criss-cross of lights and shadow, you watch friends become characters and crew become teammates. You dance to the music you have heard for weeks, that you will go to bed humming. When the final curtain closes, the magic breaks and all that is left is the feeling that your heart has been stretched, tested, and returned to its former place. You are sore, you are laughing, and you are the play.
