Public solitude

When on stage we talk about the 'fourth wall', the invisible wall between the performers and the audience. Even though some performers seek contact with the audience, or play the audience as some say, most of the time we ignore their presence while focusing on what is happening on stage.

In Meisner training we talk about 'public solitude'. Are you able to walk through a room or walk out on stage when people are watching the same way you would do if you were alone? It is harder than you think. At home you stop thinking of your moves but on stage there are constantly people watching. So even if you don't look at the audience when on stage you are aware of them.

Could you pick your nose in front of a crowd in which every single person is focusing on you, pretending they are not there? If you are not ready to show your warts and bumps you are not fully ready for 'public solitude'.

Public solitude is an art worth mastering.