Opening Night of “Estranged Identity”

by Tiffany Barclay

For weeks, the emotion was intense. Powerful. Moving. Compelling. And yet for weeks, it was contained to the three walls onstage. The actors rehearsing experienced it. But tonight was different. Tonight someone else experienced the emotion. Someone else laughed. Someone else cried. Someone else was moved. Someone else was there watching – an audience.

Opening nights are magical. There’s something indescribable about them – excitement, nervousness, anticipation, the unknown. And when opening night is also the opening of a world premiere, it’s even more magical. For one special night, the unknown becomes known. The imagined becomes reality. A hidden plot is revealed.

As the writer of Estranged Identity, watching the audience’s reaction to the unveiling of my show is the best part. Hearing laughter, seeing tears, sensing anticipation or listening to applause reveals emotion transferred from actors to audience. Knowing that the emotion is being shared beyond the fourth wall is an indescribable feeling. On opening night, I witnessed this transfer of emotion. The audience laughed, cried, and applauded. Sharing the gift of emotion in my show and watching the audience embrace it was the highlight I took away from opening night.

Opening night has now come and gone. But three more performances remain of Estranged Identity. Each performance is an opening night in itself, an unveiling to new eyes and ears. A new audience comes to see and hear what they’ve never seen or heard before. Each night, someone else experiences emotion. Someone else laughs. Someone else cries. Someone else is moved. Someone else is there watching. Will it be you?