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It\u2019s opening night. You make your entrance, hit your mark, and then \u2013 silence. Your mind goes blank. You can\u2019t remember your first line.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s opening night. You make your entrance, hit your mark, and then \u2013 silence. Your mind goes blank. You can\u2019t remember your first line.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s called \u201cgoing up\u201d on stage \u2013 a reference to the reflexive way people have of looking up and to the side when they can\u2019t remember something. According to actor John Mahoney<\/a>, \u201cIt happens to everybody. I’ve read stories about John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Noel Coward and Olivier.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing that such luminaries have had it happen to them may make it easier for the rest of us. And it\u2019s good to keep in mind that, again according to Mahoney, \u201cIn virtually every performance, somebody forgets something.\u201d<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, actors have plenty of stories, and you can hear some of them in a special extended interview conducted with Prime Stage<\/a> actors Liam Macik and Sean Patrick Sears that is being made available as a special bonus to anyone who makes a donation<\/a> to Prime Stage before April 1.<\/p>\n You can also hear excerpts of that interview with Macik and Sears on Episodes 4<\/a> and 5<\/a> of \u201cThe Play\u2019s the Thing,\u201d where you\u2019ll also hear the conclusion to this season’s story of a stage detective who \u201cgoes up\u201d on stage after solving a real-life mystery.<\/p>\n You can listen to Act 5 of “The Play’s the Thing” by clicking the player below, or \u2013 if you missed any of the previous episodes \u2013 by accessing the entire season on Apple<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0Audible<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0Deezer<\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0Libsyn<\/a>, \u00a0Spotify<\/a>, or the\u00a0podcasts page<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0PrimeStage.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll met you there!<\/p>\n