The actor's stream of consciousness...

We're all familiar with how Romeo and Juliet ends, but have you ever wondered what was going through the heads of the actors onstage during one of the most famous scenes ever written?  You might be surprised! Here’s what I was thinking the other night, as we rehearsed this well-known scene:

“Ok, I’m dead. I’m going to try not to breathe too heavy. Little breaths, shallow little breaths, oh God, I feel like I CAN’T BREATHE! How am I going to lay here for this whole scene and not take a deep breath?! Ok, settle down. You’re making it worse. Here comes Paris. Just focus on the story, don’t worry about your breathing. What’s he doing? I wish I could open my eyes and see where he is. Oh, now I hear Romeo. Crap. They’re going to start sword fighting. I HATE this part. Don’t flinch. They’ve rehearsed this a lot. They won’t hit you with the swords. AH! I’m pretty sure they were like 2 inches from my face! Ok, just ignore them. Think about your next line. What is your next line? I can’t remember it. Oh no. What is it? ‘What’s here? Poison I see will be his timeless end.’ That’s it. Ok. Romeo killed Paris. He’s coming over here right now. Now he’s standing next to me. Did he just spit on me while he was talking? YEP. He totally did. I guess I just have to leave that there. Here comes the part where he picks me up. Limp, lifeless, don’t move. Ragdoll. Here comes the kiss, but don’t kiss him back, remember you’re dead. Do you remember your line? ‘What’s here? Poison I see will be his timeless end.’ Yep, still got it. Ok, time to wake up. Not too fast…you’ve been fake-dead for a while. ‘What’s here? Poison I see will be his timeless end!’ NAILED IT! Back to the story. You loved him. He’s dead! DEAD! Oh, awesome, I feel tears coming. Don’t think about it. Just let them come. If you force it, they’ll go away. Dead. He’s dead. Dead. Ok, now you kiss him. I hope my breath is ok and I’m not too spitty from crying. Time to stab yourself. Be careful, don’t hurt yourself. Contemplate? Then….STAB! Cough! Fall. Back to shallow breathing. My ear is right on his stomach. Ha! I can hear his stomach digesting. I wonder what he had for dinner. Do dead people still digest their food? That’s stupid, Emily. Uh oh, my right arm is slipping. Hold yourself up! You can’t move! Thank God, he’s holding me up with his other arm. Remember to thank Chris for holding me up while I was slipping off the tomb. Oh my word, my right butt muscle is cramping up from holding this position. That’s going to be sore tomorrow. Ugh, I should do more pure barre classes. Lord, this scene is SO LONG! Ok, now we’re at the end. Yay! We did it! I wonder if anyone’s going out for a drink after rehearsal...”