When I was in high school, my drama teacher had a very specific opening night ritual. Before the curtain would open, the cast and crew members would stand in a circle. We would all hold hands. Then, after the director's speech, we would begin to stamp our feet, and rapidly squeeze our hands together and eventually shout triumphantly. Our drama teacher called this a magic circle. It was our time-honored theater tradition. Last year, I was working backstage at a community theater production of Gypsy, and during the opening weekend, the cast organically created their own tradition: They would stand out side, listen to the director's pep-talk, and then sing the national anthem.
But what about you? Do you have an opening night ritual from your theater past or present? Share it with the rest of us!
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