Cracks

Meryl Streep recalled her time at the National Playwrights Conference in the book “The O’Neill: The Transformation of Modern American Theater: “That summer the process was so condensed that I learned a sort of invaluable swiftness of decision making, out of necessity. The “choices” could not be labored over, and that, for certain types of thinking actors, is a gift of exigency. You had to, like your fifth-grade teacher said, in multiple-choice questions, just go with your first instinct, don’t worry it to death. That’s what actors did at the O’Neill, and with full-blown commitment. Like jumping off the platform onto the swinging trapeze… don’t hesitate. It’s a good lesson. One I’ve carried with me my whole life”.