Ive never liked the term actor. Barron spoke slowly, joining hands with the cast members to his left and right. The rest of them formed a circle, also holding hands, and he continued. Seriously now, is anyone here acting? Is anyone here pretending? Me, Im a theater director. One hundred percent, all the time. Im not pretending, or acting, or trying to fool anyone. This is what I do, and I give it my alljust like you. I look around me, and I dont see a single phony. I see people who give their hearts, their minds, and their very lives to being serious performers on the stage. In the last weeks Ive watched every one of you give up the easy life to come here and bust a gut to make this show a reality. Thats why I call you performers. Not actorsperformers. Because when its time to prepare, you work out every nuance of a role. When its time to step in front of the crowd, you reach out and pull them in with both hands. When its time to say your lines, you deliver them with skill and meaning. Thats performance. And theres nothing phony about that. Theres nothing pretend about that. Theres no acting that will take the place of that. And so thats my wish for you tonight: Have a great performance. Youve done the work, youre ready, and now its time to show off. Have fun out there, gang. Perform. --Jerome Barron's opening night pep talk to the cast of Death Troupe