He started off to gather a new group of first-term students, but before he had taken more than three steps, he was back again. “Let’s have lunch together with some of the others,” he said. “That okay with you?”
“We’d love to,” the girls chorused.
“Good. Meet you downstairs in front of the building at twelve. S’long!”
Feeling no longer lost, but already a part of their new school community, Peggy and Amy proceeded into the little theater, found seats near the front, and started to introduce themselves to the other new students nearest them. The exchange of names, home towns, impressions, and ambitions occupied the next fifteen minutes or more until the dimming of the house lights and the illumination of the stage brought a hush to the small auditorium.
The last few whispers died when Mr. Macaulay walked to stage center, bowed formally to the right, the left and the center, and then unexpectedly sat down on the apron of the stage with his legs dangling.
“The bows were your formal welcome to the Academy, and I hope they take the place of a speech,” Mr. Macaulay began. “I hate speeches. From now on, we’re going to be informal and friendly, because that’s the only atmosphere in which people can get any work done. And you have a lot of work to do. You will have physical work in which you will learn to walk, to move, to dance a little, to stand up and to sit down. You may think you already know how to do these things, but you probably don’t.
“You will have mental work,” he went on, “in which you will learn how to read a play, how to understand the motivation of a character and his relationship to the other characters. You will learn elocution, voice projection, and a dozen other things that have to do with speaking lines. You will learn the history of the theater, become familiar with the classic plays, and learn something about stage design and construction. In this last area, you will pick up the practical craft of making flats, painting scenery, and wiring lighting—a type of pedestrian work that has occupied the time of nearly every actor before he was allowed to appear even in a walk-on role.
“And last, and perhaps most important,” Mr. Macaulay concluded, “you will learn that the informality and friendliness of the theater must not be mistaken for lack of discipline; in short, you will learn how to take direction!”
Still seated on the edge of the stage, Mr. Macaulay called out his staff of instructors one by one, introduced each to the students, and gave a short history of each one’s background and qualifications for his or her work. All were seasoned professionals, and were very impressive to the students.
Mr. Macaulay also explained that leading performers from the Broadway stage, movies, and television would make regular guest appearances at the Academy, as would outstanding directors, choreographers, designers, and playwrights. The size of the staff, in effect, was unlimited.