As part of the short run of How I Learned to Drive, there was an "audience talkback" session after each show. The audience and some of the cast would sit and discuss the play and it's themes together. The play is so well written and complex that you could talk for hours about it and never run out of discussion material. These particular talkbacks were led by a different professional each time; a social worker, a family counselor and a philosophy professor.

I've been part of talkback sessions in the past and truthfully, I'm not sure how I feel about them.

On the one hand, I love to act and talking about that is really enjoyable, and yet not. It's a very personal process and an intimate thing to share. It gets a little tainted when you talk about it. The expression "the most important things are the hardest to say because words diminish them" sums it up pretty well.

On the other hand, it's a way to understand how the performance and material was viewed and perceived. Was what you were doing, coming across to the audience? What actors do is a public thing so that kind of feedback can be really helpful.

In the case of Drive, it was interesting to hear how different people viewed the play, the characters and the subject matter (pedophilia). The conversations ranged from people offering interesting insights to (as a friend called it) "people who just like to hear themselves talk."

The final talkback had the smallest attendance of the three sessions but included a couple people who seemed almost militant in their viewpoints.

One lady felt very strongly that teenagers should be made to see the play and couldn't fathom why anyone would not want their child to see it. Her diatribe was aimed very pointedly towards a friend of mine who hadn't brought her teenage daughter because she didn't feel that she was ready for the material.

After listening to this for a little while, I spoke up and said that I thought it depended on the age (a 13-year old was quite different from a 19-year old) as well as the overall maturity of the child, Ultimately, it was up to the parents to determine whether the play was appropriate or not. Seemed like common sense to me and in retrospect, a wee bit scary that someone would feel so strongly to the contrary.

Another lady responded vehemently against the notion that my character "Uncle Peck" was acting out of any kind of love for (his niece-by-marriage) "Lil' Bit." She couldn't fathom how anyone could see his actions as anything but simple manipulation and made several strong statements aimed towards another actor and myself. From her tone and mannerisms, it really seemed as if she wasn't able to separate me from the character I'd played.

I spoke calmly and went into detail about, though misguided and sick, "Peck" shows his love for "Lil' Bit" (appropriately and inappropriately) as a parental figure (the only one she really has). As part of this, he teaches her to become stronger; ultimately strong enough to sever her ties with him. I also made the point that I was an actor playing the part and that I certainly didn't condone my character's actions. I think I communicated the points successfully but her intensity still made my wife and a few others feel a wee bit uneasy.

So, "do I like talkbacks?" Ask me after the next one -- one that's connected to a play with a less sensitive subject!

I share your split reaction on talkbacks... ultimately I think it is good for the producer--to guage whether to do similar works in the future, and/or whether to make changes to the show. As an actor, they help me little (although are occassionally interesting).