
Relaying Billy
Text by Robert
Dear Bruce,
Well, what can I say? The session today was wonderful! I really enjoyed it; so much that I am now suffering from an extreme case of anticlimax. I have been wandering around aimlessly all night and decided to put pen to paper immediately to thank you for arranging the session. I have to say that I was overwhelmed by the afternoon’s events. Truly, it was an unforgettable experience and one that I am sure will inspire and motivate me for many months, nay, years to come.
I must say the Billy Hayes piece from ‘Midnight Express’ was a stroke of genius on your part. I have to say that I felt completely at ease playing that role and I will endeavour to learn and perfect the piece for possible use in future auditions. It is certainly very powerful. (I must confess a preference for the version used in the film, however. It is much meatier and more emotionally charged.)
I would very much like to write to everyone who attended today to thank them for going so far beyond the call of duty. If you could furnish me with contact addresses, or if I could write c/o yourself. I wanted also to write to Tony Ferrara at PVM and the sound recordist, Will, (didn’t catch the surname) who was a veritable barrel of questions as soon as his headphones came off! The interview after the session was quite comprehensive but my ‘head was a shed’ after the afternoon’s dramatic events.
I honestly cannot remember meeting Tony through Phil Jones at Feltham, but I think that was most probably due to the brevity of the encounter. I met so many people, including yourself, at that prison, the mind boggles.
The only downside to the afternoon was its end. There is nothing worse than losing your ‘shackles’ for three hours, only to have them slapped back on afterwards. I have a few good friends that immediately came at me with questions, but I was in no fit state to answer them! I can only look forward to the next session and I very much hope that Alan, Lynn, Robyn, Tony, Will and, of course, yourself, found today as rewarding and inspirational as I did.
Once again, thank you.
Robert
P.S: I am now more determined than ever to succeed.
