stage directions for romance by Tony do not hold auditions. open the door to the stage, and see who enters. protagonists should be ordinary angels, clothed in unremarkable fabrics, made up as laborers. antagonists should be limber and angry, dark eyed, bitterly handsome. close and lock the doors. let the actors choose their parts by lot. let them revolve around each other with no direction from you. once they are comfortable with what they want to say, assign roles and give them their actual lines. at the two minute warning, strip them all naked, get them to their marks just before the house lights go down. drop a sandbag onto the stage. even if it kills someone, even if it wounds someone, announce that the show must go on, remind them that any tension they now feel will be fodder for the muse, and that death sharpens the urgency of improvisation. raise the curtain when you are sure they are no longer ready. Added to GotPoetry.com ( http://www.gotpoetry.com ) on 06-Mar-2008