By Omeleto
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Charles Henderson is an actor about to get his “big break.” He’s been cast in a play about slavery written and directed by acclaimed playwright Kurt Santiago. Charles is nervous but talented and determined, and he aims to impress and deliver for Santiago.
But Santiago is known for doing whatever it takes to pull the best performances out of his actors. And as Charles interacts with Santiago to pull together the rawest, most powerful performance from Charles, Charles is pushed to go into the darkest abysses of his psyche, confronting the very question of who he is.
Directed by Chase Gutzmore from a script co-written with Alex Tacher — who also play Charles and Santiago, respectively — this powerful short drama is a performance within a performance, as ambitious actor Charles aims to deliver a performance for a star-making theatrical auteur. Many films about the artistic process of theater or film use the layers of reality and performance to ask questions about the divides between life and art and often examine the distance between what we say about something versus what it is. But as Charles both grapples, fails and flails under an increasingly impatient, brutal Santiago to bring a searing text to life, those layers fall apart, and Charles must face the darkest corners of his personal history.
The writing is rich in conflict and character, from the dramatic thunder of the play-within-the-film to the relationship between actor and director. Though the narrative set-up is minimal — the majority of the story is Charles on a stage with Santiago and his assistant in the seats below — the storytelling takes advantage of the theater’s penchant for volume and expressiveness to ratchet up the tension with a well-calibrated sense of pacing and build-up. The craftsmanship also takes advantage of the setting’s ability to sculpt expressionistic, stark lighting, giving the visuals a moody, almost sumptuous drama. Working alongside the sharp, instinctual editing, the film has a bigger look and feel that suits the emotional register of the storytelling.
As Charles attempts, again and again, to bring the climactic speech of Santiago’s play to life, he increasingly frustrates the director and playwright, who begins to lash out at Charles. Watching Charles struggle under Santiago’s exacting and merciless direction is tough, and Gutzmore deftly captures Charles’s frustration and helplessness, especially as Santiago — played by actor Alex Tascher with sharpness and intensity — skews abusive and cruel. Santiago forces Charles to delve into his deepest layers and darkest secrets, until he is confronted with the soul-shaking vulnerability, shame and fear that finally delivers the final speech with raw, hard-won and unforgettable emotion.
“Standing Ovation” ends with a powerful rush of emotion that’s as cathartic and wrenching for the audience as it is for the actor. But it also leaves us with uneasy questions. If art-within-art asks questions about the spaces between life and how we talk and tell about it, the fact that the play within “Standing Ovation” is about slavery asks us to consider our stories and understanding of that dark chapter in U.S. history, and how it continues to shape and haunt the lives and identities of modern descendants of enslaved people today. It asks these thought-provoking questions in an emotionally compelling, intelligent way, as it ends with one man looking into these questions, perhaps for the first time, and confronting his familial and historical legacy of pain.
Transcript provided by YouTube:
0:04
white men and white women of the jury
0:06
are standing before you all today not as
0:07
a man
0:08
not as person not even as a human being
0:10
but as a i’ve been whipped
0:13
and beaten in front of a town full of
0:15
housewives and the fact that i’m even
0:16
able to stand here and speak my
0:17
testimony and give you all my last words
0:19
it’s almost ceiling to me
0:22
white man and white woman in the jury i
0:23
stand before you okay no no no
0:25
i stand before your wall today
0:28
that doesn’t matter not as a person not
0:29
even as a human being but as a
0:33
white man and white woman of the jury i
0:36
stand before you all today
0:39
not as a man not as a person not even as
0:41
a human being but as a not as a
0:44
man not as a person not even as a human
0:46
being but that’s a because my
0:47
whole life i’ve been sold to white
0:48
plantation under this i’ve had my name
0:51
strip
0:52
okay
0:53
white man white will under the jury
0:58
white men and white women of the jury i
1:00
stand before you all today
1:03
okay so he’s he’s a slave he’s he’s
1:06
tortured and
1:10
white man and white women
1:16
you’re an actor
1:18
you’re an artist i’m ready for this
1:21
i’m born for this
1:23
you are leon abraham
1:26
you are
1:28
leon abraham
1:30
you were made for this
1:32
you’re made for this
1:34
hey charles we’re ready to rehearse your
1:36
monologue come with me okay yeah yeah
1:45
[Music]
1:51
[Music]
1:59
[Music]
2:06
you are
2:14
good evening mr charles
2:17
glad you can make it how’s it going mrs
2:19
santiago
2:20
it’s kurt
2:22
i hope you came prepared today and you
2:25
are
2:26
off book yeah um i was up all night
2:28
practicing
2:30
really grateful for this opportunity
2:32
glad you’re taking the place seriously
2:35
hopefully though you
2:36
did read the entire script and
2:39
not just your own parts or
2:41
are you just one of those self-indulgent
2:43
actors who only likes to read your own
2:44
oh no no it’s all about you
2:46
i read the whole thing um
2:48
it’s about the uh
2:49
american revolutionists of the late
2:52
1800s
2:53
good
2:55
because you see the thing is charles um
3:00
when i finished writing this play
3:02
i really felt like i had something
3:05
special on my hands here
3:07
i felt like i had something
3:09
that truly shows
3:11
the raw hurt
3:12
you know and and the pain and struggling
3:15
all these things that we had to go
3:16
through as americans to become this
3:18
nation that we are today
3:20
now
3:22
i honestly think
3:23
that a piece like this
3:25
can change the entire face of theater
3:29
easily
3:30
but
3:32
it has to be done
3:33
just right mr sun
3:36
curt
3:38
um
3:38
i love to play and
3:40
i respect your vision good and
3:43
i plan on giving it all i got um
3:47
i also just wanted to say again
3:49
thank you for um giving me this
3:51
opportunity you know it it really means
3:53
a lot don’t thank me just yet no i kind
3:55
of have to because um
3:58
you know i’ve kind of had some things
4:00
happen to me in my life that uh
4:02
that have really prevented me from being
4:04
able to do this so you know just to be
4:07
here
4:08
and be working with the director of your
4:10
caliber like
4:13
it means a lot
4:14
so again
4:18
thank you
4:21
all right
4:23
well let’s see what you got
4:25
uh we’re gonna pick it up from
4:29
okay we’re gonna pick it up from the
4:30
ending monologue
4:31
got it all right so take a second
4:34
and whenever you’re ready
4:41
white men and white women of the jury
4:43
i stand before you all today not as a
4:46
man not as a person not even as a human
4:48
being
4:49
but as a
4:50
because my whole life i’ve been sold to
4:52
white plantation on as i’ve had my name
4:54
stripped to whatever my master seemed
4:56
fit at the time i’ve been whipped and
4:57
beaten in front of a town full of
4:59
housewives and small infants
5:01
i stand before you all today a broken
5:03
being
5:04
but the fact that let me just stand here
5:06
and speak let’s cut it there let’s cut
5:07
it right there
5:09
okay so it’s not bad
5:11
uh you’re pacing it’s a little bit too
5:13
fast so what i want you to do is i want
5:15
you to slow it down okay okay i need you
5:17
to
5:18
flesh your words out more
5:20
okay find those little nuances in what
5:23
you’re saying
5:24
take a second
5:26
take a second allow yourself to get into
5:29
this character
5:30
feel what you’re saying
5:32
because you’re not going to be able to
5:33
do any of that if you’re just
5:35
rushing through it
5:36
uh-huh my bad sorry yep nope no
5:38
apologies let’s just get it together
5:41
let’s pick it up again okay
5:42
from the top
5:45
ready
5:47
and
5:48
action
5:53
let’s just slow it down
5:55
slow it down
5:56
okay
5:57
feel charles
5:59
i need you to feel
6:02
okay
6:04
action
6:06
white men and white women of the jury
6:10
i stand before you all today
6:13
not as a man
6:15
not as a person
6:17
not even as a human
6:18
being but as a
6:21
because my whole life i’ve been sold to
6:24
white plantation owners i’ve had my name
6:26
stripped
6:27
to whatever my master’s seen fit at the
6:29
time
6:29
i’ve been whipped
6:31
and beaten in front of a town full of
6:33
housewives and small
6:36
influence okay cut cut cut cut cut okay
6:40
um
6:43
okay um
6:44
so now your pacing is too slow
6:49
so now
6:50
it’s become
6:52
this
6:53
drag
6:55
i need you to get out of your head
6:57
i need you to get into this character
6:59
okay okay take a second
7:02
reach into your heart
7:04
okay once you find this character from
7:06
within you charles you’re not gonna
7:08
worry about the pacing you’re not gonna
7:09
worry about the flow and all that stuff
7:10
okay that’s gonna come
7:18
answer this question for me
7:20
what do you think it takes to become
7:23
a good actor
7:28
talent no
7:32
being
7:33
a good actor
7:34
is about being a great storyteller okay
7:37
you’re taking yourself charles you’re
7:39
molding yourself into this other human
7:41
being okay you’re living in those
7:43
experiences you’re trying to feel that
7:46
pain
7:47
now in this monologue you talk about
7:49
being whipped
7:50
you talk about being
7:52
humiliated you talk about being treated
7:53
in the most inhumane ways imaginable
7:57
at some point in your life have you ever
7:59
experienced any kind of pain
8:07
i’ve been dealing with pain my whole
8:08
life sir okay
8:10
good
8:12
i chose you for this part
8:14
because you had this sense
8:17
of rawness to you
8:19
that’s a gift
8:20
okay so we’re gonna do the monologue
8:22
again
8:23
okay and i want you to use that gift put
8:27
yourself in the position of this man
8:28
charles who’s been through so much pain
8:31
he’s been through so much suffering he’s
8:34
been through so much hell to the point
8:36
where you feel you have nothing left to
8:39
lose
8:40
do this with integrity and honesty okay
8:43
i don’t want you to act
8:45
i want you to be
8:48
i hate actors
8:50
do you think you could do that yes good
8:53
let’s do it again ready and action
8:57
okay
9:11
just
9:26
white men and white women of of the jury
9:30
i stand before you all today
9:34
not as a man not not as a person not
9:37
even as a human being but okay and we’re
9:39
doing the same exact
9:42
the same
9:44
what is it
9:47
do you not realize the magnitude and the
9:49
importance of this play
9:51
i mean the pivotal message that this has
9:54
and the potential that this has to shake
9:55
up the entire world of theater
9:58
charles i have top tier cast directors
10:00
and directors that are coming to this
10:01
play suzanne smith bernard tesley edlyn
10:04
lewis these are casting directors that
10:06
have gone on to cast actors who have
10:07
gone on to win oscars
10:10
oscars
10:12
what’s so special about you all right
10:13
look look mrs santiago look i’m i’m just
10:16
kind of in my head right now but i’m
10:17
meant to be doing everybody wants to be
10:19
this star everybody wants the awards
10:22
everybody wants a standing ovation yet
10:25
nobody seems to want to do the work
10:29
you told me you want this
10:31
so show me
10:33
okay be a real human being and
10:35
actually try and make me feel something
10:39
i did not put my heart and my soul into
10:41
writing this piece charles to just have
10:42
my actors disrespect the narrative by
10:44
just phoning it in
10:48
could we do something different yes yes
10:51
let’s go
10:52
action
10:56
action
10:58
just give me a minute
11:00
give me a minute
11:01
um
11:29
cut
11:54
tell me about your parents
12:01
what your parents tell me about them
12:12
my mother died when i was 12.
12:16
and your father
12:19
why i don’t want to oh why what
12:21
was talking about your father trigger
12:22
you no i i just i don’t i don’t talk
12:26
about it and why is that because i don’t
12:27
talk about that man oh
12:29
that man huh
12:31
well if you can’t seem to talk about
12:33
your own father then how the hell do you
12:34
expect to become a good actor this has
12:36
nothing to do with that this has
12:37
everything to do with that look kurt
12:39
kurt
12:40
i respect the hell out of you as a
12:41
director
12:42
and i see what you’re trying to do here
12:44
but it’s not going to work oh it’s not
12:45
going to work what you actually getting
12:46
vulnerable and dealing with some real
12:47
emotions no i can’t get vulnerable well
12:49
clearly you can’t no i can i don’t need
12:51
to talk to talk about my my dad you
12:53
can’t even say give me a minute okay in
12:55
your own emotions how the hell do you
12:56
expect to take on somebody else no
12:57
that’s not even fair tell me about your
12:58
father he’s in jail okay are you happy
13:04
why is he there look i’m not about to go
13:06
through with you right now okay well you
13:08
know what then go there for yourself
13:09
tell me come on why is your dad in jail
13:11
listen no no no no because what i went
13:12
through with that man is something that
13:13
took me years to get over and i’m just
13:16
now finally sort of get back on the
13:17
right track and i am not about to ruin
13:19
it over some parts oh so now it’s just
13:22
some part what happened to it’s in my
13:24
bones and i meant to do this and all
13:25
this you were telling me before
13:27
it’s that he molest you kurt
13:31
that’s what happened huh you daddy
13:32
came up the stairs every night and he
13:34
touched you didn’t he
13:36
did you tell mommy she didn’t believe
13:38
you did anyone believe me did you grow
13:40
up feeling emasculated like somehow your
13:42
manhood was taken from you before you
13:44
even hit puberty yes pass out every time
13:46
you get touched do you feel introverted
13:48
do you feel isolated do you feel like
13:50
you have nobody else to turn to is that
13:52
what happened
13:54
my dad is jack henderson you know the
13:57
same that lost his mind
13:58
one day it killed 10 people including my
14:01
own mother once she found out what he
14:03
was doing to try to stop him right in
14:05
front of me
14:07
do you know what it’s like to go through
14:08
some like that to have the entire
14:10
world know about the worst
14:12
moment of your life when it blew up on
14:13
the news does it go through a
14:15
whole ass trial at 13 years old we just
14:18
take the stand and tell the whole world
14:20
without psychopath your dad was only for
14:22
that to leave your kids to bully you in
14:23
school for years because they assume
14:25
that you’re the same monster that he is
14:27
did you have to go without with your
14:28
parents
14:29
huh
14:30
what in jail did did you have your
14:32
mother’s murder on play-by-play and your
14:35
nightmares every night
14:38
did you
14:39
because i said you had some like
14:40
that happening to you don’t tell
14:42
me that i’m not being vulnerable because
14:44
i’ve been following my whole
14:46
life
15:07
what
15:09
trust me
15:11
do the monologue
15:16
do the monologue charles
15:20
right where you are
15:24
do the monologue
15:54
white men
15:55
and white women
15:57
of the jury
16:01
i stand before you all today
16:04
not as a man
16:06
not as a person not even as a human
16:09
being
16:10
but
16:13
as a
16:15
because my whole life i’ve been
16:17
sold to white plantation notice i’ve had
16:21
my name stripped to whatever my master
16:24
seemed fit at the time i’ve been whipped
16:26
and i’ve been beaten
16:28
in front of a town full of housewives
16:30
and small infants
16:35
i stand before you all today a broken b
16:41
i mean the fact that i’m even able to
16:42
stand here and speak my testimony and
16:45
give you all my last words is almost
16:47
silly to me because at the end of the
16:48
day your mind’s already made up
16:52
and leon abraham
16:54
is guilty
16:57
so before
17:00
facing you all
17:02
today
17:04
i’ve made up my mind
17:08
that i’m
17:09
gonna remain
17:11
silent
17:13
i will not give you all my last words
17:16
because my final thoughts
17:18
and the truth that lies within me
17:21
is too precious to me
17:23
so i’m gonna let god
17:25
be the judge the jury and so i will let
17:28
him be the executioner
17:34
but my final request
17:42
my final request
17:48
is for you all to let me
17:51
walk out of this courtroom today
17:56
with the last bit of dignity
18:00
i have left
18:29
[Music]
19:00
[Music]
19:05
[Music]
19:31
[Music]
19:51
you
—
This post was previously published on YouTube.
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