Stage as prop

I wrote recently about the overextended stage and then Benjamin said the most amazing thing about performing at Venkman’s.

The only time that I was ever able to connect as easily

with the crowd at Venkman's

was when I was standing on the stage

talking about suicide,

talking about how at one point I thought about

jumping off a balcony

and was standing on a literal ledge

above everyone else

as I said it.

It startled the hell out of people.

But it worked,

they paid attention to the whole show.

Many people found the Venkman’s stage to be too “hot” - too stage-y - including Benjamin. But when he used it as a prop, he flipped the situation again. Instead of the overextended stage making the storyteller subservient, the audience’s clown, Benjamin commanded their attention. He “startled the hell” out of them by making them feel like they were watching him stand on a balcony.