Looking at an actor on stage and being one is a different feeling , a different perception and also a different experience . As people say acting is an easy task ! Try telling that to an actor and he may laugh and say very well then ! What I meant is to watch an actor and to be an actor is two different things !
As a person who loves theater and has passion for acting , sitting on the opposite site and watching one act is like indulging into a character , while being the one on stage is like bring out the character and that's when I am no longer me but the character ! As I act or let's put it as being the character is a wonderful thing because I do not only get to be in the shoes of the character yet I am also projecting the character's story to the audience . During a scene , I personally do not feel the presences of the audience but I feel that they are just a watcher of the life of the character .
When I am a part of the audience , I see a different story . A story of an actor which chooses a different way of telling a story . I may understand and correspond with the actor's role , yet I may not entirely share the same feelings of the character which is being played .
Giving an applause as an audience is to say , it was a wonderful story that was understood and I felt the touches of the scenes ! Yet receiving the applause is like a blessing upon the actor . A respect for the actor and also to mean that the character was played in such a way that the people on the other side could feel and was in the play !
For me , I would love to choose to be the one playing a role rather than sitting and watching one ! But it won't bring me harm to sit and watch others play a part where I can get indulged into a character .