rhythm of working.
'I'm going to say a third word.'
She paused.
'Centre.'
I felt and this was entirely unconscious that all my vital energy went to my navel, where it glowed yellow. This frightened me. If someone touched it, I could die.
'Make a gesture for centre!'
Her words sounded like a command. I immediately placed my hands on my belly to protect myself.
'Perfect,' said Athena. 'You can sit up now.'
I opened my eyes and saw the extinguished stage lights up above me, distant and dull. I rubbed my face and got to my feet. I noticed that my colleagues looked surprised.
'Was that the lecture?' asked the director.
'You can call it a lecture if you like.'
'Well, thank you for coming. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to start rehearsals for the next play.'
'But I haven't finished yet.'
'Perhaps another time.'
Everyone seemed confused by the director's reaction. After some initial doubts, I think we were enjoying the session it was different, no pretending to be things or people, no visualising apples or candles. No sitting in a circle holding hands as if we were practising some sacred ritual. It was simply something slightly absurd and we wanted to know where it would take us.
Without a flicker of emotion, Athena bent down to pick up her bag. At that moment, we heard a voice from the stalls.
'Marvellous!'
Heron had come to join her. The director was afraid of him because Heron knew the theatre critics on his newspaper and had close ties with the media generally.
'You stopped being individuals and turned into ideas. What a shame you're so busy, but don't worry, Athena, we'll find another group to work with and then I can see how your lecture ends. I have contacts.'
I was still thinking about the light travelling through my whole body to my navel. Who was that woman? Had my colleagues experienced the same thing?
'Just a moment,' said the director, aware of the look of surprise on everyone's face. 'I suppose we could postpone rehearsals today '
'No, you mustn't do that, besides I have to get back to the newspaper and write something about this woman. You carry on doing what you always do. I've just found an excellent story.'
If Athena felt lost in that debate between the two men, she didn't show it. She climbed down from the stage and went off with Heron. We turned to the director and asked him why he'd reacted like that.
'With all due respect, Andrea, I thought the conversation in the bar about sex was far more interesting than the nonsense we've just been engaging in. Did you notice how she kept falling silent? She didn't know what to do next!'
'But I felt something strange,' said one of the older actors. 'When she said centre, it was as if all my vital energy were suddenly focused in my navel. I've never experienced that before.'
'Did you? Are you sure?' asked an actress, and judging by her words, she'd experienced the same thing.
'She's a bit of a witch, that woman,' said the director, interrupting the conversation. 'Let's get back to work.'
We started doing our usual stretching exercises, warm-ups and meditation, all strictly by the book. Then after a few improvisations, we went straight into a read-through of the new script. Gradually, Athena's presence seemed to be dissolving, and everything was returning to what it was a theatre, a ritual created by the Greeks thousands of years ago, where we were used to pretending to be different people.
But that was pure play-acting. Athena wasn't like that, and I was determined to see her again, especially after what the director had said about her.
Heron Ryan, journalist
Unbeknown to Athena, I'd followed exactly the same steps as the actors, obeying everything she told us to do, except that I kept my eyes open so that I could follow what was happening on stage. The moment she said 'Make a gesture for centre', I'd placed my hand on my navel, and, to my surprise, I saw that everyone, including the director, had done the same. What was going on?
That afternoon, I had to write a dreary article about a visiting head of state a real drag. In order to amuse myself between phone calls, I decided to ask colleagues in the office what gesture they would make if I said the word 'centre'. Most of them made jokey comments about political parties. One pointed to the centre of the Earth. Another put his hand on his heart. But no one, absolutely no one, thought of their