Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Musical Theatre Dream
Episode Date: November 20, 2024Narrator: Thomas Jones 🇬🇧 Writer: Alicia Steffann ✍️ Sound design: calm city ambience, footsteps, soft voices 🏙️👟🗣️ Includes mentions of: Nostalgia, Children, Car, Enclosed ...Spaces, Gratitude, Beverages, Darkness, Theatre, Performing on Stage. Welcome back, sleepyheads. Tonight, we’ll immerse ourselves in a musical theatre production at a grand venue in the city, recalling memories of past performances. 😴 Watch, listen and comment on this episode on the Get Sleepy YouTube channel. And hit subscribe while you're there! Enjoy various playlists of our stories and meditations on our Slumber Studios Spotify profile. Our Sponsors Check out the great products and deals from Get Sleepy sponsors: getsleepy.com/sponsors/ Support Us Get Sleepy’s Premium Feed: getsleepy.com/support/ Get Sleepy Merchandise: getsleepy.com/store Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-sleepy/id1487513861 Connect Stay up to date on all our news and even vote on upcoming episodes! Website: getsleepy.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/getsleepypod/ Instagram: instagram.com/getsleepypod/ Twitter: twitter.com/getsleepypod Our Apps Redeem exclusive unlimited access to Premium content for 1 month FREE in our mobile apps built by the Get Sleepy and Slumber Studios team: Deep Sleep Sounds: deepsleepsounds.com/getsleepy/ Slumber: slumber.fm/getsleepy/ FAQs Have a query for us or need help with something? You might find your answer here:Get Sleepy FAQs About Get Sleepy Get Sleepy is the #1 story-telling podcast designed to help you get a great night’s rest. By combining sleep meditations with a relaxing bedtime story, each episode will guide you gently towards sleep. Get Sleepy Premium Get instant access to ad-free episodes and Thursday night bonus episodes by subscribing to our premium feed. It's easy! Sign up in two taps! Get Sleepy Premium feed includes: Monday and Wednesday night episodes (with zero ads). An exclusive Thursday night bonus episode. Access to the entire back catalog (also ad-free). Extra-long episodes. Exclusive sleep meditation episodes. Discounts on merchandise. We’ll love you forever. Get your 7-day free trial: getsleepy.com/support. Thank you so much for listening! Feedback? Let us know your thoughts! getsleepy.com/contact-us/. Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios. Check out our podcasts, apps, and more at slumberstudios.com. That’s all for now. Sweet dreams ❤️ 😴 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Welcome to Get Sleepy.
Where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy.
My name's Tom, and I'm your host.
Thanks for listening to the third of five episodes in this very special fifth anniversary
week of the show.
Although a wealth of entertainment options can now be streamed right into our homes,
there's something special about taking in a live performance.
For those of us who still appreciate the thrill of a darkened theatre, there is no substitute. Whether the venue is a grand orphan or a small experimental black
box, the stage provides us with a camaraderie we can feel. Tonight we'll
immerse ourselves in a musical theatre production at a grand venue in the city. If it's been a long time since you were able to
visit such a place, we hope it will bring back happy memories and send you off to sweet dreams.
And if you've never had the chance to go, we hope that this will be a novel and relaxing experience.
The wonderful Alicia Stephane is responsible for tonight's dreamy story,
and bless her, she only recently let me know that I was pronouncing her surname a little off from how it should be,
so apologies for that Alicia, but it's always
a pleasure reading your stories and tonight is no different.
Before we hear it, we'd love to have your support on Get Sleepy Premium, where you can
enjoy well over 800 full length stories and meditations, including dozens of long length episodes to
keep you company throughout the night.
The premium feed is completely ad free, and there are hundreds of bonus episodes you can't
hear anywhere else.
In fact, every single Thursday we release a brand new bonus episode just for our premium supporters.
Tomorrow, you can listen to Heather's soothing voice as we visit the fictional town of Astoria
to hear the tale of how their miniature library festival began.
So join us for that and enjoy a 7 day free trial to begin with. To learn more, visit
getsleepy.com slash support or just follow the link in the show notes. Thank you so much
everyone. Now, my friends, make yourself comfortable in bed and close your eyes when you're ready.
You may be feeling a little restless still, perhaps some worries and thoughts are swirling around in your mind, but don't worry.
In order to let go of your cares and concerns, try imagining the stresses of your day as
a performance.
You can see the tasks that must be completed.
You're aware of the problems you have yet to solve.
These responsibilities exist, but they are not something you are personally performing
at the moment. They aren't something you're
responsible for resolving or completing but know that you are not
needed right now as an actor in that plot.
You are expected to be nothing but a spectator. Feel comfortable that all these items will
resolve soon. Right now your only responsibility is relaxation and respite. As your breathing slows and deepens, imagine yourself
gliding down a large avenue surrounded by twinkling city lights. Your taxi is slowing to a halt. You're about to emerge
into your theatre dream. This is where our story begins. The taxi drops you off several blocks from the theatre on one of the quieter thoroughfares.
You step out onto the pavement and breathe in the late afternoon chill. It's the time of year when darkness comes early. This
suits you. An excursion to the theater never feels quite the same in broad
daylight.
night. You are vaguely conscious of the taxi slowly pulling away as you turn and walk down the street towards your destination. You are just a little bit dressed up. Attending a show is always a special occasion. At least, you choose to
make it so. If entering the hallowed halls of a theater ever becomes commonplace or pedestrian, you know you will have lost some magic from your life.
As you walk, you think about how after all these years of seeing countless musicals, You still feel the quiet thrill of the overture, the rapture of losing yourself in the anonymity
of the audience.
You still yearn for the bright illumination of a vast stage that will transport you to another world even if it's just for a
few precious hours. The bustle of the city flows by you, but rather than feeling hurried or crowded, you are infused with its smooth electricity.
Flowing like a current, it carries you along.
Your steps move steadily towards the marquee that hangs ahead on the next block.
Every pedestrian light seems to turn green for you to cross just in time.
Passersby smile and talk with each other other or rummage through their bags
preoccupied by their own thoughts.
You are one in a cast of thousands out here in the wild, but you're about to narrow your focus to a much smaller and cozier venue.
Soon you arrive at the entrance to the theater.
As you stroll under the glow of the colorful sign, you merge seamlessly with a steady convergence of other patrons.
Inside the door, smiling ticket takers in matching uniforms nod to each person who enters, taking their paper pass, or scanning a code on their mobile phone.
There is a palpable feeling of happiness and anticipation all around.
Every single person here has been eagerly awaiting this moment. There is something perfect
about that time when you're just about to immerse yourself in a show, but it's still waiting for you. It will begin soon, and no part of it is yet over. The whole treat is ahead.
The lobby is grand. Its rich decorations are an artifact of a more glamorous time,
draping the foyer unashamedly in lavish art deco splendor.
A single grand staircase presides over the room, drawing your attention like a magnet.
Ushas are posted on its middle landing, directing ticket holders to the right or the left,
depending upon their seat number.
depending upon their seat number. You know exactly where your place is, but you play the part.
You show your ticket stop and the nice young gentleman at the bottom of the stairs nods and directs you to the right. You don't need a low hum swells around you.
A sea of people fills the lobby. They will be proceeding to their seats any moment, but right now they are putting their warm jackets and scarves in the cloakroom.
They are eyeing the menu at the bar and placing advanced orders for pick-up during the interval.
Nearby, a cluster of grown-ups compliments a little girl in a frothy, full-skirted dress as she spins, the light it's her very first musical, to have that experience
once again, how wonderful it would be.
After dropping off your own coat, you approach the bar and purchase your favorite beverage,
which will be waiting for you at the break.
For you, part of the experience of the theater is a sweet fizzy drink to enjoy while you
people watch at intermission. The
audience is its own show, you always think. Then you advance towards the entry
door that will lead you to your seat in the stalls section. You like to be
close to the stage so you can see everything. On the way, you pass a kiosk selling merchandise emblazoned with the name of the show. You smile to yourself
and shake your head. Your memories are more than sufficient for you, which you occasionally thumb through on a rainy day.
As you enter the door to your row, the warm red glow of the theater. The air is different in here. It's cooler somehow.
As you push down the bottom of your velvety seat, it makes a small creek like a welcome.
It makes a small creek like a welcome. You lower yourself onto its forgiving cushion
and then look up and behind you to enjoy a view of the mezzanine like sand through an hourglass.
They fill in the empty places in the rows as the moments count down to the show. By the time the lights are lowered, all of the seats will be lined with faces,
waiting expectantly for the big moment when the music begins.
With a quiet sigh of happiness, you face forward peering into the light of the orchestra pit. A dissonant sound of strings emerges from the front of the stage as the musicians quietly tune their instruments.
A slight puff of air makes the bottom of the closed curtain move just a tiny bit.
This increases your delightful anticipation
This increases your delightful anticipation because you know something is happening behind it on the stage. The cast and crew are preparing for the rise of the curtain. You know it will happen very soon.
You know it will happen very soon. As you sit there, feeling wonderfully invisible amid the spectacle of the show among the performers. With the murmur of
the audience as a backdrop, you close your eyes and imagine yourself in the
green room of a small theater. It's a low ceiling space, and all the walls are painted with the cast lists
of past shows. A long mirror stretches across one wall with a counter below it.
wall with a counter below it. Bare light bulbs border the glass, lighting it brightly for performers who are applying their stage makeup. Underneath the counter, there are two mismatched battered wooden stools.
They have random paint colors splashed across them.
Against another wall, you see a rolling clothing rail.
There are a few costumes still hanging on it, but many of them have been removed
by the actors, who are nearly ready to take their places.
The air in the small dressing room has that unique theatrical mixture of paint, makeup, and plaster.
It's impossible for you to put your finger on all of the things that create this wonderful amalgam,
but you've never smelled it anywhere but backstage.
You are fully immersed in this memory in your mind's eye.
As you mentally travel back in time, the hum of the audience around you in the presence becomes the far away sound
of the long ago theater attendees awaiting your own past performance.
In that memory, you are filled with a sense of deep gratitude that these people are spending
the evening watching your show.
It's one that you and your fellow actors and singers have rehearsed over and over and over again, striving for perfection. You have tirelessly
practiced dance steps, entrances and exits, scenery changes, and cues. You have worked long after rehearsal was supposed to end,
some nights for the sheer love of the fantasy you are creating together.
You smile to yourself, thinking how many hours you have put into a show that will be performed
for only a short period of time.
But every one of your fellow actors would say it was completely worth it. Your memories from your days as a performer dissipate when you hear a calm announcement
over the sound system, politely telling everyone to silence their phones. This brief reminder is followed by the darkening of the theatre where you are now seated.
You sense that change in the light even though your eyes are closed. This is followed by the bright sounds of the orchestra starting the overture.
It's hard to believe this perfect music is coming from the same place where only a few
instruments were awkwardly tuning a little while ago. All these musicians
are completely in sync, perfectly focused in the little space below the stage.
Then, all at once, the curtain is rising and the set becomes visible. And what a set it is, with a depth and height that seem far greater than the stage should
be able to contain. One by one, and in twos and threes, the performers
appear. Their voices ring through the theater with beautiful clarity surrounding you, immersing you. The lead actors become
apparent as their solos come up here and there. They are brilliantly talented. You know, even from your amateur experience, how much time has
gone into this effortless delivery of the musical you are watching. Again, you find yourself in a strange and wonderful place between the show you are
watching and your own precious memories. You relive that moment of stored energy
right as you were about to go on stage when the last bars of introductory music played leading up to your entrance.
Then, any nervousness you had in those last seconds
instantly evaporated when you moved into the spotlight.
evaporated when you moved into the spotlight. The nervous quaver you expected in your voice was not there, just your best and most heartfelt song emerged. The steps you had toiled over for so many rehearsals played out as if they were inevitable,
as if you could never possibly forget them again.
As you float through this memory, you remember that there's something else about being on stage
that you found intoxicating. In short, you felt a surge of connectedness.
You were in an unbreakable circle with your fellow actors, as if you were all communicating
perfectly with every gesture and every flourish. You were connected to the pianist who had played this song for you so many times that it was like he knew your next thought.
And even though you could hardly see them in the darkness,
you were connected to the people watching your show.
You felt their goodwill and their interest. You sensed their smiles.
You knew that they were glad only encouragement if you stumbled.
That circle of support was the special magic of your moment together in the theatre. You were partners in creating a fantasy for a few precious hours.
You find yourself coming back to your present role as an audience member,
with the program in your lap and the soft velvet seat under your body. Sneaking a peek at the people in your row,
you see that they are all locked in rapt attention. Their faces are tilted just a little upward, mouths ever so slightly open with amazement.
The glow from the stage illuminates their happy expressions as they hang on every word
and every song that the cast performs.
Time loses its shape, as if waking from a dream, you realize it is the interval. All the upturned faces blink their eyes and look again at their programs as the lights in the
audience come up a bit. Intermission is such a funny thing. You are not ready for it,
but the break makes the second half all that much sweeter.
The murmur of the audience rises, but there's a sense that one should still not be too loud
in the theatre itself. Happily anticipating your fizzy drink, you make your way to the exit,
emerging into the comparative hubbub of the lobby.
People are clustered everywhere, holding plastic cups and programs.
You can hear snatches of conversation discussing the actors, the sets, and other unrelated
topics. Children dart between the legs of their adults, relishing the chance to
finally make some noise. You smile to yourself. It's difficult for little ones still for so long. As you sip your beverage, you enjoy the refreshing effervescence. The
sweetness revives your alertness. Rather than waking you from your theatrical dreams, however, it just seems to bring everything
around you into sharp focus.
You are taking in the atmosphere, the hum, and the sounds in the lobby with clarity, and storing them away to savour later.
Just as you are taking the last refreshing drink from your cup, the lights flicker on and off, issuing the signal that the interval is nearly over.
Simultaneously, the ushers signal that it is time to return to your seat
for the second half of the show.
half of the show. Politely bundling together, all the patrons move confidently towards their respective seats. Some are heading up the wide stairs, and others, like you you are moving back towards the stores. The cool darkness of the
theater is welcome after the warmth and activity of the lobby. You're looking forward to being immersed in the performance once again.
Your seat is more comfortable than ever
now that you've stretched your legs and taken a short break.
As the musicians strike up the opening number of the next act, you sink back blissfully
into your little nook, feeling the darkness close around you.
There is a sense that you and these other anonymous theatre-goers are on a secret journey
together, contained in a beautiful bubble that suspends you in time,
separate from the cares of the outside world. It's a good feeling. The musical is in full motion now, with its biggest and
most dramatic numbers happening soon. Despite having danced and sung their hearts out for many scenes, the actors appear to
be unfazed.
Their voices are as clear as they had been from the first note.
You imagine being among them again, feeling those taut and invisible strings
that connect the members of the cast to each other.
Again, you are filled with a sense that connections flow throughout the auditorium,
that connections flow throughout the auditorium, making you all part of something special
that is only happening right here, right now. The performers are allowing the audience audience to join in with that togetherness. A lively number gives way to the sweetest and prettiest ballad of the play. You know this song well. You have sung it yourself.
it yourself. Filled with happy emotions, you again let your eyes flutter closed and hear the words in your head. The actor performing this piece does a brilliant job, infusing the song with even more meaning than it had for you previously.
You resolve to search out a recording and listen to it again very soon.
When the song is finished, the audience applauds enthusiastically. In the light from the stage,
you can see the people in your row smiling from ear to ear. As the finale of the show begins, with one theme blending seamlessly into another,
you are flooded with a sense of fulfillment.
But there is also something else. It's perhaps a twinge of nostalgia
and the knowledge that you were once also privy to the delightful scene backstage
after the curtain fell and the audience had left.
the audience had left. The players on the stage dance their way through the mounting crescendo of music. They are linking arms, harmonizing, and creating the perfect last impression.
perfect last impression. When the final notes are triumphantly played, the audience goes wild.
You feel as if you are floating in a river of approval.
You are part of the cacophony in a passive way. All of you in the audience are one voice telling these actors that they have given you a beautiful
gift tonight. The applause rises and falls as various groups of actors step forward.
Finally, a standing ovation comes for the lead players. They bow graciously, as if they cannot believe the acclaim.
This too is part of the play.
In their hearts, you know that they are proud to have once again delivered the best performance
they could. When the curtain finally falls, you stay seated.
You like listening to the last strains of the exquisite live music, while others stand and stretch. Children scurry from the theater with their
grown-ups trying to catch up. Clusters of friends stand around exchanging pleasantries and fanning themselves lightly with their programs,
even though it isn't too warm. But you are going to soak up the atmosphere for
just another minute or two, and you don't need to hurry. The hum of the audience becomes a backdrop
as once again you lose yourself in your memories.
You picture yourself returning to the dressing room.
All your fellow cast members are there, and they are talking with animation.
They are tired, yes, but in a glorious way. As cumbersome parts of their costumes are removed, the actors emerge partially from
their characters. Some of them are leaning on the counters, wiping their makeup from their faces,
their faces as they laugh together. They are rehashing any small mishaps that may have gone under the radar of the audience. The show must go on as they say.
Mentally separating yourself from the hustle and bustle of your imaginary dressing room,
you take a stroll in your mind's eye through the more removing parts of the scenery and storing it safely for the next performance.
A props manager bustles by with a box full of small items they have collected, nodding
at you and saying, great show tonight. Just to preserve the moment in your imagination,
you step into the shadowy place behind the backdrop and walk the length of it down and then back again.
walk the length of it down and then back again.
Nobody knows you are here and you want to savor the privacy for just one minute.
As you return to the dressing room in your nostalgic memory, you see that the costumes are once again filling up the clothing rail.
A few of the performers are blowing kisses and waving to the others. They are heading off to a late snack at a restaurant, or perhaps straight home to bed.
Happily this will not be your last show together.
Tomorrow you will get to do it all once again. What a privilege it is, you think.
Drifting back to reality, you allow yourself to return to your current place, sitting in the theatre. The rows are swiftly emptying now, and ushers are walking past
vacant seats, picking up programs that people have left behind. You rise a bit reluctantly and nod to them, saying thank you.
It's time for you to reclaim your coat and re-emerge into the night air.
You will step back outside into the world, where life has continued on the same trajectory as you escaped to the other dimension of the many front doors. It reminds you of an exhalation.
The pent-up energy from inside the theater dissipates like a calming breath.
Behind you, the auditorium rests quietly, ready to sleep for the night. Tomorrow, it will awaken refreshed, and the miracle will again begin. You pass back under the bright lights of the marquee,
relishing the darkness that has fallen in your absence.
There is something special about coming out of the theater late in the evening.
The crisp night air fills your lungs as you breathe deeply, feeling a sense of total relaxation.
As if to console you for your return to regular life, the city is ablaze with lights. Even the horns of the taxis seem cheerful. Couples walk along the streets, leaning into each other to talk or to share a bit of ice
cream.
Bicycle bells ring out as riders fly by.
Perhaps they are traveling homeward, or maybe they are heading out for a late get-together
with friends.
Their chiming creates a festive atmosphere, blending with the traffic. The roar of the theatre district becomes more and more distant as you walk a few blocks
further, wrapping your warm coat around you.
Catching a cab will be easier where there is less activity. Soon, you reach the place where your taxi
dropped you off before. You lean into the street and like magic, a shiny cab appears, moving to the side of the avenue to pick you up.
You sit in the leather seat and pull the door shut.
You feel the momentum of the car at your back as it pulls you into the current of the traffic.
Outside the window, colorful lights and rows of street lamps flow by. After hours of live music, you are now sitting in stillness.
The city outside your window is like a silent film that lulls you into a sleepy trance. Soon, you are resting your head on your pillow at home, insulated from
the outside world once again. The show is no longer playing out in front of you, but it's still with you in your mind.
At first, you're watching it unfold from the audience.
Then, in your drowsy state, you are actually on the stage reliving the life of the actor. And on both sides, you are supremely happy.
As you blissfully drift off to a deep sleep, the strains of your favorite ballad play on in your imagination, eventually fading away, gently into the night. You I'm going to go ahead and close the video. The You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You you