Wandering out into the back alley after his shift, local theatre usher Jimmy Newport reportedly had an encouraging exchange with the show’s star lead actor George Towson.
After walking out the theatre’s side door following a sold-out premiere of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Newport, an aspiring actor himself, encountered Towson, who had reportedly just “needed some air.”
After declining a cigarette from the seasoned actor, whose performances had inspired Newport to take up the craft in the first place, an initially shy Newport mustered up the courage to compliment the actor’s performance.
Towson reportedly responded to the praise with an air of studied nonchalance. “He was just like, ‘Oh that little dance we did in there? That’s not real acting,’” Newport told reporters at the scene. “He told me real acting takes heart.”
Towson, dressed down in street clothes but still clad in full make-up, reportedly took a long look into Newport’s eyes, before pausing for another drag of his cigarette.
“You might have what it takes,” said Towson.
At press time, Newport was seen sweeping up the main stage mouthing the words of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
