For the uninitiated, an actor’s nightmare is quite similar to the “showing up unprepared for the final exam” dreams. You dream that you are the star of a play (or perhaps an unprepared understudy), you are in front of a packed audience, your co-stars are depending on you, and you have no idea what your lines are. Heck, you might not even know what show you’re in! But you are the star and you’re expected to carry the show in front of all tose people.
I dreamt I was a lead in an unspecified Shakespeare comedy – D’oh! You can’t “wing it” and ad lib when doing Billy S.!
And not only was it Shakespeare, but it was a musical! They doth expected me to singeth in iambic pentameter! Lo, what fun! How now, can I sing? Look you, what’s the tune? Exactly how many are in the audience? (Tell me so I can better appreciate my public humiliation.)
Last time, it was the night before opening night, and I dreamt I got on stage and forgot which play I was playing, and what my cues were… and forgot all the text, of course…
Stress!
I was probably light green on opening night… but the minute I stepped on stage, all went well. phew!
When I was in college I had a small part in As You Like It and was on stage when two other actors missed their entrance. They had gotten delayed with a costume change and had gotten to their entry point just after their cue had been spoken, and then stood offstage waiting to hear their cue while those of s on stage improvised for two and a half minutes. (Fortunately for me, my part was so minor I was able to get away with just standing there looking Shakespearian.)
You can bet the director had a few words for them after the show.