I went to the Bellevue Literary Review, an “off the page” reading. It was the fifth year of them doing this reading. The reading was of the book Bon Voyage, Charlie at NYU Langone Hospital. It was given in the Schwartz Lecture Hall. I went with Rachel and Frieda. We entered the massive hospital, not knowing what to expect. Finding the room was no easy task. We walked through hallways and doors, and then we asked a security guard where the Schwartz Lecture Hall is. What we found out was that we have been walking in the totally wrong direction! We went through more doors following signs reading “BLR,” leading us to the room.

We finally found it! When we entered the room we were warmly greeted and given programs. We were offered food and water. We entered the Schwartz Lecture Hall . It was an auditorium. There was a stage and rows upon rows of swivel chairs attached to desks. We were asked to please sit in the front few rows. There was a man and woman sitting on the right side of the stage. A woman stood in the center of the stage in front of podium introducing the program.

I glanced over at the crowd to find that Frieda, Rachel, and I were the only ones under the age of 60. After the woman introduced our first reader, Ryan Duncan, we applauded, but she asked for us not to applaud. After that, the entire audience immediately quieted down. I opened up my program as Ryan made his way to the center of the stage. The program stated some facts about Ryan’s life, but one fact that stood out to me was that he was on Shrek on Broadway. I found this so interesting and was very excited to hear how he would read. He stood up, walked to the podium, and began to read. He read with a loud, booming voice. He seemed very relaxed and comfortable with what he was doing. His hand was in his pocket. He acted while he read, meaning if there was dialogue between characters he would change his voice to act like the character that was talking. He also incorporated the audience. If something was being said he would point at audience. It was like he was talking to us even though he wasn’t! He acknowledged that the audience was there. I liked that, because if someone is talking in front of me I like them to know that I am there. He read very differently from Michael Robbins. Michael was relaxed just like Ryan Duncan but in a different way. Michael read sort of monotone while Ryan read with enthusiasm and energy. The way Ryan read, we were all able to hear and understand him. I loved how he acted, and he would even change his voice into a different accents if needed! This definitely enhanced the reading. The work was not his own, but he read it as if it was. Maybe the fact that he wasn’t reading his own work, where as  Michael was, was what made their executions different. Overall Ryan Duncan read with a lot of passion. I really enjoyed it.