Typically, I wouldn't have regarded a formal speech as a work of fine art. But due to its length, and thus mental endurance required, I found the John Galt Speech of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged a suitable undertaking for my performance piece. My goal in reciting the one hundred-plus pages was to breathe life into the tenants of the Objectivist philosophy, a school of thought some have called practical only between the pages of a book. I consider my act of speaking a way to expose Ayn Rand's work to the practices of the real world, something an individual can take away and actively use, only if they sat in for only a few minutes. The speech is rich with information and allows for the audience to come and go as they please.
My choice for Holmes auditorium's red curtains and simple lighted podium reflected the simplicity and efficiency of Ayn Rand's world while my own attire was a nod to descriptions of John Galt in the novel itself.
The act of speaking for three hours was a challenging and tiring affair. My tongue swelled and made it hard to pronounce words as the hundreds of sentences went by. There were moments that I felt my mouth being directed by the words on the page, on seeming auto-pilot. It was at these times I had to re-engage the text and the thoughts being conveyed so as to remain under the persona of John Galt. I wanted to avoid the image of mere dictation, of babbling words. I wanted to remain emotionally engaged with what I was saying. I think I succeeded in doing this, though the increasing lethargy of my tongue and the cinching of my throat towards the end did cause occasional lapses in the flow of the speech.
(I attempted recording the speech, but the volume from the auditorium speakers was too loud for the sensitivity of the microphone recorder)
(Full Text of the Speech- http://amberandchaos.com/?page_id=106)
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