Summer Acting...Summer Living It.

Did you get that?

So it is official. I will spend my summer in Chester, MA, to do a Trilogy of plays by Arlene Hutton, the first of which is called Last Train to Nibroc. I owe the
gig to two relatively new actor-friends of mine, who threw my name into the mix when the artistic director was trying to fill the role. The lesson? You never really know how you'll land your next job, so remember to be authentically you. It's going to be a wild summer of repertory theater, can't wait to write about it. And I wish my friends long fulfilling careers in the business.

But first things first, and Othello is priority. I have the great pleasure of sharing scenes with an excellent actor a few years my senior, and who just really knows his craft. Disclosure: I sometimes feel the pangs of actor insecurity when I am working with such well-seasoned vets of the stage. Perhaps in my mind, history has given them a special-edge of confidence and knowledge of their capabilities. And I fight thoughts of, "Oh man, they are going to see right through me...catch me not listening, etc." It isn't easy going toe-to-toe with actors you admire, who seem to know how to commit to an action and a moment with clarity, precision, and confidence. And so I am constantly asking myself how I can rise to the occasion. How can I manifest those same abilities and craft that I know I have in myself? After all, I have an equal responsibility to bring my very best to the scene with all I have to offer.

Preparation (with a spin)

Have you ever heard this line from director, "I don't care what you do, just do something!"? I'll be bold and extend that thought to the work outside of rehearsal. It doesn't much matter WHAT I do, it's just how long I do it that helps build my confidence, knowledge, ability to let it all go at rehearsal. Have you ever been so intimidated by a difficult acting situation or scene, that to even look at the script outside of rehearsal causes a subtle or not so subtle anxious tremor in your stomach? I certainly have. It's what I do after that moment of stand-off that really counts. Make good friends with your text, your journal, or whatever else you do outside of the process. I have consistently found that the amount of time I spend 'working' outside of rehearsal, the greater the ability to let it all go when I hit the stage.

Best to all, and see you at the Nibroc Festival.