...and it seems like most of them are coming to see me. Tonight is one of the last performances of The Music Man, Meredith Willson's labor of love. The musical is at the Sixth Street Playhouse, and we've been sold out for a few weekends now. You could always come and try to get wait listed in--there are always a couple of seats that cancel at the last second--but if you haven't seen it yet, don't break your neck.
This is just a personal thing--every actor, it seems, is different--but I don't usually get nervous as a stage performer. When I was in the army, an NCO I worked with was fond of reminding us that "you fight how you train". I trust the rehearsal process intrinsically--things the director or choreographer have asked me to do; the practice I have put into the show in rehearsals; the countless time I have spent on my own, running lines in my car while driving and dancing around in my house--if I rehearse it enough, I retain it for performance.
I also have tons of little things I do, as an actor, to prepare for a show. I stretch and warm up physically and vocally for about 45 minutes before every show. I have certain ways of doing things that help me get prepared mentally. I do make up, mic check, get dressed, check my props--you would think I was a professional athlete from the many little routines I do to get ready. Once the music starts, I have a whole other set of routines. I come off stage a certain way, make the transition mentally, physically and emotionally from character to actor, get ready for the next scene, and reverse the process. I am constantly in motion, every particle spinning relentlessly until I get out of costume after a show and leave it all behind for the night. These things usually chase away any sort of butterflies. I trust my brain, body and spirit to make it all happen, based on things I have done and continually do to make my performance a personal achievement.
Tonight, however, ten percent of the house is coming specifically to see me. My parents, my aunt and uncle (coming up 500+ miles to see the show), my boss and his wife and their tenant, friends from work, and friends from other parts of my life all make up a group of about twenty people. On any given night, I wouldn't worry--there are always mistakes, little hiccups in theater. It's what I love about it, and why I prefer it to acting in front of a camera. But having everyone come all at once makes it a little nerve-wracking.
Hope it's a good show.
5 years ago
1 comment:
Now if only *I* could see it tonight, too...LOL ;)
Hang in there, champ. You're a star up there, particularly in this role. Your preparation and follow-through during the performance and after is that of a runner in a long relay race, and it shows. You are passing the baton to yourself beautifully, so it's no wonder you are able to take the stage picking up the same energy you left upon exiting. Bravo, David.
Instead of "Break a leg!" the Italian saying is, "In bocca lupo" which translates to: "In the mouth of the wolf..." The response? "May the wolf bite gently."
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