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On working with people who are better than you

4/29/2015

If you are lucky, you get to work with people who are better than you.

It's intimidating, sure. It can even be a bit depressing, to think (or know) that you aren't quite up to their remarkable standards. But it's only when you work with people better than you, that you get the opportunity to really stretch yourself. To push way beyond boundaries you didn't even know you had.

That's what working on Death of a Salesman has been like to me. In particular, Jamie England and Jordan Peterson. Jesus Christ, these animals can act. I've learned so much from them, and each night they challenge me to dig deeper.

I'm still digging. They're still challenging. We've three weeks to go.

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On Hitting the Wall

4/22/2015

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Marathoners have a name for it: HITTING THE WALL.

I hadn't experienced it, having only run 5k or 10k races before. But sure enough, somewhere around mile 18, I hit my wall. my legs were still somehow going forward but my body had collapsed inwards. I couldn't get any air. There wasn't any strength in my muscles. Nothing was working.

But then mile 19 came anyway. And then 20. 21. 22 ... And the wall had disappeared.

Our Monday night rehearsal was my Willy Loman wall. I couldn't explain it. My energy reserves were empty. My mind was Swiss cheese. I felt terrible.

But then there was Tuesday night. Just like mile 20. And everything was fine.

Actors hit walls too, apparently - especially when running a marathon like Death of a Salesman.

We're going to be okay. We're crossing that damn finish line, with our arms raised and our eyes wide open. And if you are there to cheer us on, you won't be disappointed.

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On approaching the finish line ...

4/18/2015

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I used to run. Anyone who knew me in my youth would have been surprised. Hell, I was surprised. But in my thirties (and forties) I discovered running. I started with a 2 mile run, and within a year, I did my first marathon.

There's something about the knowledge that the finish line is coming up that is somehow better than the finish line itself. There's that anticipation of completion. There's the knowledge that all the hours and days and weeks of preparation were for something. There's the certainty of a personal success, as measured by, well ... crossing the damned finish line.

So. Willy Loman. Here we come. I'm not at the finish line yet. But I'm getting closer. Line by line. Scene by scene. Act by Act.

April 24. The finish line. Or ... is it the starting line? After all - this show runs for four weeks.

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On working with people who are better than you

On Hitting the Wall

On approaching the finish line ...

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