Fishcakes

Cindy, you rule. You’re right. I should have a blog. I mean, Jesus, I’m practically bursting with pithy comments and profound musings. The world needs to hear me. And they need to be able to access me 24/7. You know how, up to today, when you wake up at 4 am and REALLY want to call me, but you’re afraid I’m sleeping and you don’t want to disturb me? Well, now you can come here and be swaddled in my thoughts. No longer will you be terrorized by night.

 I wonder if this will help me be a better playwright. It’s a different format. Not sure. Can’t hurt to have practice building nice sentences, but playwrighting is more about building characters than sentences. Maybe. My trouble as a playwright is often that all of my characters talk like me, so maybe this’ll fuck me up. Who knows. If it does, I blame Cindy.

 So, I got a baby coming, Griffin Levi White. I’ma call him Badger, or Pud. I’m totally ready for him, as ready as I can be, but I’m not particularly excited, or nervous. Come to think of it, I don’t get real excited or nervous. I can’t think of the last thing that I anticipated nervously or excitedly weeks in advance. Am I jaded? I don’t think so. I think I just am getting better at enjoying today and letting tomorrow be what it will be. Chalk it up to plenty of reads of The Enchiridion and several years living with Davey Dave A. I haven’t gotten nervous before a show in 5 or six years. I used to like being nervous, I liked the energy it gave me. Now I manufacture the energy. I really think of myself as a craftsman as much as an artist. I think a common misconception about acting among actors is that you need inspiration to have a good show. Here’s how I get ready:

• I need at least fifteen minutes in a room alone.
• If I have a piece of music that I’ve picked out to help me get into character, I listen to it. For Look Back in Anger, Elvis Costello’s Riot Act got me in the exact right frame of mind every night.
• I sit in a chair, or on steps (the only empty room I can find is often a staircase) and work on  each muscle group in my body. I start with my toes and work my way up to my face, flexing each muscle for 5 seconds or so, then relaxing it. The idea is to get your instrument clean and ready for whatever it’s required to do, whatever posture, whatever pacing, whatever sitting or standing, whatever physical response you require. Tense muscles make you feel awkward and herky-jerky onstage, make you conscious of your body which is very distracting.
• I then stretch, usually my legs and arms. I’m pretty stocky, and I get tight in my shoulders (massive muscle, what can I say), so to avoid looking like a gorilla I have to work hard on my shoulders.
• Finally, I work my mouth: buzzes, big chewing, tongue twisters, big face-little face, a series of exercises.

Once I’ve done all that, assuming my mind is right (which it usually is after the routine), I’m ready. Then I can goof off with people, chit-chat, whatever. I have to remain aware, but I don’t have to be in character. I’m a system guy, but not a method guy.

Anyway, I’m having a kid, and it should be awesome. I bought him a cool light switch for his room. I think I’m gonna love being a dad.

 That being said, I hope to get some stuff in here that y’all find interesting. Hope you’ll come see me, and let me know what you think.

Love,

Ned