WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO-

Here I sit on Monday, February 16,2009 having just completed a 9-week run of the classic Broadway tale of West Side Story. Little did I know four months ago what I was getting myself into upon stepping on to the Hudson Mainstage for an audition. What seemed like another measely audition, turned into an opportunity ripe with challenges and obstacles that would only serve to enhance my skills as an actor. From the intense choreographer of Arthur Ross to the precise nature of fight choreography, being a part of MTLA's West Side Story has become one of my proudest moments as an actor. I have done many curtain calls before, but last night as we took our final bows, I knew I had been a part of something truly special. Furthermore, I knew what it meant to be a storyteller.

It was an enormous blessing to work with a cast so perfectly picked and to watch each of us grow as performers. Part of the joy of Live Theatre is that it is always unpredictable. No matter how many times you have rehearsed a project, it is always a fresh show where anything can happen- as there are no reshoots. Perhaps the reason I feel so strongly about this production is because of what it gave back to me. In a last minute pinch, I was thrown into playing the lead of Tony after having virtually no rehearsals. Rather than shying away from the opportunity, the confidence that has been building inside me as an actor rose to the challenge and faced the "gauntlet" head on. It was probably the best thing that could ever happen to me because it forced me to trust my instincts and to trust in my abilities. I didn't have the time, nor the luxury, to worry about what might happen. I am proud to sit here before you today and say that the show went as smooth as could possibly be hoped for considering the circumstances. In fact, when the show ended, I spent the first ten minutes on Hudson Avenue, alone, bent over, exhaling and reminescing on what had just transpired. I thanked my God for granting me the confidence and I let the overflow of emotion pour out of me and onto that street. No one in the audience may ever know what it took to put that show on, but for the 34 of us in the cast, we all worked together, "having each other's backs," which in turn led to a highly emotionally charged show. I will say that although it was fun to be "Tony" for two shows, it was all the more exciting to hop back into my role as "Big Deal" for the final 6 performances.

In reflecting upon the 36 shows I just completed, I realized that it is difficult for people who don't live in this world to understand why it is that we do what we do. To them I say this- As Actors/performers, we are priviliged to have the right to tell stories, to explore those issues that no one else wants to explore, to investigate our own emotions with the hope of our work inspiring hope, or change, or even accountability in the lives of the audience.

When it was all said and done- 3500 audience members, 108 hours of performances, 36 shows, 34 performers, 8 Jets, 2 nights as Tony, all off of 1 audition-----PRICELESS!