This show is a big deal. I, of course, take every role I perform extremely seriously, but this show is a big deal. In performing in this show, we are all joining the ranks of some of the greatest actors that have ever lived. We will now share the common bonds of sadness, hope, and regret that resonate within the pages of that script. Now I don’t mean to say this in a way that would intimidate or scare, but rather to acknowledge the honor of this opportunity. Whenever we do the warm-up where we reach up at what we want, I constantly grab at the ability to truthfully play this part. To deserve the privilege that has been presented to me. To have Vanya step out of the audience after opening night and say to me, “That was it. That’s exactly what happened”. I don’t know where I’m going with this post, but that’s probably for the better considering we haven’t begun to see the terrific tragedy that will be doing this show and only better mirrors the wide-eyed uncertainty that we are all leaning into during this collaborative time.

I do wish to leave one last thing here before I stop typing. This summer I went to the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center to study Acting for 6 weeks. There was this point during the 6 weeks where I was exhausted after doing the physical equivalent of a 7 mile run and was lying in the grass staring at the sky preparing myself to perform the scene that leads to the suicide of the main character from The Seagull. At that point I asked myself, “What time is it?”. I then realized that time didn’t matter while I was there. I was at a place where no matter what I did next or was told to do next, it would ultimately be more theater. I had been given the luxury that is a place without time. It wasn’t until later that week that I realized that every time I, or anyone else, steps into a rehearsal, they are stepping into a world without time. A place where all they do is the one thing they care about, to their hearts content, without worrying about the stresses and strains of “the outside”. I take this fact with me always, and whenever I feel weak or pressed I remind myself of where I am and that I have time to repair let alone to spare. Hopefully that or all of this meant something to someone at sometime.

Super seriously sans-satirically,

Sam