The Nutcracker Performance 1 & 2

The first two performances of The Nutcracker of 2008 are over.  Both of the shows went well, but each show had its peculiarities.  

December 4th: Show 1

This show was directly after I worked all night at the sleep center, so I was running on an hour of sleep.  I arrived thirty minutes before show time to discover that the curtain had moved up a half hour, so as I walked in, it was time to perform.  Furthermore, the show is directed and staged in the round, but this particular venue was proscenium.  In the end, everything worked out fine.  I really enjoyed the challenges presented by figuring out how to move through the audience and where to find things that were usually right in front of me.  There was a great moment when I was unable to see a child dressed as a tree standing right in front of me.

December 5th: Show 2

Working on a full night of sleep and actually prepared for what confronted me, I had a fleeting moment of, "I'm about to make a fool of myself and fail horribly."  That however, only lasted until the show began.  I was odd though, I have rarely thought about any type of stage fright or performance anxiety in the past few years, I don't know what brought it on.  These shows went well. 

I have two more dates scheduled this year with The Nutcracker.  I was talking with Jenny, the director and fellow actor, and realized that there are too few performances of the show each year.  Just when I start to be able to anticipate the audience's desire and reaction, the run ends, and by the following year, all the tastes have changed.