Steppenwolf Theatre Company Blog – Chicago Theater, World-Class Ensemble

1) Acting is re-acting. It’s true. Don’t react to anything on stage. You are dead.

2) All great actors listen to their scene partners. You can listen, but you can’t hear. Once again, you are dead.

3) Pee before you take the stage.

4) Use the 3 seconds of blackout left after you get on stage to find the most comfortable position possible.

5) If you have an itch, tough. See rule number one.

I play Gordon, the “dead man” of Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Except for the long monologue that opens Act II and the scene I have to do, it’s the best job I’ve ever had in the theatre: no lines, no blocking, no work. Just praying I don’t have to sneeze. But the real gift of the role is having the other actors talk about me so much that by the time I do make an appearance, it seems that the audience really wants to hear what I have to say. Plus I’m dead–and who wouldn’t want to hear from a dead guy? That doesn’t happen every day.

Next week: HOW TO PLAY A MAN IN HELL.

Thanks for reading.

This entry was posted by Marc Grapey on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm and is filed under Dead Man's Cell Phone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.