because of the emotional demand
of the show. At the end of each
show, I am absolutely emotionally
drained. I spend some time socializing after the show—we have a
lot of veterans and their families
come and they often express their
gratitude—and then go home to
decompress. It’s like running marathon and is such an emotional
event. So I’ve learned that it’s very
important to reserve some time for
yourself after the show is done.
Does that allow you time to continue the play while doing other
acting jobs?
It does allow me to continue doing
other acting jobs. However, when
I do the show, I simply try to block
out any other work and focus on
the preparation and performing
the show. The show demands a
lot from me so I have to give it the
time and attention that it needs in
order for it to be successful.
You are about the same age as I
NJ STAGE 2016 - ISSUE 9
am. Did you know people who
were in the first Gulf War?
Yes. Being from Texas, you knew
of a lot of people who had family members who fought in Iraq
or were in the military. While it
was nothing as severe as what the
men in combat experienced, I was
very aware of the first Gulf war as
my father was a Merchant Marine
whose ship would deliver missiles
to bases in Iraq.
My sister is a Sergeant in the
army, I have two nieces who have
done tours in Afghanistan and
Iraq, and I have a nephew who just
became a Marine.
I know you’ve acted all over, but
what is it like bringing a new work
to the Edinburgh Festival as you
did with The American Soldier?
As an American and a professional
actor who works in Manhattan,
Edinburgh has a theatrical excitement that is like no other. The festival takes over the whole city and
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