Garcon! A Bowl of Wine!

My mom (like a lot of people, I guess) is constantly amazed that actors can “memorize all those lines.” I’m learning my lines for Becky Shaw right now, and I think it’s going to work out on that front (knock on wood, throw salt over shoulder, kiss superstitious Italian medal from my grandmother).  

Now, just because I feel okay on the lines, it doesn’t mean that I’m not haunted by an actor’s nightmare of sorts. In fact, every night as I fall asleep, horrific images of wine glasses flash through my mind. Yep. Wine glasses. I know what you’re thinking: wine glasses are great. After all, they hold wine in them. Yeah, I used to be like you. I used to enjoy a nice glass with some sort of fancy grape-derived beverage in it, but not anymore. You see, in Becky Shaw there are like 47 wine glasses I have to account for at all times. Okay, I’m being told it’s actually only four wine glasses and it’s only in one scene, but I swear it feels like 47.

Either they didn’t teach it—or more likely I skipped the day they taught wine glass traffic management at theatre school. Right now, I’m having some serious Noises Off moments where I stare blankly at Tina Parker and ask “do I leave the wine glass or take the wine glass?”

Lucky for me, Tina, our stage manager Ruth, and our props people have figured out that I’m an idiot, so they’ve gone ahead and labeled all of the rehearsal glasses for me, so I know which one goes to which person. It’s nice to be loved.

I have faith that I’ll figure it all out. I’m doing many bartending drills at home to get up to speed, and I’m watching Tom Cruise in Cocktail on a bi-nightly basis. Seriously, young Cruise can serve drinks in-time with an awesome ‘50s/‘80s soundtrack like no other.

Come see Becky Shaw. It’s going to be great. And if you stay for a talk back (which you totally should do), don’t ask me about my lines. Instead, ask me, “How did you manage to handle all of those wine glasses?” I’ll cue up the “Hippy Hippy Shake” or “Kokomo” and show you how it’s done.

--Michael Federico