After weeks of drilling lines and running around on the stage like a madman after rehearsals and performances, to get my lines and blocking locked into my muscle memory, my night finally came to perform "In a Dark Dark House" written by Neil LaBute on Wednesday August 27th, 2014. What a WILD ride!!!For weeks before the night came I drilled the lines for this play three and four times a day. It is a total of about one hour and twenty minutes worth of dialogue between Drew (Me) and Terry (Aaron McPherson). The first act is 40 minutes of heavy dialogue and the third act is another 40 minutes of even heavier dialogue all between the two brothers and no one else. It is one of THE most punctuation heavy, dialogue heavy, and word specific dependant plays I have ever worked on. Which is one of the reasons this performance freaked me out, excited me, and inspired me all at the same time. It was a wild feeling.
With only four rehearsals under my belt three with Aaron and one with Aaron and Larry Moss the night came. The crowd was in, the lights went down, I brought that wheelchair out on stage, sat in it, and thought to myself "This is it! Time to strap myself into this shit and see where this roller coaster goes. Holy shit!". The lights came up and we were off and running. Performing that night felt like I surfed a tsunami. It was amazing! I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was so rewarding to leave all of the work that I put into it on that stage that night. It was a huge reinforcement to support the trust I have in my technique.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go through that experience with Larry, Aaron, and everyone else involved. I couldn't have asked for a better actor and director to share that stage with that night. It was definitely an an experience I will NEVER forget.~Bill Doherty Jr.~
