Nelson, the street Texan who struggles for social acceptance
Tommy the unpredictable crewman
Standup
Mexican cowboy - Jorje
Willie - Traveling saleman
The typical 40+ rehearsals and 10+ dress rehearsals typically makes the performer stage weary by the time the show opens. For me, in America, this needs to be supplemented with hours of speech therapy with marbles and spoons in my mouth to get the accent right. Long dance routines mean hours of gym and studio time and the choreographer and a dance instructor beating you into shape. The audience -amused and sent into thought and contemplation, and then exploding into laughter is well worth all this effort.
Allowing one's body and mind assume that of another is a difficult thing to do. On stage the actor can never become "the other" entirely and expect things to go right. There are lines and moves to remember. Watching for light spots and music, remembering music notes and lyrics, looking for position marks on the floor, the prompter and paying attention to the response of the audience, all these need to happen at the same time.
Improvisations must look natural - One must think fast and in context while keeping eyes and ears on the audiance.
I turned myself into a fortune teller at the age of four, when suddenly I felt left out when the rest of older kindergarten mates appeared on stage for a performance. I walked backstage to get dressed, but there was no costume. "Auntie Margery" found two pieces of fabric, of which one got wrapped around my waste, my shirt came off, and the other piece of fabric got wrapped around my head into a turban. "You are a nomadic fortune teller. Do you know who that is?" I nodded and went on stage. Somebody in the audience asked me her fortune be told. I told her of the trouble ahead that she needed to be careful about -as loud as I could. The performance drew howling laughter from the audience and the first price, a LEGO set. The beggar boy in "King Kakille", at the age of seven, another big round of laughter. At the age of 8, I turned a peer fight into a play that all parents and teachers attended.
The script of "Bicycle" was completed in 2007, which I am looking forward to producing in time to come.
I wrote and produced "Instructions" in 1990, which was not too well received. "Jala (The Traps)" beat 8 plays to take the first place, where I played the traditional role of the presenter. The controversial role I played in "The Degree" was one most challenging. "Pandal" I wrote, produced, and directed was a hit.