The Comfy Corner

So I suppose it is not unusual for an actor to have a set pre-show ritual that they go through before every performance. Perhaps it helps to be grounded or maybe it's just superstition of some sort (DON'T DRINK MILK BEFORE YOU SING!). I do not have any sort of pre-show ritual. I don't wear special underwear on opening night, I drink lots of milk all the time, and I'm pretty sure I've said "Macbeth" backstage before and nothing dramatic happened. There is a kid in the show I'm in now, though, Ethan, who has a pretty awesome pre-show ritual. He's 11, and he is going to be a star. This is what he told me:

"Well, as soon as I get home from school I do all of my homework really fast and, it must be fate or something, but I never get a lot of homework on opening nights. Then, I sit down and watch mindless stick figure violence videos on my computer for an hour." Ethan is really into making these awesomely violent stick figure videos "Then, I listen to my playlist and take a nap."

"Do you have a special playlist just for opening nights?"

"Duh, of course."

Ethan, you're great. And I'm pretty sure if I implemented this pre-show ritual into my daily life, I would be a more successful human being.