Stage Fright!

When one enters the performance arena, what, praytell, is the greatest fear thouest may face?

No, it is not the audience sitting 10-feet in front of you, or spread out in the hundreds, nay, thousands, on the green hills of the park. When the lights go down in the house and up on stage, you can barely see the faces. But you hears the coughs.

I'm suffering this week. Caught a cold. One of those things that seem to happen when the weather is a touch warm with a breeze, but still cool enough to wear long sleeves or a light hoodie. But inside, the air is cold.

It doesn't help when you run yourself ragged with early morning calls after a light night of sleep (thank you neighbor from above and your all night bass music track).

The Common Cold. Yes, worse than the flu (which often comes and go at such a rapid pace that it acts as a pure cleansing of the system). You are dry. You are full of goo that likes to run. Your limbs ache. Your voice changes hourly. Everything seems to move slower...actually, it does move slower.

The worst part about a Common Cold, you have to worry about the spread to your buddies on stage.

As an Actor, you can often fight the Common Cold. Lots of sleep, low energy days if you don't have a slave job. You can drink lots of water. You can pump yourself with Vita C. You can have the chicken noodle soup. You do everything possible so you can stand and speak for two-plus hours and then collapse again.

Of course, the greater fear is always a broken limb, or even just a sprained ankle. That totally destroys movement on the stage.

But the Common Cold! Go away, please, and come again on another day. Like when I'm not doing anything useful!