Take Two: Bad Gigs Gone Good
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Mark Hayward
September 24, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Writer, actor, yo-yoer, funny guy..
Where were you born? Where were you raised? Where did you go to school?
I was born and raised in Madison Wisconsin. I also got my undergraduate degree in Madison, at the UW. Despite such a heavy dose of America's Dairyland, I still enjoy a nice piece of cheese.
Complete this sentence: My show is the only one opening in NYC this fall that...?
stars a World Yo-yo Champion. It's true. My mom is proud.
In your own words, what do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
The show is all about the necessity of failure and persistence. I recount and recreate some of my worst gigs as a juggler and yo-yo man, and show how those train-wrecks made me the performer I am today. My hope is that the audience will come to enjoy my stories of how badly things can go wrong, and will go home with the confidence that sometimes it's better if you don't get everything right the first time.
Which “S” word best describes your show: SMOOTH, SEXY, SMART, SURPRISING?
Is SMEXY a word? No? Ok, I'm going to go with SMOOTH.
Who are your heroes?
Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Jacques Cousteau, my grandpa Mac.
