They're in There. Somewhere.

I'm learning lines this morning.  Well, right now, I'm distracting myself with a blog post, but I'm REALLY learning lines.  A lot of them.  All of them.

It's funny.  When I'm in a play with other actors, I don't feel as pressured to learn my lines quickly, because it feels like the cast shares the burden together.  As if it's only 30% my responsibility to be off book.  This is crazy math, I know.  There's a feeling that "the lines will come" once the cast gets in the habit of running the scenes over and over.  There's this trust that things will fall into place right on schedule...or sometime shortly after.

This time, it's different.  I'm my own scene partner.  If I plan on learning Beatrice's lines, I darn well better learn the ones for Tamara, because they're in a scene together.  I can't hang out backstage and listen for when Thandi comes on, because I AM Thandi.  I can't rely on Eedric's cue line to remind me what I say next, because Eedric is ME.  And I can't run offstage to the restroom during Joven's scene with The Creature because...you get the idea.

Don't get me wrong- this is an awesome opportunity to test myself like this, to branch out and try something new.  But it is no small feat.  And with THAT, I return to my script.

I just needed a momentary diversion.