I saw your column called Shiny New Thing and felt compelled to respond!

You asked the question of how one keeps the work fresh, alive, shiny, and new — especially with the very real risk of it becoming routine. Here’s what I do.

Keep the “child’s mind” of a student, that regardless of circumstance, there is always room to learn from a situation, be it an audition, a rehearsal, a performance. Film and theatre are collaborative processes, and as such, are built like a house of cards, one upon the other — we fit into that mix and must be aware of how we affect the whole. If we let our guard down and let ourselves become mundane and routine, we are the weakest link, the card that folds and sends the house tumbling to the ground.

Every chance to perform is a new opportunity. On stage, every show is different because every audience is different and the energy from that audience directly impacts how one performs. For film and television, every take is an opportunity to improve or hone the nuance of the performance, as well as learn how to best focus one’s own energy take after take.

And how we interact with others is a vital part of keeping this career fresh and new. With student films, for instance, the experienced actor is both master and student simultaneously, allowing himself to gently guide the director/crew by using his professionalism, while at the same time allowing himself to bring to life the director’s vision. Everything is a teaching/learning experience, be it student film, big-budget feature film, TV series, theatre production — what keeps it fresh and alive is how willing the actor is to opening himself to the uniqueness of every new moment.

By the way, I’ll be moving to LA in April. My condo here in Chicago sold in less than 48 hours (full price) and the cosmos seems to be pushing me headlong to the west coast.

A GOOD OMEN.

I’m really looking forward to spreading my wings out there.