Celebrating Independence Day Part TWO! "How I Did It," a re-post by Adrian Oceguera

A couple of months ago I shared a post about performance anxiety and preparation written by Adrian Oceguera.  Since then, Adrian performed his first leading role, Dr Frederick Frankenstein in TAA's "Young Frankenstein."  Continuing to use meticulous preparation to combat any anxiety, these are Adrian's thoughts on preparing for that highly coveted first lead! 

How I did it.... by Victor Frankenstein
But really, it's actually by Frederick Frankenstein, or preferably, Fronken-steen!!

A few months ago, I was blessed to to have been asked to perform as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in the Theater Arts Alliance's production of the musical, Young Frankenstein. If you don't know, that is the lead part in a hilarious, raunchy comedy from the beloved Mel Brooks. For me, this was my first lead role, and while I was thrilled at the opportunity, if you read my post from a while back on anxiety, you might guess that with all the excitement, there was also an extreme amount of terror.

So I'd like to tell you a little about how I prepared for the part, and how I adjusted myself to live in the moment. I don't want you to really think of this as advice though. A close friend of mine reminded me that, "there's lots of good role prep advice out there from people that have done many many many [shows]". So instead, I'd like to give you my perspective as a first time lead, and what I went through on my journey through Transylvania Heights.

When I first got the notice, you could only imagine how shocked I was. I even let out a little "manly" squeal! Having done this show before *oops forgot to mention that sooner*, I was honestly floored at the opportunity to portray this amazing character, but then it sank in... how was I supposed to memorize those lines? What if I forgot the words to my song on stage? Is my laugh maniacal enough?

Let me let you in on a not so hidden secret... all those things happened, and I'm still here writing this, so obviously, I survived. Let's work backwards a little bit. There are a few things that I found to be essential while preparing for this role, and maybe some of it will make sense for you as well.

First, and probably the most universal and obvious, is hard work. This one applies to everyone in every cast. WORK Hard! If you aren't convinced that you are the hardest working person in a cast, then you're not doing it right. Now, that statement is extremely subjective, and it's supposed to be. Be the hardest working person doesn't mean anything specifically to anyone, but rather is meant to be a reminder that you were chosen because someone genuinely believed that you would make a positive difference in their production, and even more, that you were a person that they wanted to be around for long periods of time, because let's face it, rehearsal schedules are often by-products of the fires of hell. Anyways.... work hard.

Next, always trust and believe. No... not in yourself! So SELFISH! Just kidding. Yes, of course you should always believe in yourself, but more importantly, you need to believe in those around you. Believe that your director is making the choices they do with your best interest at

heart, and trust that your cast mates will be there when you fall. I say this, because undoubtedly you will question a decision, and undoubtedly you will fall. The whole situation comes down to not how you fall, but how you recover. Plenty of times during this production did I find myself stretching for a line when on stage or trying to remember what the next blocking scene was. Every time... EVERY SINGLE TIME... one of my cast mates was there to catch me. I remember one instance in particular, where I'm supposed to act as if I'm walking off stage, but then I'm supposed to revert back and choke a large creature. Well, I didn't. Instead, I thought it would be a nice time to wander off stage and immediately I ran into a wall of cast mates silently choking themselves and mouthing "you son of a b*tch, b%stard"(my lines). So naturally I ran back on stage and the scene went off without a hitch. Kinda. Point is, trust in everyone around you, because nobody wants you to succeed more than them.

Finally, make decisions. I was chosen to play this character, a living breathing entity that's supposed to have a mind of it's own. When playing Frederick, I decided to do the show with as close as I could get to Gene Wilder's voice. While some may say that I should have put my own spin on it, I'd argue that including the voice WAS me putting my own spin on it. I made the conscious decision to include it. Nobody told me to, and honestly I felt more comfortable doing the scenes with that voice than my own. Be devoted to what you want people to see and hear. Sure, you may get suggestions, or down right "change that because it's not working"(s), but when given the freedom, take the time to think about what character you're putting off, and if you don't like it, change it. 

Well, there you go! I totally got more lecture-y than I wanted to, but that was my preparation in a nutshell. I went over my lines countless times, I found comfort and solace knowing that I had so much talent around me, and I made decisions about what I wanted to be on stage. One of the best facets about doing so many shows and playing so many characters is the everlasting opportunity to grow. If every single role you got was a tribute to being better than the last, you will be [mostly] unstoppable. Take the time to improve yourself, and your craft. You're totally worth it!

P.S.- Don't be a jerk, go to strike!


 Adrian's next role is LeFou in TAA's Beauty and the Beast -- looking forward to it!  :)