I do 100 shows a year, but I do it in fits and starts, as opposed to going on a long run.
The key to doing 8 shows a week is endurance, stamina.
Normally our season is seven weeks in the Drama Theatre and four weeks in the Opera Theater.
John Cassavetes wrote A Woman Under the Influence as a play. He said, "Hey, I wrote you a play." And I said, "Great, let's read it." I read it and I said, "John, I couldn't do this every night and twice on Wednesday and Saturday".
My schedule is completely different doing a play than it is doing a movie, and I actually think it's a much harder schedule because you've got to do it eight times a week and you've got to do it good eight times a week and with different kinds of audiences who are cold or drunk or tired, whatever it is.
The good thing about Broadway is that you don't have to worry about an airdate. It gets done when it gets done.
With stage, it's very tough. You have to have a lot of stamina - you're doing eight shows a week for 19 weeks. The same thing, every night. Twice a day some days. The only full day I actually had off was Sunday. And every night is different.
The pace is so fast in summer stock. In college shows, there is more time for rehearsals.
But TV and movie schedules are always easier than a theater schedule, if you have a family.
I've done plays where you get into the run and can go to auditions during the day, or can have lunch with someone, and then you go to half-hour and show up.
The terrible thing about acting in the theater is that you have to do it at night.
The main difference between the art of the actor and all other arts is that every other [non-performing] artist may create whenever he is in the mood of inspiration. But the artist of the stage must be the master of his own inspiration, and must know how to call it forth at the hour announced on the posters of the theatre. This is the chief secret of our art.
Indeed, the actor's lot is a much harder one than that of the director's, from one simple standpoint: The actor has to play the eight shows a week.
If you do eight shows a week it's just too difficult to try to put everything that you can together.
