Anyone remember Joss Whedon’s movie Serenity? In particular, does anyone remember this exchange:
Wash: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting
Mal: Define ‘Interesting.’
Wash: Oh God, oh God, we’re all going to die?
Substitute ‘landing’ with a ‘stand-up routine’, timed at 4 minutes give or take, and you have how I feel at the moment. Jitters are normal, two weeks ago I felt panicky. The panic had its edge take off at the Handsome Daughter as some people got a laugh or two, others just had crickets, and one performer looked visibly thrown off. My instructor, Cara, remembered her fear of dying on stage until she actually bombed one night. She discovered she lived to make people laugh another day.
Winnipeg audiences, for the most part, are pretty civil whether it’s comedy or theatre. If someone’s not great, someone not great, unless they’re a jerk. In that case, all bets are off to tell that person they suck. I have no idea how this will go or if my punchlines will land. Uncertainty doesn’t tie my stomach in knots, it knits them according to whatever outcome I dream up. Knit one, purl two, voila an anxiety sweater.
So Que Cera, Cera and all that. Tonight’s the night and I can say I did it.
Unpaused Life 