Call Me "The Man"

In today's post, actor Fred Iacovo describes his preparation for the demanding role of "The Man" in Neil LaBute's This is How it Goes. The play runs through Nov. 21. More information and tickets are available at the Firehouse Web site.
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Before I agreed to be a part of This Is How It Goes, I hadn’t been on stage for two years. That was when I had taken the role of Ross in Spinning into Butter, which also played at the Firehouse. It was a nice part but I swore that if I were to do another show, I would have to be the lead. Plays take up a ton of time and keep me from being able to travel. That means I can’t do any on-camera work, and that is how I pay my bills.

Well, be careful what you wish for. The part of “Man” has been the most demanding role I have ever taken on. I didn’t realize exactly how many lines I would have to sink into memory until everything had been highlighted. When completed, I realized that was almost the whole play, or close enough. The script never left my hand for two months.

Director Bill Patton wanted the actors off book before rehearsals started. Although I didn’t quite get there, I was pretty damn close. When I would go the gym to work out, I would mumble to myself through the whole workout. I received many a strange look. The good thing about that though, not many people want to be around a crazy person, so I was always left alone to focus on my lines and my workout.

I also lost quite a bit of sleep. I couldn’t stop running lines constantly in my head. It would wake me in the middle of the night and I would have to get out of bed walking throughout the house with script in hand going over my lines. My wife finally had me stop going to get-togethers with friends because I couldn’t relax, I knew I should be studying my lines. It was a tough couple of months.

Once I got into rehearsals, things didn’t get any easier. This is a very emotional and exhausting show. Fortunately, I was blessed to be working with two wonderful actors in Laine Satterfield and Tyhm Kennedy. Their energy and talent, along with Bill’s direction, enabled us to explore and come up with a very gripping show.

But the best part about this whole process, is that when my friends talk about the show, the have to refer to me as “The Man.”