(**Note from Jessi: Tonight is the opening of The Lion In Winter!  Adam Yazbeck, who is amazing as Philip – King of France, wrote this last night after their final preview.)

Today was our third and last preview. As I sit here writing at midnight I find myself wondering how we made it to opening night so quickly. It has been a fabulous journey filled with lots of discovery, joy, frustration, delight and mercurial moments. I still find myself amazed at the natural beauty of Santa Cruz and am filled with a deep sense of calm and peace as I take in the smell of redwoods and relax in their shade. I have to admit that I am just a little jealous that I do not get to perform out in the Glen, but the Mainstage is an amazing space and one that I look forward to playing!

In many ways, this show has felt incomplete without an audience. The previews have been incredibly informative and there are still many moments where I will be listening to the audience just as intently as they listen to us; I feel that it is through an audience that a show becomes truly full. We are learning every night from them, where and how to land a joke, how deep to stick a barb, how to shape a moment, where it drops out, where to pick it up, and when to tighten it. Like a constant dance or symphony of sound and energy, where a performer and listener meet, like a large pool that we are forever shaping and sculpting, feeling how an action or word ripples, the ebb and flow…..this is the magic of theatre. I have often searched for the words to describe what it is like to be onstage, it is a difficult thing to describe and it’s a different beast for every actor, but I always find it to be deeply spiritual. Acting is raw, naked, honest, thrilling, invigorating, defiant, and constantly challenging.

As we approach the beginning of our run I look forward to absorbing the lessons and wisdom that this show and its’ wildly talented cast has to offer. The work of an actor is never over, it is ever evolving. I like to believe that when a show closes our characters don’t simply fade away into the ether….a part of them lingers inside us to inform and color our future artistic endeavors; it will be fascinating to see what inspirations Philip will instill in me.

I will leave you with a sampling of Philip’s soundtrack….I am obsessive about warming up and whenever I’m in a show I create a playlist specifically for my character to which I do yoga, and roll around to, it is good preparation and gives a little something extra for me to bring onto stage. This is what helps me channel that “inner Samuel Jackson”, just one of the many creative notes from our director, Richard E.T. White……Enjoy!

Brother Ali – Uncle Sam Goddamn, Victory!
MIA – Paper Planes
Dr. Dre – What’s the Difference
Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1, Rebellion(Lies), My Body is a Cage
Band of Horses – The Funeral
Mum – We Have a Map of the Piano, Smell Memory, There is a Number of Small Things
Waldeck – Memories, Bei mir bist du schon
Atmosphere – One of a Kind, Spaghetti Strapped
Vampire Weekend – Diplomat’s Son, I Stand Corrected, I Think Ur a Contra
Jonsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps

–Adam Yazbeck, Actor (Philip in The Lion In Winter)