What I Do

The dinner-party question that most people have no problem with is always a real trauma for me:

"So, what do you do?"

Inevitably, a difficult negotiation process follows. Most people who ask that question want a nice, simple answer. That is why most careers have handy names like "architect," "corporate vice president," or "Supreme Overlord of the Xynok Nebula." But mine doesn't.

So I hedge my bets, trying to feel out the interest level of my inquisitor... "Uh, lots of things, um, you know, acting, writing, sort of..." I always feel really lame at this point. If they nod and smile and change the subject, I want to yell, "How can you leave it at that? You don't have the foggiest idea of what I do, you smug, self-important architect/ vice president/ Overlord!"

But if they're actually interested, it's even worse. I have to try to tell them:

I write - for TV, multimedia, stage and radio. I perform - on stage, radio, and the occasional video or film project. Sometimes I perform what I write, sometimes not. Sometimes I perform written material (by me or someone else), though a lot of the time I improvise. I direct, but usually in an improv capacity. I play music, sometimes for what I write, sometimes for other people, sometimes... It's complicated. And interconnected in a Gordian kind of way.

Ever since I was a teen, people who Knew Better were forever telling me to focus on one thing rather than trying to do everything that appealed to me. Nowadays, I divide my time up equally between congratulating myself for my fortitude and wishing I'd listened....

I'll try to break it down for you...