Matt Gottlieb plays the role of Bennie Locasto in New Leaf’s upcoming production of TOUCH.

The holidays are coming and while I’m filled with joy I’m also filled with fear.  Terror inducing fear.  Eye twitch provoking fear.  Ok, I’m an actor, I’m prone to hyperbole and being devilishly handsome.  Regardless, some amount of fear fills me when it comes to this holiday season.  It isn’t the War on Christmas.  Santa will slay any heathen who contest his infinite power. It isn’t that I haven’t bought any gifts yet.  I’ll get that shopping done while I’m in Japan…
 
Wha…
 
“You’re going to Japan?” you ask.
 
“Yes” I will answer.
 
“In the middle of rehearsing for Touch?” you probe.
 
“Yes” I will reply.
 
“Oh.  But it’s just for a few days, right?” you laugh uncomfortably.
 
“12.”
 
So, yeah I’m going to Japan.  It was in my conflicts before we started rehearsals and for some reason Jessica still decided to keep me in the cast.  For that I am eternally grateful.  I am also slightly freaking out.  Not only am I afraid of being away for so long because I am potentially halting our creative process for nearly two weeks, but I will also honestly miss these people.  The rehearsal process allows you to get surprisingly deep inside other people’s lives for a few months and I am going to miss my new found friends at New Leaf Theatre.
 
However there are some remedies.  I have already asked Jessica for acting homework while I’m away.  I will be running lines, doing scriptwork and keeping journals as I visit temples, karaoke bars, and participate in grand scale gawkery.  I have also talked to Kristina (who plays Serena in the play) about the possibility of having video rehearsals over Skype.  It’s the future y’all.  We can do that now.  It will make the more “intimate” moments of the play slightly more complicated; we can work around that. 
 
I fly back to the states on January 2 just in time for a 6 p.m. tech rehearsal.  Januarly 2 will officially be the longest day of my life due to the time change.  I’m likely going to be quite loopy at this first tech rehearsal.  And while there is a peppering of trepidation about returning to the rehearsal process this peppering is on a mountain of excitement.  I haven’t mentioned that before now for dramatic effect.  Please refer to the aforementioned disclosure about being prone to hyperbole and being devilishly handsome.  I am, in fact, insanely excited about this show and the progress we have made on it.  Each day leads to new discoveries and connections and my time in Japan will allow me to marinate upon these discoveries.  I first read this show back in 2001 as I prepared a monologue from it for my first acting course in college and I have been waiting to perform in Touch since then.  Now is my chance and no vacation to Japan or war with Santa (I’m actually fighting on the heathen side) will stop me from putting my best foot forward.
 
It’s my right foot… if you were wondering