It's always so interesting to hear a wonderful actor and in particular you read aloud because if I were reading loud it wouldn't sound good and I just love what you do and I'm always struck as a writer by choices that writers make and of course actors make choices too can you talk about that with regard to these

stories first of all I'll say that reading aloud to an audience is different

than reading aloud to microphone.

And the weird thing about reading aloud on a microphone knowing you're being taped with a live audience is that you have two constituencies.

And for me as a live performer, a theatre performer, I tend to privilege the live constituency

over the microphone constituency.

This is all about the microphone.

And I can hear my voice in my head, so I'm very aware of shaping sound in a very different way for this

microphone.

That makes a huge difference.

In a symphony space, the audiences move and shift and groan and laugh and sigh. It's a process. We take in what they do.

And you then maybe change the way you're going to read like the next line?

Yeah, they help you understand.

Are you ever surprised by something an audience laughs at or doesn't?

Yeah, totally surprised.

And again, it can feed you.

Or their absolute silence inspires you because you can feel the weight of the story hitting them.

Audiences can change from night to night too, right?

If you talk to comedians, why aren't you laughing at that?

Last night they loved it.

And also, you know, the thing about the written word

is that you sometimes can't get something across

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