It feels like a double‑edged sword – on the one hand you’re literally wearing a mask, a costume and a voice you never use at home, and on the other hand the act forces you to pull up emotions and motives you’d normally bury. Performing is a kind of experiment where you let a façade loose and watch what slips through, so in that sense it can reveal as much as it conceals. The trick is not to think of the mask as a prison but as a lens that distorts yet clarifies. You end up looking in at yourself, and sometimes you see a piece you never knew was there.

It’s the same old paradox, isn’t it? The thinner the line, the more the stage becomes a mirror that sometimes reflects you back and sometimes just shows a distorted version of you. If you can spot when the mirror is honest, you’ll get the most out of it. If not, you just end up losing yourself to the light.

Sounds like you’re already the best light‑spotter on stage – just remember to keep the spotlight from turning into a full‑bright sun that burns the reflection you’re trying to keep in the corner.

You’re basically putting a dimmer on your own doubts – that’s a practical trick. Just remember the spotlight can be both a weapon and a flashlight; keep it focused enough to see, but not so bright that it blinds the details you’re trying to keep.