David A. Moss

After receiving a scholarship to attend The School of Performing Arts in San Diego, David worked as a stand-up comic for several years before returning to theater and film. He received a Critics Choice award for his role in the independent film Street Music; his performance was hailed as a “stand-out” by New York Times reviewer Vincent Camby. His portrayal of the “brilliantly mad” Malvolio in the College of Marin’s production of “Twelfth Night” earned him performance of the year recognition from the Marin Independent Journal. David recently played the title role in “Othello,” which one reviewer described as “elecrifying.” He is the recipient of a Marin Arts Council grant for Outstanding Solo Performance and he just completed a short film, Shadows, which he wrote and directed.

MB: Were you ever nervous when you went on stage?

DAM: Yes. I still get nervous. I still get very nervous.

MB: I can never sense that. Driving here, I was thinking to myself, “I’m writing a book on performance anxiety and I’m asking David to share his insights; I don’t know if David ever gets nervous.”

DAM: I get a lot less nervous now than I used to. I think what I’ve learned —and I’m still learning—is to take the nervousness, the anxiety, and channel that into the performance. Instead of spending a lot of time worrying if the people are going to like me, or whether I’m going to be funny, I’ve learned to focus that [energy] into the performance.

MB: So how do you channel it into the performance?

DAM: Without sounding too airy-fairy or esoteric, I’m at a point now in my life and my performing where I don't really care whether the people like me. I’m up there for the art form, I want to be true to the art form. And so one of the things that helps me is not being perfect—not being perfect and not wanting to be the best. Because we’re taught that we have to be the best, not only in performance—[which you’ll understand] if you’ve gone to any kind of performing school—but in life in general, starting with our parents: “You do the best that you can. And you be the best that you can be.”

Me, I just want to be average. And that sounds really simple. But telling myself that takes so much pressure off of me. I don’t want to be the best. For instance, if I’m doing a showcase like I’m doing tonight, and there are fourteen comics, all of whom I’ll follow, I don’t sit there and say, “I’m going to be the best of all.” I just want to be average. To just be David.

MB: Have you ever found that anger got in the way of your performing?

DAM: It did in the past. That’s what fueled me. Having so many demons and not dealing with them—or dealing with them through the use of cocaine and alcohol—just really fueled the anger. I was funny, but very angry, and very scary.