Raymond McAnally is a big guy, giant really, in stature and heart. He's also a magnificent and insightful actor who is bringing his solo show Size Matters to the American Theatre Group, November 12 through November 23.

Size Matters tells the tale of Ray's life as a plus-sized actor, new husband, and uncle to an admiring overweight ten-year-old nephew, Morgan. Seeing a chance to save Morgan, as well as himself, Raymond searches his life for just how much, or how little size matters. Size Matters is a heartfelt comedy that will resonate for anyone who has every wrestled with body issues.

StageBuddy recently had the pleasure to speak with Ray about this very special show.

What prompted you to write Size Matters?

Two things prompted me to write Size Matters: the old adage "write what you know" and a love for artists who open themselves up for the world to see, because that kind of work is always so strangely "universal", by being so very, very specific.

As a big guy, I empathized with anyone struggling with body issues, but I wasn't seeing my experience told outright. Mainly, because men don't really talk about our body issues; we joke about them, make fun of each other, and ourselves. So, I wanted to capture that reality and then go a step further. The only way to do that was to be honest about my own experiences and worries.

I've been "The Big Guy" all my life because of my frame. My struggles with weight on top of that have certainly been responsible for some peaks and valleys in my confidence. I've always found it funny that I picked a profession (acting) where so much of my work is affected by how I look and how I feel about how I look. I'm at a place in life where I see the therapeutic nature and humor in having to get to know yourself that well.

Your nephew, Morgan, appears as a character in your play. He is a bit older now than the young boy he is in your show. Has he seen the play and if so, what was his reaction?

Yes, Morgan is an incredibly important character in the play. In a lot of ways, it's his story as much as it is mine. He was ten the year the story takes place. I can't believe he's fourteen now and almost my height! He read the second draft of the show, my whole family did, and I started to get calls from my sister saying how it seemed to have already been building his confidence. Then he came to see the opening night of the world premiere and felt like a rock star.

Since then, our relationship has grown a great deal and we are able to talk more easily than ever before. That means the world to me, because in a lot of ways I used this show to talk directly to him. I've been where he is and see so many possibilities of where he could be going, depending upon how much "size matters" to him. I hope this show can give more uncles, aunts, moms, and dads the same thing with the kids they care about.

How did you find the experience of transferring from your written word to putting the show up on its feet?

The directors (Ed Stern and Lynn Meyers of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati) and I met during the months leading up to the show, working on preliminary drafts, and I am so grateful that we did that kind of page work. Rehearsing all day and then going back to the hotel to work on changes was hard enough with the heavy lifting completed on the story. I can't imagine doing it and still needing huge structural changes. Luckily my directors have an incredible amount of experience in developing new works. Without them, I could never have found the show I did in the time that we had.

What advice do you have for emerging solo artists?

Do it for the story, not the showcase. If the story is good and the central question is strong, then we will have a reason to follow you while you find that answer. I think that's why my favorite solo shows are, at least at their roots, autobiographical. If you expect the audience to follow you and you alone for an hour or more, then you best have a need to be the only person on that stage. We have to want to go on that journey with you and you alone. Otherwise, your story is probably better served by a full cast.

Size Matters performs at Hamilton Stage/Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, NJ from November 12 through November 23. For more information go to www.americantheatergroup.org