Sir Patrick is the consummate professional. We love that… Not only does he give us the best performance he possibly can, whether it be on stage or as Jean Luc, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. For his latest Broadway play, this even includes changing his eating habits and cutting out dairy all together. Now that’s devotion…think about it…that means no ice cream. No ice cream?! Not even for Captain Picard day?!

In the new comedy “A Life in the Theatre” written by David Mamet, Patrick co-stars with T.R. Knight from Grey’s Anatomy and has to take serious measures to protect his voice. You see, the play is 90 minutes of dialog with no intermission.

"With just us talking onstage for 90 minutes, no intermission, the first line of defense is how to use your voice. Over the years, I've visited voice coaches here and in England. I have this same doctor for 15 years who's looked after some of our greatest voices. I'm one of the humblest of her clients.

"She first listens to what I have to say, examines the orifice, takes video pictures of the vocal chords, then prescribes treatment. Like being sure there's sufficient hydration and water. My dressing room is steam-filled with a humidifier. And no dairy products. They're bad bad bad. They create mucus. And I warm up before going onstage.

"Without her, I nearly wouldn't have made it through opening night. The audience was very alert, very responsive. But, on top of everything else, I developed a nasty infection in my vocal chords. In one scene, our operating-table scene, I almost didn't think I'd get through it. I struggled. My voice was giving out. I think I'd rather go on with a broken leg. It really could have been an incident, but we two men know one another well so we made it work."

More about “A Life in the Theatre”:

Olivier Award winner PATRICK STEWART and Emmy® Award nominee T.R. KNIGHT (Grey’s Anatomy) share the passion, pleasures and pitfalls of the theatre in David Mamet’s funny and theatrical behind-the-scenes take on what really happens backstage! A hilarious and heartfelt look at two actors battling to share a dressing room and the spotlight, A LIFE IN THE THEATRE, directed by Neil Pepe, is a must-see experience. From rehearsals to reprisals, from ego trips to acting tips, this inside and often outrageous look at the world of show business comes to Broadway for 15 weeks only.

Check out the official website here for ticket information.

(Quote source NYPost.com)