I always say that the thing I like best about being a stage actor, is going to the bar with cool people afterward! That's only a little bit tongue in cheek. Being able to make deep connections with people over short periods of time is one of the most incredible things about being in the theatre. There is something about going through a super stressful situation together which inevitably fosters bonds between people. Whether those people are the audience or the fellow actors and crew, it's the connections which draw me back to the stage.
I had taken a big hiatus from the stage to focus on pursuing my childhood dream of acting on screen. I knew that the stage would consume my life if I were to dip my toe in, so I made a commitment to stay away from the boards and focus on acting for the camera. I found the ability to bond with the cast and crew of video productions was a little different. The pressure is not nearly as intense on a film and television set as it is when you have a live audience coming to the show whether you are ready or not! Life on a Hollywood set is much more relaxed with a lot of sitting around time, which allows us to talk a lot, but there's just something different about it.
Another thing that I found lacking in my experience as a screen actor was the ability to really craft a performance like I can in the theatrical rehearsal process. The people who decide what an actor's final product looks like on screen are not the actors. Those decisions are made by the director and the editor long after the actors have done their work. I love the permanence of the product once it is done, but there is something about being able to make decisions on the fly about how my character would react in a certain situation that I really miss when I'm working in front of the camera.
I had taken a big hiatus from the stage to focus on pursuing my childhood dream of acting on screen. I knew that the stage would consume my life if I were to dip my toe in, so I made a commitment to stay away from the boards and focus on acting for the camera. I found the ability to bond with the cast and crew of video productions was a little different. The pressure is not nearly as intense on a film and television set as it is when you have a live audience coming to the show whether you are ready or not! Life on a Hollywood set is much more relaxed with a lot of sitting around time, which allows us to talk a lot, but there's just something different about it.
Another thing that I found lacking in my experience as a screen actor was the ability to really craft a performance like I can in the theatrical rehearsal process. The people who decide what an actor's final product looks like on screen are not the actors. Those decisions are made by the director and the editor long after the actors have done their work. I love the permanence of the product once it is done, but there is something about being able to make decisions on the fly about how my character would react in a certain situation that I really miss when I'm working in front of the camera.
When I moved to Sonoma County in 2012, I was suddenly thrust back into the world of live theatre in a position that was novel to me, but a completely organic outgrowth of my previous experiences. The theatre became my home away from home once again in my professional life. I was spending the majority of my week in the theatre as a teacher and a producer, and decided that it was time for me to get back on the boards as a performer. My first show in front of an audience other than a crew was with The Full Monty in the Spring of 2013. Just a few months shy of a whole decade since I had been in Dames at Sea in Westminster, MD, which was the last full musical I had performed in.
My friend Lennie Dean came to that performance and was very excited to see my chops and said that it had put me on her "radar." A few months later, she asked me to audition for her upcoming production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Since I can sing and dance as well as act, I generally get stuck with musical or comic roles, so being a part of such an amazing piece of American literature was an exciting prospect for me. Once I was cast as the neurotic Dale Harding, I realized that this challenge could not have come at a better time for me to really sink my teeth into the role and do the type of work I have always dreamed of doing. I really tried to transform myself for the character including losing 20 pounds and adopting his nervous gestures and mannerisms which Ken Kesey detailed in his pivotal novel.
Luckily, Lennie did an amazing job of casting our little band of misfits, and we were able to craft a beautiful show that had an impact on our audiences. It was a very draining process and left me feeling a bit of an emotional hangover after the shows, and a major need for decompressing at the bar afterward! I made some great, new friends from different parts of the bay area and left the whole experience feeling so much richer for having been a part of something so powerful. I did receive lots of praise for my portrayal, but I often wonder how much of that is people being nice and friendly, so I never let it go to my head, although I am very grateful.
My friend Lennie Dean came to that performance and was very excited to see my chops and said that it had put me on her "radar." A few months later, she asked me to audition for her upcoming production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Since I can sing and dance as well as act, I generally get stuck with musical or comic roles, so being a part of such an amazing piece of American literature was an exciting prospect for me. Once I was cast as the neurotic Dale Harding, I realized that this challenge could not have come at a better time for me to really sink my teeth into the role and do the type of work I have always dreamed of doing. I really tried to transform myself for the character including losing 20 pounds and adopting his nervous gestures and mannerisms which Ken Kesey detailed in his pivotal novel.
Luckily, Lennie did an amazing job of casting our little band of misfits, and we were able to craft a beautiful show that had an impact on our audiences. It was a very draining process and left me feeling a bit of an emotional hangover after the shows, and a major need for decompressing at the bar afterward! I made some great, new friends from different parts of the bay area and left the whole experience feeling so much richer for having been a part of something so powerful. I did receive lots of praise for my portrayal, but I often wonder how much of that is people being nice and friendly, so I never let it go to my head, although I am very grateful.
When I was asked to be a member of the Sonoma County Stage One Theatre Arts (SOTA) Academy, I was thrilled and honored to be included in the local theatre community. I took the task of nominating people for the varied awards, very seriously and tried my best to honor the most deserving people, but was never expecting to be one of the people who would be honored. After only being in the local theatre community for a little over a year, I thought that not enough people would know who I was and therefore, wouldn't think to vote for me. Apparently I was mistaken.
When I heard my name announced, by my friend Jill Zimmerman, as the recipient of the Best Supporting Actor award for my role in Cuckoo's Nest, I was shocked and humbled by the love that I have been able to receive in the short time that I have been a member of this great community. I have thought for years about the things I would love to say if I ever had the chance to make a speech for something like this, but somehow, none of those things came to my mind. Instead, I felt the need to express my extreme gratitude to the people close to me that make it possible for me to do what I love to do. I was and am honored, but I still approach everything in the same way I did before. I don't know if I'm chasing my future self, like some other actor who received an award recently, or just trying to do the best I can in every situation I'm in by appreciating these moments. After all, that's what life is, right. A series of moments. Why don't you go out and seize yours?! Alright, alright, alright.
I may never get the chance to do something as powerful as this. After 20 years in this business, that's a reality which I am well aware of and helps me to appreciate all of the incredible opportunities I have. I'll still do the same level of work or better, but I know that the accolades can't always come in the form of awards and good reviews. If we spend our lives worrying about trying to win something for the work we're doing, life will be full of disappointments. I guess that's why I feel like I am winning every time I get to step on stage with the company of other great artists who are blessed to do what we love and share that gift with our community. This award will always be special to me, just as the awards I won in high school still are, but I loved my career on the stage for the 19 years in between those awards just as much as I will love the next project I start working on.
When I heard my name announced, by my friend Jill Zimmerman, as the recipient of the Best Supporting Actor award for my role in Cuckoo's Nest, I was shocked and humbled by the love that I have been able to receive in the short time that I have been a member of this great community. I have thought for years about the things I would love to say if I ever had the chance to make a speech for something like this, but somehow, none of those things came to my mind. Instead, I felt the need to express my extreme gratitude to the people close to me that make it possible for me to do what I love to do. I was and am honored, but I still approach everything in the same way I did before. I don't know if I'm chasing my future self, like some other actor who received an award recently, or just trying to do the best I can in every situation I'm in by appreciating these moments. After all, that's what life is, right. A series of moments. Why don't you go out and seize yours?! Alright, alright, alright.
I may never get the chance to do something as powerful as this. After 20 years in this business, that's a reality which I am well aware of and helps me to appreciate all of the incredible opportunities I have. I'll still do the same level of work or better, but I know that the accolades can't always come in the form of awards and good reviews. If we spend our lives worrying about trying to win something for the work we're doing, life will be full of disappointments. I guess that's why I feel like I am winning every time I get to step on stage with the company of other great artists who are blessed to do what we love and share that gift with our community. This award will always be special to me, just as the awards I won in high school still are, but I loved my career on the stage for the 19 years in between those awards just as much as I will love the next project I start working on.
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