What Most Excites You About This Production?
I love working on brand new scripts. I find a great deal of fun going somewhere no other actor has gone before. This also may be the first play I’ve ever done that takes place in my native city, Seattle, and I get a silly amount of satisfaction in that.
What initially attracted me to the play, though, was it’s honesty and the fact that it pulls no punches. These characters are flawed and, just like we experience in life, all are struggling mightily to connect to one another.
What Is the Greatest Challenge You Have With This Role?
Jake wrestles with everything that doesn’t fit into his ow narrow view of his life and himself. He lives in a self contained bubble and has an easy time compartmentalizing his emotions. This makes him appear arrogant, selfish and a little bit narcissistic so I think it’s easy to quickly judge him and dismiss him as an asshole. At his core, however, I believe Jake is a kind, generous and loving soul who fears intimacy. The challenge, then, is the honest struggle between those two poles. To capture all of the things that makes him so loveable to his friends and lovers while staying true to everything that makes him so impossible to deal with.
I love working on brand new scripts. I find a great deal of fun going somewhere no other actor has gone before. This also may be the first play I’ve ever done that takes place in my native city, Seattle, and I get a silly amount of satisfaction in that.
What initially attracted me to the play, though, was it’s honesty and the fact that it pulls no punches. These characters are flawed and, just like we experience in life, all are struggling mightily to connect to one another.
What Is the Greatest Challenge You Have With This Role?
Jake wrestles with everything that doesn’t fit into his ow narrow view of his life and himself. He lives in a self contained bubble and has an easy time compartmentalizing his emotions. This makes him appear arrogant, selfish and a little bit narcissistic so I think it’s easy to quickly judge him and dismiss him as an asshole. At his core, however, I believe Jake is a kind, generous and loving soul who fears intimacy. The challenge, then, is the honest struggle between those two poles. To capture all of the things that makes him so loveable to his friends and lovers while staying true to everything that makes him so impossible to deal with.
What Kind of Research Are You Doing to Prepare?
The kind of research I’m doing is internal. In trying to understand Jake’s motivations I’m asking myself some very tough questions about myself and going places I usually try to ignore. Which leads into the next question of….
Since This Play Is About Unearthing Secrets – What Secret About Yourself Would You be Willing to Share?
I rarely feel comfortable talking about my process but I’ll allow
for some intimate details about myself: I’m somewhat ashamed to admit how closely my own personality relates to Jake’s. We both use humor to deflect real intimacy and hard questions. I, too, would describe myself as a bit of a narcissist (though I don’t think Jake possesses the kind of self awareness to admit that). I have an easy time compartmentalizing my emotions and I can find it very difficult to connect to people at an honest, personal level.
The kind of research I’m doing is internal. In trying to understand Jake’s motivations I’m asking myself some very tough questions about myself and going places I usually try to ignore. Which leads into the next question of….
Since This Play Is About Unearthing Secrets – What Secret About Yourself Would You be Willing to Share?
I rarely feel comfortable talking about my process but I’ll allow
for some intimate details about myself: I’m somewhat ashamed to admit how closely my own personality relates to Jake’s. We both use humor to deflect real intimacy and hard questions. I, too, would describe myself as a bit of a narcissist (though I don’t think Jake possesses the kind of self awareness to admit that). I have an easy time compartmentalizing my emotions and I can find it very difficult to connect to people at an honest, personal level.
What Have Been Some of Your Favorite Previous Roles?
Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at SecondStory Rep. The title role in The American Pilot at Theater Schmeater. The drunken clown Stephano in The Tempest with GreenStage. Two of my favorite shows that I’ve performed smaller roles in were Edmond at Balagan Theatre and Superior Donuts at Seattle Public Theater. One role I’m really looking forward to playing is the historical gay pioneer Harry Hay in The Temperamentals, about the founding of the Mattachine Society which was the first gay activist organization. To be performed next May by Arouet at the Ballard Underground.
Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at SecondStory Rep. The title role in The American Pilot at Theater Schmeater. The drunken clown Stephano in The Tempest with GreenStage. Two of my favorite shows that I’ve performed smaller roles in were Edmond at Balagan Theatre and Superior Donuts at Seattle Public Theater. One role I’m really looking forward to playing is the historical gay pioneer Harry Hay in The Temperamentals, about the founding of the Mattachine Society which was the first gay activist organization. To be performed next May by Arouet at the Ballard Underground.
What Do You Hope Audiences Take From This Production?
Just to experience the human condition. This play is a mystery on
it’s surface but at it’s core is a universal story of people just trying to
connect to each other. It’s about people who love each other and hurt each other and people who fail each other.
Just to experience the human condition. This play is a mystery on
it’s surface but at it’s core is a universal story of people just trying to
connect to each other. It’s about people who love each other and hurt each other and people who fail each other.
RSS Feed