Shakespeare's Army
In my younger days as a professional actor, I spent a lot of time carrying a spear (as the saying goes). Not at first. In High School and College, I played lead roles. When I left college and entered the acting world, I was a kid with talent, but no real technique. (This is not meant as a slight to the schools I went to as an undergrad. Technique is something you acquire by doing the work. The whole Malcolm Gladwell thing about 10,000 hours needed to master something thing).
Fortunately, I love to work. I love the process. I really fucking love creating theatre. So, when I moved from Las Cruces to Washington DC, and a couple of years later to Seattle, I took whatever I could. The day I arrived in DC, I auditioned for a "Julius Caesar" with the Washington Shakespeare Company. I got cast as the sort of right hand man to Caesar who became the right hand man to Antony (lots of little roles tied together). I was a kid, but I was in the room with some really great actors. It was a pretty cool production, and sort of put that company on the map. (That had very little to do with me, but I was in the room). The next play I did was at a community theatre in Maryland that was doing "Antony and Cleopatra." Where I played Eros--Antony's guy who kills himself rather than helping Antony commit suicide. Talk about completing the arc of the story? (Which we weren't, but hey let's pretend that we were). Finally, before leaving DC, I got to work at The Shakespeare Theatre. I was swing/understudy (to many) in Michael Kahn's "Measure for Measure." It was the first equity gig I got, and I started earning those coveted AEA weeks (which I have flushed down the toilet over the past few years--see one of my other blogs about my relationship with Equity).
Here are some fun facts about my work at The Shakespeare Theatre:
1--I never actually met Michael Kahn. I got hired during previews, and the day I was supposed to meet him I couldn't find anybody to cover my shift at "The Black Eyed Pea" restaurant. A job I desperately needed to keep.
2--I skipped game 6 of the Pirates/Braves playoff series that I had tickets for to audition for it. (I thought I could get to Pittsburgh after my audition, but I could barely get back to my apartment in Arlington before the first pitch). I went to the other games, including game 7 where Smiley gave up like 7 runs in the first inning. He was my LVP (least valuable player, although others in my section gave it to Bonds).
3--I had already decided to move to Seattle before I got this job, or I may have stayed and worked there and eventually gone to New York to pursue bigger roles.
4--I went on for a guy (who at a party jumped over a fire pit and hurt his leg). He watched the show that night, and made a miraculous recovery the next day. The stage manager told me that he was clearly scared of being replaced.
5--I learned more about how to stage a play and move the eye of the audience from sitting up in the rafters every night and watching this play over and over than I could have in 10 master classes.
6--I fell in love with "Measure for Measure" and would even go on to direct it years later in Seattle for Greeenstage.
Once in Seattle, getting cast in Shakespeare plays continued to be my jam. I got cast as Lysander in the first thing I auditioned for (also Greenstage). Then I got cast at the Bathhouse Theatre in another spear carrier track in Hamlet. I was Claudius' guy and Arne created a fun thru line for me. I also understudied a Guildenstern and Horatio. That was a good time in my life. I had a server job, but also was making an actual (although not very big) contract salary. It was there that I came up with the idea for "Shakespeare's Army: The Guide to Playing all the Minor Characters in a Shakespeare Play." I never wrote it, so don't look for it, but if you want to buy me a drink I will tell you all about it. Eventually I graduated to larger roles in Seattle. My personal life blew up, in a sort of awful (public) way and I got sick (lost a kidney) and got really depressed and moved to LA. (I don't know if I can get into that...ever again. It was rough).
I didn't know if I wanted to be an actor anymore when I got here. Seriously, I just wanted to be out of the rain. But a friend of mine in at Steppes Restaurant was doing "Twelfth Night" and knew I had played Malvolio and they couldn't cast it. She got me an audition. I got the role, and I haven't left the theatre since.
A couple of years later, I met Annie playing Petruchio to her Kate in Shrew with "Bard in the Yard." Two years later, I found Shakespeare by the Sea. The rest is mostly history. (Although there are lots of chapters I am leaving out, so it's a very incomplete history). Anyway, I played Macbeth in 2002 with SBTS. That was the year I also joined New American Theatre (then known as Circus Theatricals). I studied with Jack for quite awhile, and then I auditioned for his Macbeth. I was cast as Bloody Captain, Seyton, Murderers and others. Some of my friends asked me why I would take these roles after having just played Macbeth. I told them that I was a proud member of Shakespeare's Army. (This never actually happened, but it ties in my blog title nicely) And any chance to work with Jack would only make me better. (This I actually did say).
Fun Facts about that production of Macbeth:
1) I had to have surgery on my intestines (because of recurring diverticulitis) and couldn't open the show. (Dylan Kussman, who is an amazing actor and human being stepped into those roles and then walked me through all that had changed when I came back. He was also grateful for my return because he was going to get married).
2) Only Jack, Susan, and I were in both that production and this one.
3) Jack considers that production a failure, although everybody I know who saw it (including me while I was recovering for surgery) thought it was pretty damn good.
4) The entire group that was originally cast in that production never actually shared the stage for a performance. One of our actors had to leave the show shortly before I returned. Her roles were taken over by others.
5) Kent George couldn't be there for one performance, so I took over his track as well as my own. We never let him live it down. Jack would wistfully say how briskly the play went without him.
6) I am a much better Macduff than we had then.
Since that production, I have played major parts around LA, but returned to New American to be part of the army. (Aside from the two years I was in Alabama being part of Shakespeare's Army down there). I feel like all of this has made me ready for this production at this time. And I feel like this production is making me ready to tackle Mackers again this summer.
This is all prologue to the army we have in this show now that I had hoped to write about here. But once again, my own story gets in the way. But be assured that I recognize, respect, and love all those who serve in Shakespeare's Army, both in this show and in the world.
Fortunately, I love to work. I love the process. I really fucking love creating theatre. So, when I moved from Las Cruces to Washington DC, and a couple of years later to Seattle, I took whatever I could. The day I arrived in DC, I auditioned for a "Julius Caesar" with the Washington Shakespeare Company. I got cast as the sort of right hand man to Caesar who became the right hand man to Antony (lots of little roles tied together). I was a kid, but I was in the room with some really great actors. It was a pretty cool production, and sort of put that company on the map. (That had very little to do with me, but I was in the room). The next play I did was at a community theatre in Maryland that was doing "Antony and Cleopatra." Where I played Eros--Antony's guy who kills himself rather than helping Antony commit suicide. Talk about completing the arc of the story? (Which we weren't, but hey let's pretend that we were). Finally, before leaving DC, I got to work at The Shakespeare Theatre. I was swing/understudy (to many) in Michael Kahn's "Measure for Measure." It was the first equity gig I got, and I started earning those coveted AEA weeks (which I have flushed down the toilet over the past few years--see one of my other blogs about my relationship with Equity).
Here are some fun facts about my work at The Shakespeare Theatre:
1--I never actually met Michael Kahn. I got hired during previews, and the day I was supposed to meet him I couldn't find anybody to cover my shift at "The Black Eyed Pea" restaurant. A job I desperately needed to keep.
2--I skipped game 6 of the Pirates/Braves playoff series that I had tickets for to audition for it. (I thought I could get to Pittsburgh after my audition, but I could barely get back to my apartment in Arlington before the first pitch). I went to the other games, including game 7 where Smiley gave up like 7 runs in the first inning. He was my LVP (least valuable player, although others in my section gave it to Bonds).
3--I had already decided to move to Seattle before I got this job, or I may have stayed and worked there and eventually gone to New York to pursue bigger roles.
4--I went on for a guy (who at a party jumped over a fire pit and hurt his leg). He watched the show that night, and made a miraculous recovery the next day. The stage manager told me that he was clearly scared of being replaced.
5--I learned more about how to stage a play and move the eye of the audience from sitting up in the rafters every night and watching this play over and over than I could have in 10 master classes.
6--I fell in love with "Measure for Measure" and would even go on to direct it years later in Seattle for Greeenstage.
Once in Seattle, getting cast in Shakespeare plays continued to be my jam. I got cast as Lysander in the first thing I auditioned for (also Greenstage). Then I got cast at the Bathhouse Theatre in another spear carrier track in Hamlet. I was Claudius' guy and Arne created a fun thru line for me. I also understudied a Guildenstern and Horatio. That was a good time in my life. I had a server job, but also was making an actual (although not very big) contract salary. It was there that I came up with the idea for "Shakespeare's Army: The Guide to Playing all the Minor Characters in a Shakespeare Play." I never wrote it, so don't look for it, but if you want to buy me a drink I will tell you all about it. Eventually I graduated to larger roles in Seattle. My personal life blew up, in a sort of awful (public) way and I got sick (lost a kidney) and got really depressed and moved to LA. (I don't know if I can get into that...ever again. It was rough).
I didn't know if I wanted to be an actor anymore when I got here. Seriously, I just wanted to be out of the rain. But a friend of mine in at Steppes Restaurant was doing "Twelfth Night" and knew I had played Malvolio and they couldn't cast it. She got me an audition. I got the role, and I haven't left the theatre since.
A couple of years later, I met Annie playing Petruchio to her Kate in Shrew with "Bard in the Yard." Two years later, I found Shakespeare by the Sea. The rest is mostly history. (Although there are lots of chapters I am leaving out, so it's a very incomplete history). Anyway, I played Macbeth in 2002 with SBTS. That was the year I also joined New American Theatre (then known as Circus Theatricals). I studied with Jack for quite awhile, and then I auditioned for his Macbeth. I was cast as Bloody Captain, Seyton, Murderers and others. Some of my friends asked me why I would take these roles after having just played Macbeth. I told them that I was a proud member of Shakespeare's Army. (This never actually happened, but it ties in my blog title nicely) And any chance to work with Jack would only make me better. (This I actually did say).
Fun Facts about that production of Macbeth:
1) I had to have surgery on my intestines (because of recurring diverticulitis) and couldn't open the show. (Dylan Kussman, who is an amazing actor and human being stepped into those roles and then walked me through all that had changed when I came back. He was also grateful for my return because he was going to get married).
2) Only Jack, Susan, and I were in both that production and this one.
3) Jack considers that production a failure, although everybody I know who saw it (including me while I was recovering for surgery) thought it was pretty damn good.
4) The entire group that was originally cast in that production never actually shared the stage for a performance. One of our actors had to leave the show shortly before I returned. Her roles were taken over by others.
5) Kent George couldn't be there for one performance, so I took over his track as well as my own. We never let him live it down. Jack would wistfully say how briskly the play went without him.
6) I am a much better Macduff than we had then.
Since that production, I have played major parts around LA, but returned to New American to be part of the army. (Aside from the two years I was in Alabama being part of Shakespeare's Army down there). I feel like all of this has made me ready for this production at this time. And I feel like this production is making me ready to tackle Mackers again this summer.
This is all prologue to the army we have in this show now that I had hoped to write about here. But once again, my own story gets in the way. But be assured that I recognize, respect, and love all those who serve in Shakespeare's Army, both in this show and in the world.
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