| Q: Tell me about your work as a director. | | | | can block themselves in all sorts of ways. Allowing |
| A: I think most good directors have an idea of | | | | the inner critic to come into the equation is a huge |
| what they want to see in a role, but if they're | | | | block - the critic that says I'm not doing this right |
| smart, they're open to the people walking through | | | | or I'm not interesting, or I don't know how to |
| the door. As a director, I depend heavily on my | | | | move or speak or even what I want. That inner |
| actors. I want smart actors who make bold | | | | critic chips away at an actor and creates a safe |
| choices that are firmly rooted in the text, who | | | | tight insular performance. I try and break actors |
| have ideas, come in with new things, and who are | | | | out of that. |
| constantly moving forward in the rehearsal | | | | Q: I've heard you do dialect coaching. What is that |
| process. I would rather see an actor be wildly | | | | and how did you get into it? |
| wrong than safe, or just trying to figure out what | | | | A: Dialect coaching is a different sort of coaching. |
| I want. I end up trying to push them out of that | | | | It's not the same as accent reduction, which |
| because what I saw in an audition isn't going to | | | | usually attracts a different sort of coach. Most |
| end up being what they're going to do in the | | | | teachers who are certified in Fitzmaurice |
| show. | | | | Voicework work with dialects. I got involved with |
| In callbacks, I work with actors, I direct them. I | | | | the Fitzmaurice work at the ACA. Later, when |
| want to know how they take direction, how they | | | | taking her workshop, Catherine Fitzmaurice asked |
| communicate. I want to know what sort of | | | | me if would be interested in certifying in the work. |
| partner they are in this creative dance because I | | | | I went through the two-year certification process. |
| think the director/actor relationship is a | | | | In England, I trained through the British drama |
| partnership. The director has enough distance, | | | | school system, pretty much the same way any |
| hopefully, from the process to be able to look at | | | | of the major English actors trained. I developed an |
| it and say to an actor - "You can't see it because | | | | ear that's attuned to dialects so I can tell roughly |
| you're in it, but this isn't coming across, or this | | | | a Yorkshire dialect from a Suffolk dialect, a posh |
| isn't clear;" or, "Do you realize you're taking this | | | | dialect from a working class dialect. Living in |
| direction when the text is saying you're doing | | | | England helped refine my ear because people |
| something else?" A director plays several roles; he | | | | make all sorts of judgments by virtue of how |
| is the leader in a sense, but he also part | | | | you sound, so their ears are much more attuned |
| psychologist, diplomat, and creative partner. | | | | to dialect than are ours. |
| I'm not interested in working with actors who | | | | Towson University's production of Cloud Nine |
| need me to tell them how to act the role | | | | needed someone familiar with RP, Received |
| because I can't direct the play through the filter | | | | Pronunciation, the way the higher status English in |
| of being an actor. If I do that, all I'm doing is | | | | the 19th century spoke. As the first half of the |
| making people execute my choices, which is not | | | | play takes place in a colony in Africa in the |
| fun for them, terribly boring for them actually, | | | | Victorian period, I was brought in to work with |
| and terribly boring for me because there are no | | | | actors on RP. The second half of the play was |
| surprises. | | | | set in England in the 1980s, so I also coached the |
| There are no mysteries in an audition with me. I | | | | more contemporary London dialects. Right now, |
| will come out, if there's time, and talk to the | | | | at UMBC, I'm working with students on a |
| actors. I don't believe in sitting behind a table and | | | | Mississippi dialect for William Faulkner's As I Lay |
| adding to an already tense situation for the actor. | | | | Dying that fits the rhythms of the text. |
| When actors have taken the time to prepare and | | | | Q: Would you talk some about your acting? |
| audition for me, the least I can do is talk to them | | | | A: My work as an actor is very much the same |
| and find out what they're about even if I don't | | | | as my work as a director. I try to keep |
| think they're right for the part. It's a matter of | | | | everything in shape and keep forward |
| respect. | | | | momentum in my work. When I come into an |
| Another thing is I try not to allow actors to get | | | | audition, I've got a very strong energy and people |
| comfortable. Actors can make a lot of discoveries | | | | either buy it or don't. I might be right for one out |
| early on in the process and those discoveries | | | | of 30 or 40 things that come along, in the |
| become precious to them. They want to hide | | | | director's estimation, until they've worked with |
| them away as a group of precious toys. When I | | | | me. But film and theatre are different. I come into |
| see that happening, I try to take those toys | | | | theatre auditions, make strong choices, and |
| away. I'll say, "You know what? All the discoveries | | | | sometimes I feel directors think that's the only |
| you made are really great, but let's do it again. | | | | performance they're going to get out of me. If |
| Let's find some new stuff, totally different." | | | | they work with me, they'll find that I made those |
| Sometimes I'll take the scene in a vastly different | | | | choices because I wanted them to see that I can |
| direction just to see what else might be there. | | | | respond to the text, create theories and ideas |
| Q: Do you have a method by which you cast? | | | | and try them out. If a director doesn't like what |
| A: I'm not entirely sure if I could say there's a | | | | I've just created, work with me. Direct me, |
| method by which I cast. A lot of it is a gut | | | | adjust me, I'm totally fine with that. I'd love to |
| reaction and a feeling of excitement. If that | | | | find a show that's right for me with a director |
| actor's work excites me and makes me want to | | | | who is willing to explore how to work with my |
| work with that person, he or she will be hired. I | | | | particular energy. |
| also check in with the monitor at the end of | | | | In Europe and London, people go crazy for the |
| auditions and ask who was problematic. That tells | | | | way I look. I did a print ad for Dockers Europe; I |
| me a lot because actors who can't treat the | | | | was on ads on billboards, buses, magazines. People |
| person who's running my audition with respect are | | | | here look at me and say - "I don't know what to |
| not going to treat my staff with respect; they | | | | do with you." I'm perfect for the Euro-trashy |
| are not going to treat their other actors with | | | | henchmen in whatever action films come in |
| respect, or treat me with respect. You would be | | | | because I don't look like the standard American. |
| amazed how many actors treat monitors badly | | | | I'm not going to play the guy working in |
| because they think they don't have anything to | | | | corporate America, not unless that guy is killing |
| do with the show. That's a huge tell for me. | | | | people. I know what my look is, what I give off, |
| My job as an artistic director or producer is to | | | | and I know how to work with it. |
| find the best people for the jobs and allow them | | | | The best question an actor can ask and answer |
| to do their jobs, not micromanage, but to create | | | | for him or herself is - "how do you see yourself?" |
| a supportive environment and let everyone know | | | | The answer of how I see myself is probably |
| they are valued. There are three categories why | | | | along the lines of, put in film terminology, an |
| someone works for your theatre or takes a job. | | | | American version of the type of roles that Allan |
| It's either for the money, the exposure, or for | | | | Rickman gets, the educated edgy type. It's not |
| the art. If you cannot satisfy one of those three | | | | really a type for American actors. It almost |
| categories, you're going to have a very unhappy | | | | always goes to the British actors. I don't see too |
| employee or no employee at all. People have to | | | | many edgy guys in American films who are |
| be fulfilled in one of these categories to be | | | | educated - they're either working class edgy or |
| satisfied. If I'm doing a small scale production, I | | | | the bland villain, the guy that looks nice but is |
| can't give them money. Can I give them | | | | actually a killer. The way I look, I could be on The |
| exposure? Maybe a little bit. What is in my control | | | | Sopranos. The way that I sound, never in a million |
| is providing a joyful, professional, and satisfying | | | | years. When you see those kinds of guys being |
| experience. | | | | interviewed, how they sound on The Sopranos is |
| Q: How did you get into the arts? | | | | how they sound in real life. There's no change. |
| A: I was about ten when I did my first play in | | | | Could I play a Jersey Italian? Sure. But I'm not |
| school. As a child, I had a vivid imagination and I | | | | going to be able act it the same way as the guy |
| enjoyed living there. I did my undergraduate and | | | | who grew up in Jersey or came from that |
| graduate degrees in theatre and when I was in | | | | background. |
| shows, I found myself being asked for feedback | | | | When I was working with an agent in New York, |
| by the other actors in the show. I didn't invite or | | | | I told her I had no illusions about my type. I said I |
| encourage it because I don't believe in coaching | | | | know that most of the other actors you work |
| other actors with whom I'm working in a play, but | | | | with are going to get five to six auditions a week. |
| I found them pulling me aside for advice when | | | | My type, two a month, maybe. I know this and |
| they felt there was something missing for them | | | | am comfortable with it. I don't have an |
| or they felt like the director wasn't communicating | | | | expectation of - "Why am I not getting called in |
| with them. I wasn't covertly trying to undermine | | | | for that Neil Simon play?" Now, could I act the |
| the director by any means, and I wasn't directing | | | | crap out of it? Possibly. But is anybody going to |
| the actors in the sense of telling them what to | | | | cast me in it? No way. I get cast predominately |
| do, but what I ended up doing was helping them | | | | as bad guys. No one would know it, but I'm |
| refine choices and pull out impulses that I saw | | | | probably a stronger comedic actor, but have I |
| were already there. Teaching and coaching came | | | | ever played a comedic role? Almost never. |
| very naturally to me. | | | | Q: What are your ultimate goals? |
| Q: What are your goals as a teacher? | | | | A: Pretty much the standard answer - to work |
| A: I want to teach more. When you live the life | | | | more. There is so much I want to accomplish as |
| of an adjunct teacher at colleges, nothing is really | | | | a director, actor, and teacher. As a director, I am |
| your own. You are essentially a hired hand. I think | | | | constantly working on scripts. It keeps my |
| academic program directors like me because of | | | | process alive and allows me to work in a state of |
| the variety of things I teach. I coach actors, work | | | | curiosity. If someone said to me - "hey, I want |
| with contemporary material and Shakespeare, | | | | you to direct a show at my theatre," I could |
| teach style plays and language, and voice and | | | | answer - "I have several shows ready to go, |
| movement. It's easy for them to bring me in | | | | some even have preliminary costume designs |
| when they need of a teacher. But, I would really | | | | provided by Melanie Lester, the designer with |
| like to teach a progression entirely of my own | | | | whom I collaborate." |
| design. My goal would be to head and design an | | | | I'm very hard on theatre and I'm equally hard on |
| acting program. I would also like to be at a | | | | myself. It's difficult for me to talk confidently |
| university on a full-time basis so I don't have to | | | | about the work in order to sell myself because |
| scramble for work every term. | | | | I'm in a constant process with it and am always |
| Probably the big thing I bring to teaching, other | | | | trying to move forward with it. I don't want to |
| than experience, is the fact that I've had really | | | | get stuck in things I've done in the past. Things |
| good teachers and I steal from them. I steal only | | | | I've done two, three, or five years ago, are like |
| from the best. This one idea I got from Declan | | | | distant memories to me. I've learned whatever I |
| Donnellan, a brilliant director and a brilliant writer | | | | could from them, but they're done. I'm a different |
| who wrote about the philosophy of acting and its | | | | person now. For me, theatre that is not in |
| applications in his book The Actor and the Target, | | | | constant forward motion is doomed before it |
| and I full on agree with this. Briefly, he doesn't | | | | begins. |
| view one actor as being more talented than | | | | At this point, the big issue for me is exposure - |
| another, he views one actor as being less blocked | | | | many people do not know I live in this community. |
| than another. It's not this mysterious thing of | | | | I'd love for a theatre to step up to the plate and |
| being anointed as an actor and some people have | | | | say - "give me a show." At the same time, while |
| it and some people don't. It's that some people | | | | the shows I've directed have gotten great |
| are more blocked than others, and whether they | | | | reviews and press, it would be a mistake for me |
| have the ability to remove the blocks for | | | | to say I feel I'm a fully developed director and |
| themselves. When these blocks are removed, | | | | can guarantee a hit show with good press and |
| actors become open to a full spectrum of | | | | audience every time, because the minute I say |
| expression. | | | | that is the minute I've stopped being curious and |
| It's up to me to help remove the blocks. Actors | | | | taking risks. |