ACTORS’ ROUNDTABLE: COMMUNITY PT. 1

[ABOUT JIMMY]

My wife and I live in the very quaint Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. We lucked out in finding an apartment here, and couldn’t be happier with our community. Sure, this area has experienced its fair share of gentrification, but there still are a lot of families who have lived in the same flats and brownstones for decades, and there are still family-owned restaurants and shops that are throwbacks to another era here and in Carroll Gardens to the south. I can’t be so arrogant to pretend that I’m “essential,” but what I can say is that my wife and I contribute by being active participants in this community. We both appreciate and try to support the old family-run businesses, new local artists, and neighborhood spots that are someone’s passion. It’s one thing to like the aesthetics of the neighborhood, but unless you go in and buy things at a store or eat at a restaurant, they are going to go out of business. Our participation isn’t unique, but the collective participation of the community is essential for its survival. That, and if anyone comes to see me do stand-up and has a laugh, or gets a chuckle out of some silly commercial I was in, then I have at least brought a moment of laughter to their lives…and you can never have too much of that.

[ABOUT PAGE]

I am very proud and humbled to look at my present state of existence and realize I am doing something that is a strong, much-needed service to my community, near and far. I teach all things voice and dialect for actors and public speakers. It’s a niche I relish. To the discerning eye, it may seem a superfluous job, but I feel it is vital. So many people speak to groups every day in some form or another and, therefore, need to know his or her voice and all it encompasses. There exists a huge fear of public speaking and I have found many ways to work with and overcome it. Perhaps my services are not as essential as the mailman, banker, or grocer. However, if one chooses to be a communicator, truly and fully, then what I have learned, and improved upon for myself, is something anyone can and should experience also. I believe in community wholeheartedly and embrace the opportunity to give and receive within it. We can all help each other through this life with its ups and downs. Looking at the current economic state of this country and the world, we feel the universal tightening of the purse strings. This certainly touches us all, but the need to advance and strengthen who we are and what we do while we are here on this earth continues nevertheless. I am thrilled to know what I offer will remain essential, even if in a tiny way.

[ABOUT MANON]

As an artist in my community, I try to bring a sense of humanity and awareness and perhaps change people’s lives by reaching them through storytelling. The arts in Kansas City are booming and have been on the fast track for several years now. This is one of the main reasons I moved back here. The community supports it and comes out in droves to see live theater. More and more theatres are starting up and actors are actually moving here from markets such as Chicago. There’s something about this city that demands entertainment with value and meaning (maybe there is something to the term “heartland”). I think as an actor I bring core values to the table to be explored and questioned and hopefully make peoples lives better by reflecting their own in some small way. I also think as an artist I simply entertain and take away the troubles for some, allowing them to just escape and use their imagination. The audience goes on the journey with me and invests their emotion and time. I try and honor that by giving it my best. If I can do that, I know that I’ve done my job. Also I have always believed the arts can aid in children’s learning as this has been proven time and time again in schools throughout the country. I have witnessed it myself when I have taught many acting workshops in a school and seen the positive benefits the kids reap. There are so many positives to being an actor and I feel I bring a lot to the table to my community as a whole.

[ABOUT NELSON]

I’ll be honest, I’ve been drinking. I just came home from an all day family function where every aspect of what I consider to be my life and career were ripped apart and scrutinized by my uncles, aunts, a gaggle of cousins and one elderly gent who could not resist the urge to continuously pat me on the head. At the same time, the questions asked of me were of an achingly familiar variety such as the ever-ubiquitous bouquet of, “What are you doing now?” and “What have I seen you in lately?” Like it or not (these days especially), questions like these make me question myself as to what it is that I really do and what it is that I truly bring to my world. “What makes you essential?” I have no friggin clue as to what makes me essential in any way or in any form to anything or anyone, but I do know, and I do feel, that there is something that I’m supposed to do. That there was something that I thought I was supposed to provide. And whatever that is will always and can only be, in relation to ourselves. In short, I’m saying the only thing we have to offer is ourselves. That we can only share our own mangled yet cogent depictions of ourselves in a world that we mostly only dream of and very rarely are allowed to visit. But it is within this realm that we die, thrive, vie for. It’s an ephemeral face on a lasting love. You can’t cut funding to that.

[ABOUT THOMAS]

This question has been messing me up for several days now and I’ve avoided answering it. I’m going to steal my answer from another actor—I believe it was Sean Penn. I remember seeing him say something along the lines of “wanting to feel less alone in the world.” That’s why he does what he does. I’ve taken to giving that as the reason I see plays and movies… I want to feel less alone in the world. However, it’s also why I’m an artist. The greatest compliment and sense of achievement I ever feel is when someone relates to something I’ve performed or written. When they see themselves, or someone else in their lives, in a character I play. “I know how that feels.” That’s what I hope to bring to my community. I hope that I can make it possible for people to relate to one another, to find empathy with people who they have not previously. It’s an all too often icky world we live in, and we don’t have much time in it. Let’s laugh together. Let’s weep together. Let’s relate. I want individuals to feel less alone in the world, thereby becoming a community. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jimmy Callahan is an actor/writer/comedian/acting coach living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Chicago, he trained at The Second City & iO. He has appeared in over 60 national commercials between CHI, LA, & NYC.

Page Clements has been a professional actress, vocal instructor, and private coach in NYC for over 20 years. Currently an instructor of voice, dialects, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre in New York, she has just completed an instructional video for actors and public speakers to be released later this year. She has appeared in over 50 productions throughout the country, received the Favorite Vocal Coach and Dialect Coach Awards from Backstage in 2009, and is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Manon Halliburton is a regional theater actress who has worked all over the country. She has also appeared in television shows such as Law and Order and The Sopranos, and recently shot her first film this past year and closed August Osage County at Kansas City Rep to rave reviews. She lives in Kansas City with actor Bob Elliott.

Nelson Lee left his native Canada for New York to pursue training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since then, he has appeared in various television series, including Blade: The Series, Virtuality, Oz, Covert Affairs, Hawaii Five-O, and the Law & Order franchise. Recently, he took to the stage for the world premiere of Zayd Dorn’s play, Outside People, at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) production of Maple and Vine in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

ACTORS’ ROUNDTABLE: THE GURU PROBLEM

[ABOUT JIMMY]

Obviously, it’s hard to speak in absolutes unless presented with some statistical data, so I just want to be clear that this is solely based upon my own observations. Yes. Yes, there is a problem with actors/artists getting too attached to one method or one way of thinking. Specifically, looking at the world of comedy and improv, it seems like this is a common occurrence.

Starting off in Chicago, I was enveloped in a world of improvisation. The Second City & iO (Formerly known as Improv Olympic) were the two main entities, and while there was intermingling, there was a definite vibe and following for each school of thought; each philosophy. Some people would go through one of the programs and then spend every waking moment at that theatre, trying to absorb as much as they could. A rivalry of sorts existed (and exists) between SC and iO, even though both offer different yet equally valuable training. The same thing is present between UCB [Upright Citizens Brigade] and The PIT [Peoples Improv Theatre] in NYC, and The Groudlings & UCB in LA. Having gone through both the SC & iO programs, as well as Comedy Sportz, I can say that I learned a great deal from each of them, but also was turned off by elements of all three. I’m very grateful for my experiences though, because I was able to create my own comedic voice based on my interpretation of the teachings of a wide array of talent. Too often, I see actors glued to one school of improv, or worse, one form. It is especially jarring in this specific case, because improv is supposed to be free form and completely unique. I cringe when I hear people preaching about one particular method of improv, because I feel like they are missing the broader picture. In my mind, you’re supposed to learn as many different points of view as possible, and then create your own vision. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about comedy, stage, or film acting—opinions abound. The job of the actor is to learn about different methods and then create one that suits himself.

[ABOUT LEE]

In a business that is completely lacking in any discernible model for success, it makes sense that we would want to cling onto something that defines us, our art, or our path. We want to be separated from the masses and not be something as homogenous as simply being “an actor.” We want to trust and believe in a guiding force that will lead us through the dark uncertainty of our career in exchange for a promise that it will all work out. But whether it’s Julliard, Meisner, or Joseph Smith, allowing any fraternity or dogma to completely overtake your personality is a step towards becoming completely lost. I’m not saying it’s impossible to have a healthy relationship with a mentor or institution, just that it quickly becomes unhealthy when we remove ourselves as the ultimate authors in our endeavors and use their names in our place. Now, I truly loved the experience and knowledge I gained during my training at the conservatory in New York. I know what it’s like to think the world of an instructor, to hold them up as the golden rule. I have believed that there was only one way to do a role when there were many. But we live in too complex of a world and strive towards goals too high to believe in only one way. As artists we require a never-ending degree of flexibility to be able to navigate and engage the obstacles presented to us in a genuine way. Gurus and teachings are helpful to us along our paths but can take us only so far. In the end, we’re the ones that have to do all the heavy lifting. Personally, when the dust settles, and I’ve accomplished something that I care about, I’d prefer not to have my thunder stolen from me by “The Secret.”

[ABOUT ARIAN]

I don’t hold one method of training with a vice grip. Honestly, I don’t care what any one person’s method is. If it is good, if it is honest, if it is fearless, it is good. If it isn’t, then dropkick into the river. There is too much emphasis on training in this profession, if you ask me. Some of the best actors I know have no formal training. But their work is extraordinary. 

When method training is brought up, we inevitably talk about Daniel Day Lewis. Some say he lived in the forest for months to prepare for The Last of the Mohicans. He doesn’t drop character on set and he’s constantly exploring as the person he’s portraying. That is great for him and great for us, because it works. If he did all of that and it was phony, well, I guess we wouldn’t be talking about him.

But there are unbelievable actors that don’t do that. They show up. They say their lines. They leave. The Anthony Hopkins, the John C. Reilly’s. Their work is all incredible and believable and exciting and empowering.

To me, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who your teachers are/were. It doesn’t matter if you trained at Juilliard or barely graduated high school. If you’re good, you’re good. If you’re not, it shows.

I do believe that to be good (and then eventually, great…which most of us will never achieve), you have to fail a bunch. A lot, actually. Robert Rodriguez says to be a great director, you have to make 18 bad movies. That I believe.

[ABOUT THOMAS]

I think about this all the time. We have a guru problem as human beings. I have been guilty many times in my training and growth of putting a teacher on a pedestal, I would imagine against their wishes. I’ve also been guilty of feeling that there must be a rulebook that applies to everything all of the time, and I’m becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that this just isn’t so. I have learned the most about the nature and dangers of training through being a teacher. I see myself in student after student. And what I see much of the time is a thirst for approval, plain and simple. An assurance that they’re doing it right, which is nothing more than a need to ease fear. The best teachers I’ve had have forced me into fear and discomfort in a safe and productive manner. Several years ago I was coaching two actors in a scene for an acting class and one of them turned to me and asked, “Is that what you want?” My skin crawled. I was aware in that moment of the fake power I had. I had the power in that moment to make that young actor think that what they were doing was right or wrong. Hogwash. I’ve been lucky to have received little to no direction from my acting teachers, and I fight that urge as a teacher. I wouldn’t trade the training I’ve received for anything because of one word: variety. I was never in a school or program that subscribed to one approach or vocabulary or method. In fact, it was all over the board. Stanislavsky, Meisner, Hagen, Le Coq, Bogart, etc…. I went from a psychologically based approach in undergrad to an external, physical approach in grad school. And with every new approach or vocabulary I found something useful. I found something practical. I also found a lot of nebulous impractical stuff…but what matters is that I TRIED IT ALL. I’ll try anything. I had a classmate who once said about our training, “This isn’t the way I work.” I remember thinking that this was an odd thing to say as a student. I believe that a student should put aside any notion of “how I work” and try the new thing. I’d also like to point out that I’ve never worked with an actor PROFESSIONALLY who was so into their methodology that it impaired the process. I like that. I like that we don’t spend precious time talking about our approach. We do the play. I’m also grateful that due to the eclectic nature of my training, I’m comfortable with whatever the director decides to throw at us in rehearsal. I enjoy reading any and every book on acting. I’ve got a shelf full of them, and I’ll pick the one that best suits the production I’m working on, or the director and company I’m working with. Do we have a guru problem in our line of work? Yeah, probably. But the blame rests at the feet of the students as much as the teachers.   

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jimmy Callahan is an actor/writer/comedian/acting coach living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Chicago, he trained at The Second City & iO. He has appeared in over 60 national commercials between CHI, LA, & NYC.

Nelson Lee left his native Canada for New York to pursue training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since then, he has appeared in various television series, including Blade: The Series, Virtuality, Oz, Covert Affairs, Hawaii Five-O, and the Law & Order franchise. Recently, he took to the stage for the world premiere of Zayd Dorn’s play, Outside People, at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) production of Maple and Vine in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Arian Moayed is a Tony-nominated actor, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Waterwell, and co-director of its drama program at the Professional Performing Arts School. Arian will be directing his first feature film, which he also wrote, in the winter of 2013.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

ACTORS’ ROUNDTABLE: NAMING NAMES

[ABOUT JIMMY]

I suppose it’s easy to sit in judgment and claim to know what I would or would not have done if I were summoned by HUAC in 1952, but I don’t agree with Elia Kazan being honored by the Academy. We as artists are supposed to be part of a larger collective that transcends race, religion, creed, and country. Sacrificing another to save one’s own career doesn’t really jive with the basic spirit of what it means to be an artist, as far as I’m concerned. Mr. Kazan may have gone on to contribute to some of the most memorable films in cinema, and he may have directed nearly two dozen actors to Oscar nominations, but I don’t know if that serves as penance for his earlier sin. He made his decision, and had to live with the consequences. I think that the opportunity to continue his career and succeed was reward enough; to further celebrate him with an Honorary Academy Award is to applaud and encourage the lack of conviction he displayed in 1952. Perhaps I’m stubborn, but I also think that any baseball player caught using steroids should have all records he holds struck from the books. By honoring those who cheated, you’re punishing those who played the game the right way. Honoring Kazan is, in a way, punishing those who didn’t give names to HUAC.

[ABOUT PAGE]

I certainly would in no way condone supporting anti-American groups and feel Mr. Kazan had to do what he had to do, however unfavorable. I am sure it was the lesser of two evils for himself personally. In naming names, he ruined lives and careers—of this there is no doubt. The time was horribly difficult. However, his body of work is so unbelievably brilliant and important that I feel the award was warranted. Lifetime achievement awards are to honor the person and his/her entire work. Kazan more than respected and honored his career and created films that educated and inspired many directors, actors, and writers who followed him.
I hate the thought of our being deprived of exciting work from those who were blacklisted, but I am sure in some other forms, it still exists today. I’m not entirely certain how I would have handled the situation during the McCarthy era, but I do appreciate what the Academy was trying to do in giving Kazan the award. I do not love that awards are given so freely now and in so high a number, but honoring a life’s work is important, especially if it positively influences the world. Kazan’s certainly has.

[ABOUT LAURIE]

Well…as much as I have nothing but disappointment in those artists who fell into self-preservation during that time, obliterating the bigger picture—the one in which they were part of a community, the one in which they could have taken a stand and perhaps made a difference for the better within the whole process, by demonstrating an unbreakable resolve that might have caused such a horrific witch hunt to do less damage within the artistic community, not just to the work—but to all those relationships and the infrastructure itself…as much as I strongly believe that those artists who “sold out” to HUAC at the time in order to take the focus off themselves should never be rewarded in any way due to their cowardice…well… The award was for directing, not for being an all-around good human being. I think Kazan was a brilliant director also, and, frustratingly, those are two separate issues. Perhaps being a great artist should infer a collective responsibility for supporting and defending the artistic community as a whole, but that’s a slippery slope in my opinion. It would be nice if all artists felt that bond, but they are not required to in order to be artists. I do think that it is the responsibility of all of us to be aware of our shared history, and to acknowledge the terrible loss of unknowable artistic explorations by virtue of the actions of a few—not to condemn, but to take as a cautionary tale as we consider what kind of impact we want to have in the world and what kind of presence we want to be in the artistic community.

As much as I despise what Kazan and others did, I don’t claim to fathom what might have been going on inside him at the time, and so I would find it hypocritical to condemn him. I can’t say with any certainty what I would have done when I don’t even know the specifics of his particular situation or what emotional or psychological processes went into his decision to testify against his fellow artists. I can only hope that, at least, he actually believed what he was saying. In any case, I don’t believe he did the right thing, but he may have done the only thing he could have.

[ABOUT THOMAS]

I remember watching that award show. I believe it was DeNiro and Scorsese who presented it. I remember most notably Nick Nolte not applauding. I remember how old Kazan looked. I’m amazingly inconsistent on the accolades people should receive. While I will say that I have no problem with Kazan receiving that award because it was given to him for his work, I can’t seem to support Polanski getting a nomination for anything. Apples and oranges, perhaps, but it’s still a question of whether or not a person’s outside life should be stacked in with his/her work. The biggest thing I take from what I know of HUAC is that people in power fear storytellers. As a storyteller, I take immense glee at that notion; the idea that a politician or CEO would ever be worried about what story might be told. However, as invigorating as that is, HUAC also shows how real and ugly it can get. And that makes me pause. I don’t like the government being involved in the arts and entertainment business in general. I just don’t see how the art won’t be compromised. If any politician, right or left, were to “support” something I was creating, I’d be very concerned.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jimmy Callahan is an actor/writer/comedian/acting coach living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Chicago, he trained at The Second City & iO. He has appeared in over 60 national commercials between CHI, LA, & NYC.

Page Clements has been a professional actress, vocal instructor, and private coach in NYC for over 20 years. Currently an instructor of voice, dialects, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre in New York, she has just completed an instructional video for actors and public speakers to be released later this year. She has appeared in over 50 productions throughout the country, received the Favorite Vocal Coach and Dialect Coach Awards from Backstage in 2009, and is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Laurie Okin is a Los Angeles-based actress who has been seen over the years in dozens of national commercials, as well as guest starring on The Office and as a series regular on PBS’s Copshop. She has also appeared in Samantha Who?, My Own Worst Enemy, Friends, and MadTV. Laurie also has an extensive background in the theatre and is a company member at The Road Theater and Rogue Machine Theater.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

ACTORS’ ROUNDTABLE: UNION SERVICE

[ABOUT SIHO]

I think being an advocate for your fellow artist is a role that can be taken on, regardless of whether you have been voted into office or not. As an artist who wants to make their living in the arts, there is always a dichotomy between the business and the artistic. As an actor and freelancer, you are basically CEO of your own company and as sole employee, you need to be your own advocate. It would make sense that if you can advocate for yourself, then you would always advocate for your fellow artists. As competitive as acting can be, I’ve always felt that it is a community that “watches each others’ backs.”

[ABOUT MANON]

I have no interest in a leadership role or voice in the union. I’ll leave that to the ones who find it stimulating and rewarding. I honestly don’t even really pay attention to the news that happens in our sister unions as maybe I should, but that’s the way I’m wired. I’m grateful to those actors who are representatives and advocate for actors’ rights and job standards. I’m just not one of those people and never will be. I’m an actor through and through and have no interest in delving into any other area.

[ABOUT ARIAN]

I’m not sure I would, actually. It’s just not something I would like to concentrate my energies on. I believe in these unions. I believe in the power of unions, as a whole. I also believe that smarter, more knowledgeable, and dedicated members of the union should be the representatives. It’s hard enough to just pay my dues on time, much less read up on the by-laws. 

As far as it being a deterrent to further acting pursuits…I’m not sure. Depends on the commitment, but overall, everything that we do helps our craft. Every choice, every decision, every emotion, every piece of knowledge, helps form our craft. I believe that. And learning from the inner workings of our union will inform our work and affect our lives in some way (good or bad.)

And it’s all a part of the same business, really. So it’s bound to challenge me.

[ABOUT LAURIE]

I have never aspired to be a union representative of any kind, except that which my membership demands of me (which is to say, remaining always professional and responsible, as well as loyal to the union and committed to upholding its tenets). For one thing, I didn’t create the union and it has always felt a little strange to me, this notion of hitching oneself to an entire set of ideals and practices when becoming a professional. Don’t get me wrong; I love being a union member, and I love my union. I try to always understand it, its current struggles, and the issues that we are expected to have a voice about come voting time; I try to remain mindful of who the people are that hold offices, and what they’re up to. I think it’s my responsibility as a professional actor and, for me, it’s enough of a commitment to the “business and politics” of acting. I don’t feel compelled to go further into that side of things. Some people are suited to being an elected official and are mutually benefited by it.

I “chose” to pursue my career at the professional level. I didn’t “choose” to help a union thrive. As such, I owe my union certain things, which I am happy to give. Being an elected official is not one of them.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Siho Ellsmore is an actor, writer, and graphic designer currently residing in New York City. A native of Melbourne, Australia, she has appeared in Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and recently co-wrote, produced, and performed in YBW: Yellow Brick Wall Angry White Men played by Two Happy Asian Girls at the NY International Fringe Festival. Siho’s only claim to fame is that she appeared in Neighbours, Australia’s longest-running soap as the “bad girl Cara” in what she now fondly remembers as the “hot tub” episode. (Trust her, it’s not as sordid as it sounds).

Manon Halliburton is a regional theater actress who has worked all over the country. She has also appeared in television shows such as Law and Order and The Sopranos, and recently shot her first film this past year and closed August Osage County at Kansas City Rep to rave reviews. She lives in Kansas City with actor Bob Elliott.

Arian Moayed is a Tony-nominated actor, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Waterwell, and co-director of its drama program at the Professional Performing Arts School. Arian will be directing his first feature film, which he also wrote, in the winter of 2013.

Laurie Okin is a Los Angeles-based actress who has been seen over the years in dozens of national commercials, as well as guest starring on The Office and as a series regular on PBS’s Copshop. She has also appeared in Samantha Who?, My Own Worst Enemy, Friends, and MadTV. Laurie also has an extensive background in the theatre and is a company member at The Road Theater and Rogue Machine Theater.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: CONSENSUS

[ABOUT NATHAN]

This is a topic near and dear to my heart, by virtue of the fact that I am a recovering pop-culture junkie whose tastes have often gravitated toward the mainstream in the artistic realm. I can proudly proclaim that, after years of feeling guilty or stupid or less intelligent and discerning than those who appreciate “Williamsburg” art or music or comedy or theater (do I even have to explain myself here?), that my likes are just as valid as those of the guy in the fedora next to me on the L train. I’ll never forget an ex-roommate/friend of mine who, when I was in full-throttle obsession mode with the musical Rent on Broadway, accused me of liking the show “because everyone else did.” I still see red when I think about this encounter and it emboldens me to own my tastes. It goes without saying that art is purely subjective, that it can be many things to many people. And to fault an artistic work (or a comedian’s joke for that matter) BECAUSE lots of people like it is arrogant and wrong. I hear a lot of people liked a band called The Beatles. Does that make them uncool?

[ABOUT NELSON]

There is something to be said for working on a structure that allows you to deliver consistent results on stage, but then again I feel that patterns, not just consensus, are an enemy to art. Sometimes when we lock into a pattern of delivering a line or a gesture that garners the “best” response, we forget to keep looking for the new moments, and cruise right through new stuff that’s cooking. For me, there is a sense of relief when I find that moments land correctly every night, but then again, when they don’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean I wasn’t doing my job, or that the “joke” wasn’t as sharp. Having just done the same play in two very different cities back to back, there were moments in the first production that you could set your watch to, but then in the next one—nothing—not once. Was the joke bad, or was it the art? Neither, really. Live performance can only truly be “live” if there is a constant ebb and flow between material, performer, and audience. If one is locked away from the others during performance, then that component ceases to be in the moment. It becomes art on a wall, but not on a stage.

[ABOUT NIKKI]

The famous comic is minimizing his risk, maximizing his return on investment, and probably making me laugh very hard. I appreciate that. So it sounds like a great idea, except that consensus minimizes risk at the expense of…what? Truth? Insight? Creativity? Perhaps consensus breeds entertainment. So as an entertainer, the comic is onto something. Consensus has given us the Hollywood blockbuster and Top-40 radio; clearly it accomplishes something.

In her 2011 essay for the NEA, Maria Popova wrote: 

This is the power of art: The power to transcend our own self-interest, our solipsistic zoom-lens on life, and relate to the world and each other with more integrity, more curiosity, more wholeheartedness.

The role of art in society is not to please the largest number of people possible (that doesn’t mean that art can’t be popular) but to create perspectives from which to see, soundscapes that help us listen, and new, common experiences by which to relate.

Consensus requires compromise and concession. During the creation of artistic work, consensus’ power lies after the art, not in the middle of it.

[ABOUT THOMAS]

The goals of the comedian and the actor/writer are different. The comedian wants every member of every audience to laugh, plain and simple. If they’re a good comic, they do this while staying true to themselves/their voice/their sense of truth/whatever you want to call it. If they’re a bad comic (as I was for two years) they end up telling hack jokes (as I did for two years), sacrificing their soul to please the herd.

When I write jokes into scripts, I want the whole audience to laugh. I don’t want some of the audience to not think my joke is funny. I’d like it if the whole audience liked the play, and I wouldn’t be suspicious if they did, if I’ve let the play be in charge. I think I understand the idea of consensus being an enemy to art, but I don’t allow myself to dwell on it too much because that sentiment can be used far too easily to justify shitty work. “They just don’t get it.” “Not their cup ‘o tea.” “They’re not ready for the kind of truth I’m bringing.”

Hogwash.

For me, what’s important isn’t so much the audience, but my motivation for every choice I make, be it as an actor or a writer. I’ve occasionally made the mistake of crossing that invisible line as an actor, from being in the moment with my scene partner to focusing on the reaction from the audience and compromising the truth of the moment in the process. Nine times out of ten, the audience doesn’t fall for it. And even if they do, I know I crossed the line. I’ve tried to write plays with a specific audience in mind, and ten times out of ten, they’ve sucked hard. Just ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. What or whom are you serving? I bet Carrot Top sleeps like a baby because he’s doing exactly what he thinks is funny and the audience does too. He’s not selling out. The dude who’s trying replicate Carrot Top, or even the dude who’s coasting on trashing Carrot Top… he’s the sellout.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Nathan Klau’s touring credits include Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Forever Plaid, and Anything Goes. Regionally, he has worked at Goodspeed Opera House, Arkansas Rep, and Theater-by-the-Sea. A native of West Simsbury, CT, Nathan graduated from Yale University in 1994 with a degree in History and Theater. He hopes to use it someday.

Nelson Lee left his native Canada for New York to pursue training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since then, he has appeared in various television series, including Blade: The Series, Virtuality, Oz, Covert Affairs, Hawaii Five-O, and the Law & Order franchise. Recently, he took to the stage for the world premiere of Zayd Dorn’s play, Outside People, at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) production of Maple and Vine in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Nikki Visel is an actor living just steps from the Space Needle in Seattle. She calls Taproot Theatre Co. her “home” theatre but is about to begin her second season touring with Seattle Shakespeare Company and has worked throughout the city. Her first full-length feature film, Nothing Against Life, will be released in 2013.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: TALKBACKS

[ABOUT PAGE]

I will admit to enjoying talkbacks if I was thrilled with the show; not so much if I wasn’t. My attitude is a positive one, nevertheless. As an audience member, I have often wished to have been on the sidelines or backstage of a show to be privy to the inner workings of it all. Therefore, I attend talkbacks whenever possible. Perhaps this is due to my love of the entire process, but there it is.

Perhaps the answer to the question of “fixing” them, if they seem boring, is to promote them differently. For example, if a producer were to advertise the talkback’s potential topics/information, then more people would want to attend, and leave feeling more excited about having been a part. I would want the actual talkback to first provide information about the production’s entire life and then follow up with an honest desire from the production team to receive information from the audience in return. I believe our audiences of today need to know they help tremendously. We love them as much as they love us, and more interaction is the ultimate goal. After all, we need continued education in all forms to help us improve our work, yes?

[ABOUT MANON]

To be honest I don’t mind talkbacks and I don’t think they need to be fixed. It’s an open forum for the audience to be able to participate and get a behind-the-scenes look at a production. One thing that might help talkbacks that are often ripe with frivolous questions, is to arrange a good monitor who can guide the talkback in an intelligent manner. I think that a balance of open questions from the audience, as well as guided questions from the monitor, can make for a successful talkback. People are always gonna ask, “How do you learn all those lines?” And, of course, we as actors cringe at such questions, but at the end of the day, for someone who is not an actor, this may be a real curiosity and one that deserves an intelligent answer.

[ABOUT ERIKA]

I think most theatres do talkbacks because it helps them get money from their patrons / subscribers / donors. It’s mostly bull. Similar to a theatre’s dedication to urban youth programs that they get grant money for. That’s out of left field, I know, but it seems like there are unexamined relics all over the theatre attic. Talkbacks, like outreach to urban communities, have become the thing you do, the thing people expect, but there’s no great methodology or thought behind it. You can get a lot of grant money for looking like you’re doing something. You don’t actually have to be purposeful or have substantive programming. You just have to do it. Theatres don’t need to reevaluate their talkbacks. Nobody is asking them to. We all hate them, but we feel it’s our duty to sign up and show up. Audiences aren’t complaining, so they probably won’t change. 

I think our failed talkback structure is especially dangerous when theatres around the country start doing works that are racially provocative. What theatre has the money for a trained facilitator/moderator that might be able to handle difficult, racially charged discussions of plays like Clybourne Park? Nobody, unless you decide it’s something you think is important and make it happen.

Something amazing can be exchanged between audience members, actors, and the play, if we are intentional about it. Woolly Mammoth had a talkback after every performance of Clybourne Park and only two of them involved the actors. The rest were post-show discussions with professors, community activists, and experts on various topics that came up in the play. That sounds intentional to me. Not every talkback has to involve actors, but you see, it’s cheaper and involves less planning if theatres just have actors do it for free. Those post-show discussions take coordination and maybe even funding. Lazy. Okay? That’s where I stand.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Page Clements has been a professional actress, vocal instructor, and private coach in NYC for over 20 years. Currently an instructor of voice, dialects, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre in New York, she has just completed an instructional video for actors and public speakers to be released later this year. She has appeared in over 50 productions throughout the country, received the Favorite Vocal Coach and Dialect Coach Awards from Backstage in 2009, and is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Manon Halliburton is a regional theater actress who has worked all over the country. She has also appeared in television shows such as Law and Order and The Sopranos, and recently shot her first film this past year and closed August Osage County at Kansas City Rep to rave reviews. She lives in Kansas City with actor Bob Elliott.

Erika Rose is a Helen Hayes Award-winning actress living New York City. Regionally, she’s best known from her eight years of work on Washington, D.C. stages.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: THE EMPTY SPACE

[ABOUT NELSON]

There are fewer and fewer people willing to watch a man simply walk across an empty space, and therefore that empty space becomes more and more expensive to fund. To ameliorate the situation, the empty space tries to find a better man to do a more dazzling walk, and this too, adds to the dilemma as the debt careens higher. The empty space charges more and more for the spectacle they’ve saddled upon their weak shoulders, and the people who have always loved to simply watch a man walk across that empty space cannot afford the bloated rates, and even if they could, they wouldn’t recognize the awkward gait that the deformed man is using to amble across that once-heralded empty space. In the end, only footprints remain, tracing a path through bile, leading to the lifeless form of the man, laying face down in the space, dead from disease and betrayal. But it matters not. The man, now alive and vibrant, is on HBO, and we are all too busy watching to notice.

[ABOUT LAURIE]

I think that, as in real life, theaters tend to live according to their means. In the constant effort to strive for more quality, more resources, and more up-to-the-minute ways of doing things (taking advantage of technological advancements and so forth), there is rarely any surplus of revenue (especially in not-for-profit organizations where they have to constantly be justifying their income with necessary expenditures to meet their stated goals). In a world structured like that, it’s easy to see how a theater can go into debt, as their overhead increases along with their popularity. The artist in me sees how one thing could lead to another until before long a company can lose sight of the real goal—to create inspired and moving theater—as pressure mounts. After all, we live in a very different world than the one Peter Brook lived in—audience expectations have risen as much as society’s expectations in general; every thought can be instantly tweeted or facebooked; “multi-media” presentations have gone from novel and inventive to almost mundane and certainly par for the course, including within the world of theater. It’s tough to say which came first—the expectation or the implementation of these elements—or whether audiences would be perfectly content to watch something much simpler and low budget. Not too many producers seem willing to take the chance. Sadly, the only place it seems these shoestring-budgeted, art-driven pieces are still widely respected is in the realm of theater festivals, where there still are independent producers of small, passion-driven shows. The only place the art is still king seems to be where there is little overhead and not much to lose if the show’s a flop.

I have a lot of misgivings about these so-called “advancements” that take us, as theater artists and as a society, deeper and deeper into a world of instant gratification, of an averaging-out of content, and ultimately, of a lowering of the significance of a real connection. I feel like we’ve become more trite as a society, less interested in the message beyond the sound byte. It’s hard anymore to feel like we’re reaching for more humanistic meaning; we just seem to be reaching for…more. It’s easy to think that we don’t even know what we’re missing. But, again I wonder, are we simply underestimating our audience and their need to connect with that “man walking across the empty space”?

[ABOUT NIKKI]

In a world where “bigger is better”, Brook’s quote reminds us that the adage is not always true. Yet it leaves out a fairly important (albeit pragmatic) consideration—how is that artist going to eat? If one assumes that artists making their living as artists are valuable to society and culture at large…then you’ve already added another variable to the equation.

The situation with Intiman is a sticky one. Here in Seattle, it’s been the topic of heated conversations and there are as many opinions about what happened, as there are artists who have opinions. That said, there is an expanse of ground between being able to pay artists and nearly bankrupting a theatre. (For the record, Intiman continues to reinvent itself, producing a 4-play repertory festival this summer that capitalized on local talent and was daring, innovative, and well received.)

We can talk about the Broadway Industrial Complex or the business of running a theatre, but within the realm of the theatre artist’s everyday control is the tension between artistic risk and financial stewardship. Whether we like it or not, some artistic risks cost money. There are plenty that don’t, but sooner or later you’re going to be faced with the question, “to spend or not to spend”, and it falls on our own shoulders to determine how we want to negotiate that risk—and let’s admit that as often as not, artists play with a gambler’s instinct.

Here’s something I know to be true. In either the Intiman or Brook’s scenario, there is the potential for sublime theatre and the potential for lousy theatre. We’re continually faced with the same question, “what kind of work am I going to create and what’s it going to take to create it?”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Nelson Lee left his native Canada for New York to pursue training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since then, he has appeared in various television series, including Blade: The Series, Virtuality, Oz, Covert Affairs, Hawaii Five-O, and the Law & Order franchise. Recently, he took to the stage for the world premiere of Zayd Dorn’s play, Outside People, at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) production of Maple and Vine in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Laurie Okin is a Los Angeles-based actress who has been seen over the years in dozens of national commercials, as well as guest starring on The Office and as a series regular on PBS’s Copshop. She has also appeared in Samantha Who?, My Own Worst Enemy, Friends, and MadTV. Laurie also has an extensive background in the theatre and is a company member at The Road Theater and Rogue Machine Theater.

Nikki Visel is an actor living just steps from the Space Needle in Seattle. She calls Taproot Theatre Co. her “home” theatre but is about to begin her second season touring with Seattle Shakespeare Company and has worked throughout the city. Her first full-length feature film, Nothing Against Life, will be released in 2013.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: POLITICS

[ABOUT JIMMY]

It is a bit surprising if and when I find out that an actor is a Republican, because it seemingly goes against the moral fiber of one who wants to be an actor. Art is supposed to be a reflection of our society, challenging the status quo, especially if it is morally unjust. Artistic endeavors should seek to highlight our similarities and our overall humanity, not encourage any divisiveness. Inclusivity, not exclusivity. Basic Republican tenets focus on individual rights and liberties, yet which party has been on the wrong side of history regarding gay rights, worker’s rights, & women’s rights? If we are not evolving as a people, we are defending the status quo. Democratic tenets are, in general, more progressive than Republican tenets. How can one be a successful actor if he/she is part of the “me society” instead of the “we society”? How else can one understand a character and bring that character to life if he/she doesn’t have empathy, understanding, and compassion for that person? (Not to say that Republicans aren’t compassionate, but we’re generalizing here.)

However, this is all very idealistic, and we can’t be so naive to think that everyone and anyone who wants to be an actor is doing it because they possess some sort of elevated moral fortitude. People are attracted to the money, excitement, thrills, and lifestyle our society associates with actors in general. Still, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the majority of actors are more liberal minded. Science can now help us understand why people tend to lean towards conservatism or liberalism. These are partially heritable personality traits that predispose people to feel one way or the other. Conservatives tend to be more cognitively inflexible, fond of hierarchy, and inordinately afraid of uncertainty, change, and death. Liberals are more cognitively flexible and looking at the science behind it, it seems to make sense that someone who would be good at using their imagination as an actor would have more of a liberal mind.

[ABOUT PAIGE]

My father always referred to me as one of those “bleeding heart” liberals. Being raised in a small town in the south, I definitely stood out from the crowd! Ironically, even though I have very strong opinions about politics, I very rarely dive into heated political debates. More often than not, my motto is to let my actions speak for me more so than my words. How ironic, being that I am a voice/speech instructor as well as an actor! I can report that an overwhelming majority of the actors I know personally claim to be Democrats and have found their beliefs to be more liberal than the stated platform of Republicans. Therefore, I must admit whenever I discover an actor’s political leanings toward Republican, I am surprised. There are a couple reasons for this reaction. One is I am surrounded by actors constantly scrounging for the next job, of which there just isn’t enough, and when we learn of government funding possibly being cut from arts programs or organizations, we are thrown into a state of despair or panic. These cuts have been supported by Republican leaders more often than not. It is a widely known fact that the budgets for the arts organizations such as NPR, NEA, and PBS are extremely small and cutting the funding would do very little to decrease government spending. Those of us in the nonprofit arts industry are always cognizant of the fact that the arts industry generates billions in economic activity and creates millions of full-time jobs. Being a member of a political party that seems to ignore or not care about that fact seems irresponsible to me.

Furthermore, like myself, most actors I know are inclined to follow the Democratic Party’s support of a broader range of social services, and believe in the responsibility of community as a whole, accepting and helping all who want to be a part. Perhaps my love of feeling a part of an ensemble that creates something is what keeps me in the business and makes me strive to succeed all the more. Not that the Republican belief of entrepreneurship and one’s individual success isn’t laudable, but my “bleeding heart” continues to desire the whole company. I don’t believe that supporting a government that wants to help its people means one loses his or her freedom of choice. So when I hear an actor is a Republican, I am momentarily stopped in my tracks. I feel the two parties continue to strike a divide between us, even when just uttering the names. We need to come together, now more than ever.

[ABOUT NATHAN]

I never understood the idea of a Republican actor for a number of reasons. Call me biased but I tend to associate the Democratic Party with values I hold dear: inclusion and tolerance, a capacity for nuance, an appreciation for the arts, a sensitivity and empathy with the have-nots of society. Conversely, I associate the modern Republican Party with the antithesis of these values: exclusion and intolerance, dogmatism, indifference toward the arts, and a lack of sensitivity and understanding when it comes to the downtrodden. Watch any interview with great actors and what do they always say? “I never judge the character I’m playing.” Whether it’s De Niro in Taxi Driver or Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List, these actors are bringing truth to each role; judgment of a character’s behavior is considered counterproductive to the entire point of manifesting the soul of another human being. So what does this have to do with being Republican? In a word, Republicans do exactly the opposite of what good actors do, they JUDGE. They are fearful of those who are different-looking or different-behaving or different-loving. Acting, as far as I’m concerned, is grounded in embracing and not fearing the diversity of humanity in all its beautiful ugliness. I still don’t get it, though, because Clint Eastwood is so damn good in his films. Maybe I need to make one exception for Dirty Harry.

[ABOUT THOMAS]

Nope. Not one bit. As an unregistered “Independent” (whatever that means), it’s really no skin off my nose. In fact, I often find it refreshing because a Republican in the arts doesn’t fit a comfy stereotype. A liberal in the arts is pretty common and nothing to write home about. And a roomful of like-minded people is just plain boring. One of my best friends in grad school was a staunch Republican at the time, and without him our class discussions wouldn’t have been anywhere near as interesting. I think that one purpose of theatre is to question stereotypes; to question everything the collective “we” thinks is the truth. I don’t think art should make us feel comfortable. It shouldn’t make us feel more confident in our beliefs. And if I feel that way about the audience, then why not the artists as well?

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jimmy Callahan is an actor/writer/comedian/acting coach living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Chicago, he trained at The Second City & iO. He has appeared in over 60 national commercials between CHI, LA, & NYC.

Page Clements has been a professional actress, vocal instructor, and private coach in NYC for over 20 years. Currently an instructor of voice, dialects, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre in New York, she has just completed an instructional video for actors and public speakers to be released later this year. She has appeared in over 50 productions throughout the country, received the Favorite Vocal Coach and Dialect Coach Awards from Backstage in 2009, and is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Nathan Klau’s touring credits include Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Forever Plaid, and Anything Goes. Regionally, he has worked at Goodspeed Opera House, Arkansas Rep, and Theater-by-the-Sea. A native of West Simsbury, CT, Nathan graduated from Yale University in 1994 with a degree in History and Theater. He hopes to use it someday.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: THE AWARDS MEAT PARADE

[ABOUT SIHO]

This reminds me of the speech Sean Penn gave when he won the Oscar for Mystic River. He said, and I paraphrase, “All actors know that there is no such thing as a Best Actor.” 

We live in a world that quantifies everything. We can buy and sell, it seems, everything. Art has become a commodity. If we use this logic, then it makes sense that we have these awards to create a yardstick on which to measure the worth of our art. Does this make us as artists strive to create art that will in some way be “rewarded”? Maybe yes. Is this art the best? It is of course subjective. Yet I think that if something as seemingly shallow and self-congratulatory as an award show can inspire people to create great art then I think the “two-hour meat parade” is a necessary evil. Hell, any actor who says they went into acting not for awards or recognition is, in my opinion, lying to themselves. Art cannot be created in a vacuum, especially the performing arts. Deeming actors “winners” or “losers” creates competition that I think is necessary for great art to be created. So as much as Mr. Penn believes there is no such thing as a “best” actor he still accepted his “best actor” Oscar and didn’t refuse his second for his work in Milk. I think I would do the same.

[ABOUT MANON]

I don’t think award shows and acting awards do a disservice to an actor’s work. It’s simply entertainment and this is the business of entertaining after all. I think if an actor decides to take the award shows too seriously then they are doing a disservice to their work. I have been given awards in the past, but this says nothing about my whole body of work or even possibly my work in that particular show. It’s simply a group of people that are attracted to my work more than someone else’s for their own reasoning. Most of that reasoning has to do with getting a good script, director, or many other factors that have nothing to do with me as an individual artist. Of course it’s wonderful to be recognized for work you feel good about and it’s nice to have something physical to remind you of that achievement, but that doesn’t make another actor a “loser.” I think those terms are what should be retired, not the shows. 

[ABOUT ERIKA]

I should recuse myself since I won a Helen Hayes Award last year. I’m not so cool that I can pretend I’m not proud of it. I’m totally proud of it. And I would NEVER have stayed at home and boycotted my “two-hour meat parade.” Maybe if I got to George C. Scott’s level I’d feel differently, but no way would I have ignored that honor. I was nominated with some of the most talented and respected women in Washington, D.C. Every single one of them was the real deal. Many were my friends. Many were my mentors (even though they never knew it) and none of them were losers.

When I look at my award (when it’s not in a box), I think about all the phone calls, emails, and messages I received the day I won and for days after. I kept saying, “It would be nice if everyone in our community could be reminded of just how much they mean to us.” That’s the award, people taking the time to tell you why you’re an important part of a community. That’s the only thing that matters to me, because an award doesn’t make you better than anyone. My award didn’t make me better at auditioning. It hasn’t secured me jobs. It’s the same business with the same obstacles.

You can’t be too precious about winning, losing, or not being nominated for an award. The same goes for reviews. It is demeaning that we whore ourselves for The New York Times or salivate, waiting for press to come out to see if there are quotes we can use. I mean, I’d like to get mentioned by The Times one day, but if I don’t, I’m not a loser and I also don’t need to do that thing where I discredit The Times and say, “It’s all political anyway,” to make myself feel better. A review in The New York Times, and Art Awards across the country, are not the be-all end-all. They don’t define any of us. They can be useful tools, but ultimately, I think they mean what you want them to mean. They can be meat parades, an expression of the respect your theatre community has for you, a nice addition to your resume, or the worst idea ever. Or you can just ignore them all and do your work. The community, your work and your dedication to it, is all that really matters.

[ABOUT THOMAS]

I don’t do it for the awards. I want all of the awards. I daydream about accepting all of the awards, but I claim to not do it for the awards. That makes me wonder, uncomfortably, what would change if there were no awards. Then what do I daydream about when I’m in high school and figure out that I want to be an actor? Let’s stay with high school. I competed in state forensics competitions. I loved doing it. I liked being told I was better than other people. I accepted the trophies proudly. I won’t go into what and how many I won because that would be garish, but let’s just say there are a few plaques with my name on them. In 1993, the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League didn’t know what hit it. (It was me.)

But I don’t do it for the awards.

I don’t watch the award shows, but it’s not because of any artistic stand. It’s because I despise acceptance speeches. I hate them. I don’t like the funny ones, the political ones, the “oh gee I can’t believe this is happening” ones, any of them. The last award show I watched substantially was The Tony’s the year Rent won. I don’t know why that is. I’d be lying if I said it was for any reason involving integrity. Also, the older I get, the more I opt for watching sports on any given night.

So my reasons for disdaining the award shows aren’t as noble as Mr. Scott’s. Mine is envy. Pure and simple. It’s a gnawing fear that if I don’t win a trophy, then no one will know what I did. So with that said, I’ll give the awards a pass for being a dog and pony show… because the last thing I want to be, should the unthinkable happen, is a hypocrite. And I’ll give George a pass for being wound up so tight.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Siho Ellsmore is an actor, writer, and graphic designer currently residing in New York City. A native of Melbourne, Australia, she has appeared in Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and recently co-wrote, produced, and performed in YBW: Yellow Brick Wall Angry White Men played by Two Happy Asian Girls at the NY International Fringe Festival. Siho’s only claim to fame is that she appeared in Neighbours, Australia’s longest-running soap as the “bad girl Cara” in what she now fondly remembers as the “hot tub” episode. (Trust her, it’s not as sordid as it sounds).

Manon Halliburton is a regional theater actress who has worked all over the country. She has also appeared in television shows such as Law and Order and The Sopranos, and recently shot her first film this past year and closed August Osage County at Kansas City Rep to rave reviews. She lives in Kansas City with actor Bob Elliott.

Erika Rose is a Helen Hayes Award-winning actress living New York City. Regionally, she’s best known from her eight years of work on Washington, D.C. stages.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: ART FOR ART’S SAKE

[ABOUT JIMMY]

A poem is meant to be read. A song is meant to be heard. A painting is meant to be seen.

Art is a connection between two or more people. Whether it is a love song meant to be heard by one person, or an anthem meant for a nation, art’s true beauty is in its shared experience. It doesn’t have to be super-political, ultra-religious, or economically focused, but there is a purpose to creating art beyond the creation itself, and that is for someone else to experience it. Otherwise, it’s just an artist’s diary; his own personal psychiatrist’s couch.

Those men and women gifted with artistic genius always describe needing to “get it out,” to relieve the pressure of an idea in their minds. Mozart feverishly composed, driven by an impulse to create music. Why? I believe it is because whether he was conscious of it or not, he wanted to be heard. Artists want to move people, be it a tap on the shoulder or a smack in the face.

It’s the artist’s duty to bring about change and bring us closer. If not the artist, then who? No matter your race, creed, or religion, you can find a piece of music to be beautiful. Does the music exist just to be music? I say no. I think it has a higher purpose: to break down our differences and allow us to revel in the shared human condition. The idea that art exists on this higher or separate plane from the rest of the world is to distance us from ourselves.

I feel “art for art’s sake” is a little too selfish. Give me “art for peoples’ sake.”

[ABOUT ARIAN]

I believe it was Steven Spielberg who claimed that movies should be entertaining, enlightening, and empowering. That’s the motto I’ve always worked under. If it doesn’t fit these three E’s, I usually do not consider it something I should be focusing my energies on. 

Entertainment is why I became an artist. As a child, I gravitated towards what made me laugh. Whether it was Charlie’s Tramp or a cartoon, that’s the first thing that hooked me in. I remember seeing Robin Williams’ Hook and dreaming of flying afterwards. And as an adult, I don’t think much has changed. Through film, theater, and music, I hope to have something entertain me for that allotted time by laughing or crying or wanting to join in the fun.

I believe that art should enlighten. I do. And it doesn’t have to be just finding a new perspective to think about. It could be an enlightenment that lifts my creativity, my passions, my sense of being. Art can do that…and I believe it should. I had the privilege to work on Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo with Moises Kaufman and Rajiv Joseph. With that piece, I was thrilled to have the ability to shape audience members’ perceptions on the normal Iraqi man. The play gives an insight that isn’t read in a newspaper article or a news segment. It’s felt. It’s brought into existence. It’s carried a massive amount of influence through the words that Joseph wrote and the music of Moises’ direction. And enlightenment leads to my personal favorite…empowerment.

Art has the ability to empower change, to empower character building, to empower good citizenship. After seeing Clybourne Park, I’ve engaged in my community through Habitat for Humanity, through being active with my child’s PTA, attending community board meetings in my neighborhood. Did one viewing of that show change everything? It’s hard to say. But did it empower me to move forward. Absolutely. 

[ABOUT LAURIE]

I see no one definition of “art”…it’s all interpretive, and it all invites expression. It seems to me that the most important thing to do is stay honest as an artist, and speak to what genuinely moves you, rather than attempting to fulfill any purpose (higher or otherwise) born out of an ideal. Not that it isn’t all well and good to have ideals, but just as reality often clashes with the sterility of the ideal, so artistic expression can get stilted or disingenuous when the artist is too concerned with a greater purpose. Or, in other words, I think that within each individual artist, there are going to be all different kinds of expression, some much more personal than others, some more universal, some topical, some humanitarian, and some truly “art for art’s sake.” I think we need all of it. I also feel that if you have a genuine passion to call attention to or affect change in, say, world hunger, or political strife, or any number of the serious and painful issues facing our world today, then art—and in particular, theater and film (although I may think so merely because this happens to be MY particular medium)—can be just about the most powerful platform there is for such expression.

[ABOUT NIKKI]

“Monseigneur, you are always eager to make everything useful, yet here is a useless plot. It would be much better to have salads there than bouquets.” …The bishop replied, “You are mistaken. The beautiful is as useful as the useful…perhaps more so.”

- Victor Hugo in Les Miserables.

When ideological push comes to shove, I agree with Mr. Hugo. The truth and validity of “art for art’s sake” fuels the core of my work. However, to stop there doesn’t fully express the reality of what my artistic life looks like. At some point, my work necessitates an audience. My hope is to produce work that is honest and delightful, telling the truth and illuminating the possibility of…possibility, knowing all along that I desire it to be clear and accessible to someone outside of myself, wanting deeply to inspire change or to invite a conversation.

Many of us can recall an experience when we have witnessed a work of art (possibly our own) aiming to serve a practical purpose and, in the process, watched it devolve into propaganda. That’s one of my biggest artistic fears—if I wanted to be an advertiser of ideas and ideals I would have chosen a more lucrative path to follow. Which leads me to wonder if in my loftiest thoughts, I pursue art, not for art’s sake, but for truth’s sake. In an effort to explore an idea, an impression, a hunch, I set out to find its boundaries for the sake of trying to find the truth of that idea, impression, or hunch. Yet always, somewhere in my conscience is the knowledge that ultimately it will be shared. Art for art’s sake, art for my sake, art for the sake of others.

I think of Diego Rivera’s murals. Clifford Odets’ plays. Their intentions were clearly sociopolitical. Their work is sublime. Was their art for art’s sake? Probably. Was it also for the sake of changing the face of the political landscape in hope that the poor would have food and medical care and dignity? Definitely. Yet decades later we don’t revere their work for the social change they inspired but for the poignant beauty of the art itself.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jimmy Callahan is an actor/writer/comedian/acting coach living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Chicago, he trained at The Second City & iO. He has appeared in over 60 national commercials between CHI, LA, & NYC.

Arian Moayed is a Tony-nominated actor, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Waterwell, and co-director of its drama program at the Professional Performing Arts School. Arian will be directing his first feature film, which he also wrote, in the winter of 2013.

Laurie Okin is a Los Angeles-based actress who has been seen over the years in dozens of national commercials, as well as guest starring on The Office and as a series regular on PBS’s Copshop. She has also appeared in Samantha Who?, My Own Worst Enemy, Friends, and MadTV. Laurie also has an extensive background in the theatre and is a company member at The Road Theater and Rogue Machine Theater.

Nikki Visel is an actor living just steps from the Space Needle in Seattle. She calls Taproot Theatre Co. her “home” theatre but is about to begin her second season touring with Seattle Shakespeare Company and has worked throughout the city. Her first full-length feature film, Nothing Against Life, will be released in 2013.

For the past 12 weeks, Paden Fallis has posed one question each week to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. This is part 1 of 2 in the final question of this initial series.

ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: HUMILITY (PART 2)

If there’s one thing I love to see in the work of an actor, it is sincerity. If there is one thing I hate seeing, it is arrogance. I’ve always believed that the only way to approach the work is with a healthy belief in your own abilities combined with an even healthier dose of humility towards the work. All of you in this roundtable are accomplished, talented, and serious about the work you do. You’ve all experienced great successes and accolades. Your passion and commitment are why you were chosen for this ongoing discussion.

So, the final question posed to you is this: how do you stay humble? 

- Paden Fallis, Performing Arts Contributing Editor

WILLIAM BELCHAMBERS

Jack Nicholson was once asked “What makes you so wonderful?” to which he replied, “The only thing wonderful about me is my paycheck.”

Actors will always strive to be noticed, but the moment that they do become known, it quite often falls apart in a heap of “stop looking at me” or “stop following me around!”

Most of the time for the working actor like myself, you simply go about your job and take the pay and hope that another job will be forthcoming. To remain humble is easy in British theatre—you just do your job. I believe that some actors who get exposed to TV and film early, or before they have had a bit of time treading the boards, can get a warped ideal about what they want from the business. What all actors should want is just to do the best work possible and to get on with as many people as possible. Love the work, love the people, and enjoy the craft. A carpenter doesn’t need a round of applause for making a beautiful table; he just knows the table is beautiful and that others will appreciate it.

PAGE CLEMENTS

I can honestly say there has never been a time when I looked on the work and felt entitled. The rewards and accolades have been there, but failures and bumps in the road have been there also—therefore I know humility intimately. Those who love the arts and enjoy the work are who truly inspire me, especially when they continue to stay grounded. We must, after all, remember that the “celebrity factor” is a fleeting and superficial element to it all. I love the attention as much as the next person, but I feel much more pride if the story and characters are fully brought to light and the audience leaves the performance talking about the content more than the performance.

I am humbled when I have been honored or praised for a job. I try to remember that there are so many in the world who want to do what I do and haven’t had the opportunity to do so, for a myriad of reasons. Furthermore, there simply isn’t enough work for all of us who strive for it, so embracing every minute is paramount to anything else! This career is about entertainment, but it is also about education, community support, and duty. To think of it with a sense of arrogance or entitlement is far from my scope. This business is very tough and competitive, with a new rejection around every corner, making the successes all the sweeter. If I succeed either in performance or in my classroom, I hope it is because I have inspired others to love the opportunity and embrace every facet of it with respect and honor.

NELSON LEE

It feels like the issue of humility has been a theme running in the background of all our discussions. I think that’s because a sense of humility is the backbone to any good work. I doubt it’s coincidental that some of the greatest actors I’ve ever met or worked with had not a touch of arrogance in them, while some of the worst human beings I’ve ever encountered have been boastful, untalented schmucks. Arrogance and pride is blinding to an artist, as it keeps us from seeing our weaknesses. The easiest and most effective recipe I can think of for humility is to dedicate yourself to always learning and growing in whatever endeavor is undertaken. Then constantly seek out and surround yourself with people and projects that demand the same. I realize more and more as I get older, how important it is to have people around you who will remind you of who you are whenever you stray and forget. There is no better mirror for us than the respect of our peers.

LAURIE OKIN

I believe every actor has not only the right, but the imperative to take pride in the work they do. I don’t think anybody is served by too humble an approach: We are called upon to attack the work with ferocity and passion, and to do that, we must have self-confidence and trust in the process we are trained to partake in. Being proud of the work, however, involves pride not just in oneself but in the material, the rehearsal process as a whole, the director, and every other part of the production that goes into the stew to create the final product. If we can keep this reality in mind—that the piece would not be what it is without all of those elements—then it seems pretty impossible to be arrogant about anything. When we get accolades from the audience, I think the key is in recognizing that they are responding to what they experienced, not an isolated and empirical judgment of us as actors. I think it can be a real temptation, though, to take that praise more personally, because we are also always looking for validation in a field that involves such risk-taking. I don’t think it would be possible for good work to continue to be done if there is arrogance involved, because arrogance prevents vulnerability, and you can’t have good work without that.

William Belchambers is an actor who trained at R.A.D.A and has spent most of his career in theatre, in England, Europe, and U.S.A. Currently performing at The National Theatre, London, he has also spent seasons at The Globe and The Royal Shakespeare Company.

Page Clements has been a professional actress, vocal instructor, and private coach in NYC for over 20 years. Currently an instructor of voice, dialects, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre in New York, she has just completed an instructional video for actors and public speakers to be released later this year. She has appeared in over 50 productions throughout the country, received the Favorite Vocal Coach and Dialect Coach Awards from Backstage in 2009, and is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Nelson Lee left his native Canada for New York to pursue training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since then, he has appeared in various television series, including Blade: The Series, Virtuality, Oz, Covert Affairs, Hawaii Five-O, and the Law & Order franchise. Recently, he took to the stage for the world premiere of Zayd Dorn’s play, Outside People, at the Vineyard Theater in New York, and the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) production of Maple and Vine in San Francisco. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Laurie Okin is a Los Angeles-based actress who has been seen over the years in dozens of national commercials, as well as guest starring on The Office and as a series regular on PBS’s Copshop. She has also appeared in Samantha Who?, My Own Worst Enemy, Friends, and MadTV. Laurie also has an extensive background in the theatre and is a company member at The Road Theater and Rogue Machine Theater.

Thomas Ward is an actor and playwright based in Minneapolis. He appeared in the Off-Broadway premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed regionally with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, WaterTower Theatre (Dallas), and the ZACH Scott Theatre (Austin), among others. He was previously profiled by stated.