I have been a master theatre teacher for a long time, working with children and teens, and more recently, building a business coaching adult professional actors. What’s interesting about a life in the theatre is that time passes and you don’t feel it happen, because you’re busy hustling and trying to get to do what you love as much as you can. I find myself now, in my fifties, having the opportunity to mentor, advise, or provide perspective for talented artists half my age—and I actually feel like I have some wisdom and knowledge to offer that might be useful! That’s an awesome feeling.
When I was beginning my professional theatre career around the age Gabriel Ashton Brown and Kramer Kwalick are today, I had spent my whole life in theatre—in scene shops with my Dad, who was a scene designer and artist, and in classes and shows directed by my Mom at her theatre company, The Acting Place, Inc. from the age of twelve. Being around grown up actors, taking class from brilliant teachers like Laura Sheppard, a classical mime who trained with Marcel Marceau…and Natalie Norton, my first dance teacher, who was part of the core company on whom pioneering choreographer Luigi created Lyrical Jazz dance—these opportunities implanted in me the chutzpah and the curiosity, as an adult, to get close to, and glean wisdom and advice from, the great actors I’ve had the good fortune to work with.
How could I be in rehearsal rooms and green rooms with Broadway greats like Judy Blazer, and Ron Carroll, and George Lee Andrews, and my idol, Gary Beach, and not pump them to share their experience, and the life lessons learned at the very top of the profession? I couldn’t!! I’m grateful to all of these people (some with us, some who’ve left us) for letting me ask ‘em out to lunch, or a post-rehearsal drink, to hear their stories. I often tell people that live theatre is ephemeral, and only those who were part of it, or who witnessed it from the audience, have a memory of it. An actor like me, with three decades of work to my credit, has a really gratifying resume of terrific roles and projects, and mostly—amazing stories. Stories are our stock in trade, we theatre folk, and must be shared with those who are coming up behind us. Theatre is a received tradition—always was, always will be—and I feel a real responsibility to inspire a love and respect for the past, for the repertoire, and for the lore that encompasses the inside human experiences the audience never sees—the behind the scenes of us lunatics who take on a life in show business! Oh, the glamour.
Gabriel Ashton Brown and Kramer Kwalick, a beautiful creative couple, mere weeks away from their wedding, are facing challenges in the industry today that I never faced, after leaving my actor training and starting the hustle of finding work. They met in a conservatory program. Just as they graduated, performing their industry showcase, where agents and casting directors got a first look at their talents—COVID shut it all down. In peak shape and ready to start their careers, these young performers were denied the opportunity to even try embarking on the tough process of “breaking in.” So…they got creative.
From lockdown, they started making content—sharing the things they love online: from Kramer’s Living Anachronism channel on YouTube—where he enthuses about all things medieval to his 59,000 subscribers—to Gabriel’s mastery of the microphone, cultivating a formidable ability as a voice actor. Like many Gen Z creatives, they went entrepreneurial—harnessing all their abilities and interests, to self start—something I cannot applaud enough. It’s a good thing they did. When they were finally able to venture into the new landscape of the theatre business, they found themselves confronted by ideas, practices and attitudes that often didn’t align with their beli
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