The Working Actor's Journey

We have a special episode today. It's a tribute to the actor Philip Bosco. In this, you'll hear the voices of Armin Shimerman, Peter Van Norden, and Phil himself as Malvolio in Twelfth Night.

Phil was quite a legend in the theatre scene, and he recently passed away, so I decided to finally sit down and put this together. Yes, it is sad, and at first, I thought this episode needed to be really somber, but it's also a celebration of Phil's life, what he did, and the many people he impacted!

A few quick highlights about Philip Bosco:

• Won the Tony Award for Lend Me a Tenor, with another FIVE nominations, along with multiple Drama Desk nominations and one win
• Performed in over 50 productions on Broadway, playing all different styles and genres
• Over 100 Film and TV credits, including a Daytime Emmy Award

Click here for full show notes and links.

Watch the entire production of Twelfth Night

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Dawn Didawick is an LA-based actor who has worked at numerous regional theatres, has lived and worked in both DC and New York, and also has a number of film and TV credits.

She appeared on Broadway in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, with the production winning a Tony Award for Best Revival. She's also a founding member of the Antaeus Theatre in Glendale, CA.

In today's episode, Dawn and I cover:

• doing industrials
• dealing with fear
• having mentors
• working on new plays
• sexual harassment and shame
• how to keep working
• Yiddish actors
• passing it on
• being respectful
• and lots more!

Click here for full show notes and links.

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Francis Guinan from Ep. #14 talks text work in Jessica Dickey's The Rembrandt, which premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2017 with Francis in the cast, alongside John Mahoney, who many people know as the dad on Frasier (one of my personal favorites), but who was also a longtime Steppenwolf ensemble member.

You'll hear how Francis found his way through the text, and the deeper connections between art and the relationship his character has with John's. I was lucky enough to see this production at Steppenwolf and John passed away not long after The Rembrandt closed.

It's a great session and a wonderful insight into how an actor works.

Click here for full show notes and links.

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Francis' monologue from The Rembrandt

HENRY

I touched it.

It was… surprisingly– spiky. The paint. Slashes of ochre and black and white and red. I suddenly thought– Art is such a slight thing. It's a trick. The closer you get, it recedes, like a shadow. It lives, it glows, and then you touch it and it's not really there. Or it's ALL there—Rembrandt. Homer. I touched it all… Well, specifically three of us touched it—myself, this girl Madeline and Dodger. We counted to three, and we touched it.

[minor dialogue omitted]

I remember my Dad reading in the paper that this Rembrandt had been purchase for 2.3 million– and this was 1961 mind you!–and he turned to me, I was all of FIVE, and he said (ala gruff dad) "Come on Hank, we're going to see what the hell is worth 2.3 million." And he dragged me to the exhibit. We stood in front of it, his brow furrowed, the callouses on his hand… There was something about the way he stood there—staring—as if he felt separate—as if it was some Great Thing that would always be just beyond his reach…

I never asked him what the thought of it, the painting. If he liked it. If it pleased him. (I'd like to thing it did—that somehow he was—touched by it.) I regret that actually. Terribly.

It's just a slight thing—canvas, paint—and yet it contains—what? Wordls. Truths.

I stood there today, and I thought, There is only one of this– in all of time. I touched that fragility and my heard just…

[to Simon, sleeping] My love? Are you there?

I want you to know. You've been a wonderful partner. You have. I have failed you so terribly. So terribly. But I am here now. I'm here.

Francis Guinan grew up in Iowa and went to college pre-med, but then changed directions and ended up meeting the actors who would go on to create the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble in Chicago. He has been a member for 30 years and appeared in over 40 productions, and also has 80+ film/tv credits including Boss, The Last Airbender, and Eerie, Indiana.

Just a bit of what we cover:

• discipline and focus
• messing with other actors onstage
• great directors
• rehearsal questions
• John Mahoney
• Shakespeare
• younger actors
• current passions, and lots more!

Plus, he works on a piece from THE REMBRANDT, which had its world premiere at Steppenwolf!

Check out the show notes for additional info and items mentioned in this episode.

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Reed Birney thought he was just going to be a schmuck actor after decades of struggle. Then he takes on a part that terrifies him and it leads to a number of great projects and successes, including a Tony Award.

Just a bit of what we cover:

• The freeing nature of doing nudity in both theatre and film
• Why he chose not to go to Juilliard after being accepted, and why he might have hated acting if he went
• The unbelievable circumstances of his first Broadway show
• Why your imagination is so important, along with children playing in sandboxes
• What can lead you to "bad acting" and how to avoid it
• His experience working with The Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi early in their careers
• The excitement and challenges of working on Casa Valentina
• The helpful note from the director that helped him unlock the character in The Humans
• The example he tries to set for both his children who are actors

Check out the show notes for additional info and items mentioned in this episode.

Become a PREMIUM member and part of the Working Actors Community, starting at just $2/month!

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Reed Birney thought he was just going to be a schmuck actor after decades of struggle. Then he takes on a part that terrifies him and it leads to a number of great projects and successes, including a Tony Award. We discuss the unbelievable circumstances of his first Broadway show, why your imagination is so important, what can lead you to “bad acting”, and much more. Check out the show notes for additional info and items mentioned: https://workingactorsjourney.com/podcast/episodes/reed-birney/

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We're back for another season with great chats ahead! Hear excerpts from upcoming interviews with actors that have worked for 30-50+ years, hearing how they got started, what challenges they faced, how they deal with auditions, actually work on material, and more.

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Peter Van Norden from Ep. #7 talks text work on performing platitudes and pauses in Harold Pinter's The Hothouse. As he was in rehearsals when we spoke, you'll hear how Peter is still figuring things out with the character of Roote; he's still asking questions, and not really sure exactly where he'll ultimately arrive with this piece, and we're along for that journey of discovery, of what this piece will become.

Full show notes and links: https://workingactorsjourney.com/podcast/text-work/pinter-peter

Nike Doukas from Ep. #6 talks text work on performing contemporary iambic pentameter and verse from Mike Bartlett's King Charles III. You'll hear that Nike brings the same tools that she would to any verse text, classical or modern. There are some wonderful insights she brings to the language of this piece and what you need to be thinking about.

https://workingactorsjourney.com/podcast/text-work/contemporary-verse-doukas/ ‎

"12 Top Acting Tips from Season One": https://workingactorsjourney.com/sig