How and Why Do I Do This?

I recently completed a play at Theatre Hopkins and one of the folks who reports to me on my day job came to see the play and his girlfriend asked me “How do you do this and have a family and be successful at your day job”? Those who have seen my office which has a huge volume of pictures of my wife and kids, and pictures the kids have drawn know that my family is the number one item in my life. They bring me such joy and they fulfill my heart! For my career, I am a business manager at Northrop Grumman in Linthicum, and I am blessed to work with many hardworking and intelligent people, and I work on many exciting programs. This work keeps me mentally stimulated every day. So this fulfills my intellectual needs! So why do I do this? Because theatre fulfills my soul!! I was away from the theatre for many years while I focused on my family and career. But there was also a piece of me that was unfulfilled, as I love to perform, whether singing or acting in a play or both! This had been my ambition earlier in my life, but life does not always turn out the way we planned. So one day a little over 4 years ago, my wife said that it was probably a time in our lives when I could try and get back into the theater. I have been fortunate to have done about 7 plays since then, and to be asked to be a resident actor here at The Strand Theatre where I am doing my second play here called “Smolder”. So this is how I came to do this because it fulfills a need in me. Why do I do it? I truly enjoy the collaborative nature of the theatre, watching a play from the beginning of rehearsals where we all wonder if we will ever learn our lines through the actual performances. It is a wonder to have an opportunity to bring a character to life, to lift it from the written page and make it alive!! And there is joy in having the director help you and the other actors make all of this mesh into a cohesive concept. And you will have the director or another actor give you an insight to your character that you didn’t see before. I know my hardest part is learning the lines but once they are learned then I can focus on the external items which help bring the character to life and see if I can find the soul of the character. I know for me that it is much easier with silly comedies or outrageous characters versus more dramatic or straight characters. For Smolder the character is written as 30s, well- off and effeminately handsome! Well I passed 30 a while ago, and being the short average looking person that I am, this characterization requires a stretch. But that is what makes it fun! I really like working at the Strand as since it is a new theatre with very few resources, then the company has to pull together to make it work. This may mean providing your own wardrobe and props, and trying to get the word out on the productions. But that means we have to work together as a team, which is always such a pleasure in any endeavor. Is it worth all of this effort? To work a 10 hour day, then drive 25 minutes home, make dinner if my wife is working late, help the kids if needed, and then drive 30 minutes to the Strand for rehearsal. Oh yes, it is so worth it! It is worth it for a few reasons: 1) the joy I get from performing, 2) the pleasure working with the company to put together the production and 3) I have been fortunate enough to have worked with some unbelievable actors and to be able to watch them night after night is a wonder to me. So as long as the family does not think the time put into the theatre impedes their lives, and as long as a director is willing to cast me, I will do this over and over again.