Creative Team Interview #6: David Sedgwick, Dialect Coach for THE LOVER and DANNY

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

David Sedgwick

Role in this Production:

Accent coach for "The Lover" and "Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" / Director for the Free Reading Series

How long have you been coaching/directing?

I've been an actor for about 20 years now! Directing and accent-coaching are much newer endeavors for me; they have their own unique challenges that are very different from my work as an actor.

How long have you been in NYC?

Six-and-a-half years. The time has flown by somehow...

Where are you from originally?

Sydney, Australia.

What's been your favorite project, to date?

I always feel like I learn something new with each project, so my recent turn as Vershinin in Three Sisters for The Seeing Place is a favorite. Then there's also the 3 years I spent traveling around Japan performing for little kids, singing silly songs whilst wearing primary colors. That was pretty good fun.

What do you like about being involved with The Seeing Place?

I feel that my acting has developed in unexpected ways by being exposed to the company's rehearsal and performance style. I feel a lot freer now on stage, and more prepared to take risks. I love that as a company member I'm encouraged to explore other interests such as directing and working with dialects.

What's a fun story about an experience you've had in your field?

I had a gig at the Tokyo branch of Temple University where I directed non-acting students in short plays, just for fun. Some of the students were not overly confident in English. I remember one young 20-something Japanese girl who was absolutely terrified of the idea of people watching her perform. It was like regular stage-fright, but mixed with the fear of public speaking, plus using a second language, accent issues, etc. She kept on telling me she was quitting but then she'd change her mind, and I could see she was really fascinated by the whole idea of being an actor. So of course when the time came for the (one night only) presentation, she was great! Really funny and with very good stage presence. I like to imagine that I helped her to catch the acting "bug"...

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

I must have read The Lover before, and then recently a friend self-produced the play (go Anna Wood!) so I saw the play not long ago. But the thing about Pinter is that so much is unspoken that I don't expect this production to be very similar at all! As for Danny, I've read quite a few of Shanley's plays, but I'd never read or seen this one before, so I'm excited to see it on its feet.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for these projects?

For the mainstage shows, the challenge and general strangeness of asking two Californians to take accent suggestions about a New York dialect from an Australian is... self-evident? For the reading series, the biggest challenge has been trying to secure rights to plays that we'd like to do....

What excites you about The Summer Series?

I think it's going to be really fun seeing two actors take on such different characters, and do both plays back-to-back. It should be a real roller-coaster ride for the audience.

What is your website?

www.davidsedgwick.com - check out my reels! One of these days I'll figure out how to link it with my Facebook page and Twitter...

To donate to support this project, please click here.

How Do You Remember All Those Lines?

We asked for suggestions.  Of course, this was at the top of the list.  And though I could scoff at it, like every actor does in any talk-back...why not answer it?

This paragraph is for the laymen out there.  If you are a seasoned actor, you may skip down.  I give you permission.  The reason why every actor cringes when asked this question is because acting holds a far greater challenge than remembering lines.  It's much harder to believe a situation and live it out truthfully, as if if were the first time, at 8pm every night.  Line memorization is the simplest part of acting.  It requires repetition - in the same way that remembering the words and notes of a song requires you to play it over and over.  After a certain amount of times, the lines should be able to be fired off with the same kind of ease that most people sing "Happy Birthday".  Also, memorization is easier to do when you do it frequently.  It works like any other muscle.

That said, line memorization poses a big problem to actors.  Most of the time, actors have such engrained patterns of speech that there is no way for the truth of the moment to be expressed.  Many actors spend so much time planning out their thoughts in a given scene that there is no possibility for anything other than a planned response.  Thus, much of the work we see onstage carries very little life. 

It's a rare day that I work with an actor, who knows how to discover new meanings in a scene.  And that's an important part of being alive onstage.  Many actors respond with the same meaning no matter what stimulus is given them.  You could be screaming or crying or whispering, and you'll still get your true blue response from your scene partner.  I've known plenty of actors to wear that badge as though it's a medal ("I didn't change a thing tonight.")  But they did.  They changed their belief in the situation.  They stopped talking and listening.  And as Bobby Lewis said, "If it's not talking and listening, it really doesn't matter how much more it is."

So...HOW DO YOU REMEMBER ALL THOSE LINES?  How do you do it in such a way that you retain enough flexibility for your moment to moment responses to come through?  Nobody ever seems to talk about line memorization.  Yet it is an important part of acting.  And to do it in a manner that will serve you is much more difficult than it seems.

Here are some tricks I've learned to allow you freedom in your work:

1.)  You need to know the lines so well that you don't have to think in order to remember them.  That way, they can take on whatever meaning or interpretation exists impulsively in you.  Often times, when we learn lines quickly, we have to group them into settled meanings in order for our short-term memory to grab ahold.  It is necessary that you don't need to reach for your words, so you can put your attention on the circumstances of the play, your own creative and imaginative work, and your scene partner.  That, in and of itself, will do wonders for your work.

2.)  Try writing them out without punctuation to disassociate the structure from the thoughts.  I suggest writing, because it's more active than typing, but either works.  Keep in mind that people do not speak, using syntax.  That is a writer's device to express thought on a page.  Very frequently, people do not pause for commas or make full-stops at periods when talking.  So, you have to have the same kind of freedom in your speech to emphasize wherever makes the best sense in the moment. 

3.)  Try to keep your mind off of the meanings and focus more on the sound of the words.  This is an incredibly difficult way to memorize lines, but if you can hold off from making acting choices while repeating lines for the purposes of memorization, you'll be half-way there.  Trust that you will be able to add the meaning in performance, because you are a living human being in a situation.  In order to memorize this way, I often have to go one sentence at a time.  After I say it ten times, I can add the next sentence.  And then I do that ten times.  It's a painstaking process, but well worth it.

4.)  Try using different accents.  On top of the fact that it's just FUN, it's also a good way to keep yourself from emphasizing the same words or sticking to the same verbal patterns.

5.)  Mess with the pacing.  Go through very quickly and then very slowly.  That will force your brain to think differently and help break or avoid patterns.

6.)  Sing the words.  This is the most helpful thing you can do.  It forces you to provide a completely new structure to the lines.  I almost always forget the lines when I do this.  Don't worry.  You're building new synapses, so you'll be able to play more in your work onstage.

I'm sure that some alarms are going off.  But keep in mind...

Jimmy Cagney's famous quote is "Look 'em in the eye, and tell them the TRUTH." - It's not 'Tell them the LINE'.  That's immensely important.  You have to be able to express the truth of the moment.  Not last night's truth.  Not the truth you wish were there.  The truth that is going on with YOU right then, right there. 

Thoughts?  Stories?  I'll even take horror stories from those days when either you or your scene partner went up.  Those are always fun.  Let's hear it!

:O)

Creative Team Interview #5: Michael Minahan, Set Designer for THE LOVER and DANNY

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Michael Minahan

Role in this Production:

Set Designer 

How long have you been designing/stage managing?

There has always been SOMETHING to order, build, and design. Theater has been getting the brunt of these impulses for about 12 years. 

How long have you been in NYC?

1 year +

Where are you from originally?

Charleston, SC is home. 

What's been your favorite project, to date?

I tried to single one out last time I was asked this but it's really a question I can't answer. They're all terrible and wonderful in their own way. 

What do you like about being involved with The Seeing Place?

The acting is visceral and real, and the opportunity to be a part of such an ambitious ensemble effort is very rewarding. 

What's a fun story about an experience you've had in your field?

I designed the sets and lights for a production in which I also had to run the board. It was a devised ensemble piece derived from Phaedra, and there was much reference to the gods - which ended up being directed towards us in the booth. Preesa (who was the stage manager) and I ended up dressing the part since so much attention was thrown our way - and ultimately I was expected to learn the final dance sequence for the theme which was Lady Gaga's JUST DANCE. I have very good rhythm (debatable?) but very bad memory, and the whole thing was a debacle. But some of the most fun I've had in theater. 

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

I hadn't read or seen either of them. I'm thrilled to be working on such great and varied texts about navigating intimacy. They're going to offer our audience a rich and unexpected evening for sure. 

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for these projects?

Finding a dialogue between the two plays so they can coexist on the same stage in the same evening is the exciting design challenge. The logistical and technical challenges are going to hit hard durring the next two weeks. You should ask me this question again in August! 

What excites you about The Summer Series?

These plays and these two wonderful actors. 

Learn more about Michael at www.minahandesign.com

To donate to support this project, please click here.

Creative Team Interview #4: Sean Demers, Sound Designer for THE LOVER and DANNY

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Sean Demers

Role in this Production:

Sound Designer

How long have you been designing?

I have been designing for 7 years.

How long have you been in NYC?

5 years.

Where are you from originally?

New England.

What's been your favorite project, to date?

I have two. My first project was a production of David Mamet's Duck Variations and Edward Albee's Zoo Story. The One Acts ran at the same time with Variations interspersed throughout the Zoo Story. I had to play guitar onstage in Variations and write all the music. We then recorded voiceover and similar guitar music to overlap with what was happening onstage. My second favorite project was a show called Who is Dan Schiller. The show was written with great locations in mind: an Airplane, an Office, an Elevator. A lot of opportunity for placing the scene with music and sound. 

What do you like about being involved with The Seeing Place?

This is my first production, but so far the collaboration seems to be wide open. It's always nice to be able to bounce ideas around and feel like there is a certain amount of partnership in the process.

What's a fun story about an experience you've had in your field?

Most of the fun in sound designing revolves around sitting at a computer and editing, but some of the best work comes directly from the work of the actors as opposed to fully rendering a design in a vacuum. In particular, Who is Dan Schiller had a scene where two stereotype gay characters come into the scene. After taking one look at what the actors had done I knew right away: These guys need theme music! And there, as always, was Britney ... 

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

I have absolutely zero past with these plays apart from reading The Lover long ago.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for these projects?

The most challenging aspect with Sound Design is always setting the tone. You always want to have ideas and options, but in the end you want to provide a soundscape that honors the work of the company. Because these plays are essentially different, finding a balance and difference in tone is particularly tricky.

What excites you about The Summer Series?

The playwrights you have chosen ... top notch!

What is your website? (or Facebook Page or Twitter account?)
N/A

To donate to support this project, please click here.

Cast Interview #3: Ned Baker Lynch as "John" in THE LOVER

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Ned Baker Lynch

Role in this Production:

John in The Lover.

How long have you been acting?

I have been acting for 14 years.

How long have you been in NYC?

Since 1998

Where are you from originally?

I am originally from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and that's where I grew up. I have also lived in Texas and Nebraska.

What's been your favorite role, to date?

My favorite role with The Seeing Place was Kulygin in Three Sisters. We did not take the normal goofy and bufoonish approach but one of a man in love who is willing to put up with anything to keep his wife in his life. There were obviously funny parts expressed but it was more of a real characterization, which I loved.

What do you like about being a part of The Seeing Place?

I like the comraderie and commitment of the members as we meet to read plays and bring in others to participate, thus creating a mini-community of artists which is really cool. An espirit de corps that extends even to rehearsals.

What's a fun story about an experience you've had (onstage or off) with The Seeing Place?

I came off the stage between fun scenes in Twelfth Night and there is Erin Cronican running off stage with me right to her iPhone. I was stunned and couldn't wrap my head around it (being stuck in the 90s technologically.) I asked her what she was doing and she said she was "tweeting." (She posted her "live tweeting" here.) Well I thought this was hysterical because I had never seen that before. But the more I think about that the more I marvel because not only was she putting herself out their but she was pushing the production and that show she cares and obviously I respect that.

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

Limited, really. I believe I have seen The Lover done in class and I performed a scene from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea in class. It is one of my favorite Shanley plays and I look forward to seeing Brandon and Erin inhabit these two characters.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this/these role(s)?

Not trying to be funny or make funny choices - just let Pinter's words do their work and be true in reality and the audience will enjoy the experience.

What excites you about The Summer Series?

I am excited to see Erin and Brandon tackle these characters in these 2 different plays and 2 different worlds. It is a monumental task but I know these talented actors are passionate and work hard and they are going to pull it off and make this the summer series to be special event. 

For more information about Ned, stay tuned. He recently joined Facebook'

To donate to support this project, please click here.

Creative Team Interview #3: Sara Gosses, Lighting Designer for THE LOVER and DANNY

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Sara Gosses

Role in this Production:

Lighting Designer

How long have you been designing?

I began designing shortly before I interned with a designer in New York three years ago.

How long have you been in NYC?

I moved here permanently in 2010.

Where are you from originally?

I'm from Ohio, but between schools and shows I've spent significant time throughout the Midwest.

What's been your favorite project, to date?

My senior year of college I designed my first full show and it called for night vision. That scene and the talk-backs post-show, made "Behind the Uniform" my favorite show I've designed. If we're counting any project I've been involved in I would have to say "Rose and the Rime." I was involved in the workshops and then helped in small ways: audio and then as an electrician when we took it to ACTF. It was a collaborative piece and the community that surrounded the piece was extremely rewarding. I really believe in creating using everyone's strengths with less rigid roles.

What do you like about being involved with The Seeing Place?

I think storytelling is incredibly powerful and The Seeing Place is really committed to that. Take, for instance, the two upcoming shows: The Lover and Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. They're shows that you don't have to stretch to connect to. I love working on plays that not only intrigue me as a designer, but also make me think as a person. I think the audience has a lot to look forward to! 

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

I hadn't read either, but I do love Pinter. I think he's a master with the story arc. So I was excited for the combination of the two shows right from the gate.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for these projects?

Keeping a design simple while maximizing the space forboth shows can be a challenge. However, it's typically a challenge that results in a more interesting design than if the one show had stood alone.

What is your website? (or Facebook Page or Twitter account?) 

It's currently under construction, but hopefully it'll be ready for launch soon!

To donate to support this project, please click here.

Cast Interview #2: Brandon Walker as "Richard" in THE LOVER and "Danny" in DANNY...

Welcome to our exciting series of interviews, where you can get to know the cast & creative team in our Summer Series, a double-header of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and Harold Pinter's The Lover. The Summer Series is a true repertory event - both shows perform on the same evening with the same cast, creative team, and design concept.

The shows run back to back July 27 - August 12, 2012

Wed-Sat at 7pm;  Sat & Sun at 2pm, in New York City.

To donate (it's a worthy cause!), click here.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

Your Name:

Brandon Walker

Role in this Production:

Richard in The Lover, and Danny in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.

How long have you been acting?

Since 5th grade - so, like 10? After a hellish 4th grade class play, where I played Abraham Lincoln and actually had to be coddled through by my teacher (yeah, I was THAT kid), freaked out, peed my pants, puked backstage, and all kinds of fun stuff - I moved schools. THEN, I got pneumonia right as the semester started, couldn't do the alternate book report for my humanities unit, and was forced into playing Flavius in our class production of Julius Caesar by my teacher. But then we worked on it the whole year and I loved it, got over myself, and played Fagin in Oliver! the next year (in the school play).  Apparently, it was my destiny. This was at Encanto Elementary - like THE most ghetto school in San Diego. But they had a wonderful GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) Program. Go figure. 

How long have you been in NYC?

March, 2007. I came here, running from a girl. Or that's what I've said for a long time. I was really just running away from a life I destroyed in California. I didn't arrive here as the happiest of campers. But isn't that everyone that moves here? 

Where are you from originally?

San Diego. And I hate Anchorman. Shut up.

What's been your favorite role, to date?

That I've played? Probably Winston in The Credeaux Canvas. But I wouldn't want to do it again. That I've almost played on like six occasions? Warren in This Is Our Youth. But now, I'm too old. So, I guess I'd have to say Danny.

What do you like about being a part of The Seeing Place?

I like being part of a group of people. I can't stand the great loneliness to which many actors seem tethered. I get to do work that inspires me. And I get to inspire others. And I get to be around people that inspire me. And we get to work for ourselves and one another, so that our art goes beyond impressing our audience. It also feeds us. And then that energy feeds back into the community. So...it's this circle of love. :O)

What's a fun story about an experience you've had (onstage or off) with The Seeing Place?

On opening night of Closer, I totally went up on my lines in the Hotel scene with Alice. I was playing Dan. And the wording is so specific in that part of the scene that I couldn't figure out what word she needed to hear. To be fair, for the first minute of the pause, I thought that SHE had forgotten HER lines. And then I realized it was me.

And while Elyse Fisher (Alice) was freaking out and telling my character to get the hell out for the next four minutes of the pause, I just kept doing what I'd be doing in the situation. So, I was putting my clothes on and getting ready to walk out the door. And as I was putting my jacket on, I realized that my line was, "I love you." And then I said that, almost in a resigned fashion, and we continued from there.

And the funny thing is that nobody noticed. And I learned that day that the scene is about a breakdown between two people. It initially seemed like it's about a fight. But what I didn't understand about the scene is that there's nothing either of them could say to fix the loss of trust. And in the five minutes that we spent silently onstage, that whole relationship made sense to me. And then we kept that (in less time) for the rest of the run. Because it was awesome.

And that's why this work is so wonderful to me. It's about the story and the situation. It's not about doing everything the right way. It's about sharing real life with the audience. 

What's your previous experience with these two plays (THE LOVER and DANNY....)?

I've seen scenes from Danny and the Deep Blue Sea in classes. I saw the 2004 Second Stage production on film a few years back. I've always connected with the beauty in the play...the longing for a life full of the things we hope for and feeling that I don't deserve it. In truth, this is the first play we've done that has been MY dream show. Usually, I get on board with someone else's dream. And The Lover was a last-minute decision, after we'd been turned down for every other two-person play imaginable. I'd skimmed the play a long time ago and had always wanted to work on a Pinter play. His themes fit in our season, and I had an AHA moment at Drama Book Shop and applied for the rights. It just felt right. 

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this/these role(s)?

With The Lover, there is NO WRITTEN STORY. AT ALL. So, we have to make it up and hope for the best. And that's not the easiest thing to do - especially when we all have differing opinions about what is going on. With Danny, I'm trying to open up and allow myself to be the animal I am. And even though I'm pretty antisocial, I've still got some social graces that are unbelievably difficult to shed. But that's what the role requires.

What parts of yourself are similar to the character(s)?

Apparently, I'm pretty volatile, but I also have a good heart (which I hide well with defensiveness and sarcasm and all sorts of fun stuff). So, that's good for Danny. And Richard is a firecracker in the bedroom...so, I've got that one down cold. And my girlfriend is laughing at me. But The Lover is a comedy, right? :O)

What excites you about The Summer Series?

I get to act with a scene partner that challenges me for two shows. I've never gotten to do that 100% of the time in even one show before. I mean, it's exciting and all that it's a marathon evening...but I still don't think it's gonna compare to playing Jimmy Porter, in that sense. Or maybe I just jinxed myself. Did I? I guess you'll have to come find out.

For more information about Brandon, stay tuned. There will be a website very soon. In the meantime...Twitter: @OhBrandonWalker

To donate to support this project, please click here.