What is DUTCHMAN?

Come see our reading of DUTCHMAN by Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones, starring Timothy Ware, Erin Cronican, and Eugene Barry-Hill, directed by Brandon Walker, stage managed by Hailey Vest. The readings are taking place via Zoom on July 18 & 19, 2020 with proceeds benefitting Black Theatre Network. 

For full information and to get your tickets, visit www.TheSeeingPlace.com

For full information and to get your tickets, visit www.TheSeeingPlace.com

Candice Oden as Martha - Freedom in the time of #MeToo

I’ve been aching to act with my theater company for a while. I took a little break to work on some writing, which I’ll hopefully be able to share with you in the somewhat near future, but this production round, I was like, “I’m in.” And what an experience it has been. It’s been such an adventure to work alongside Brandon’s writing process, figuring out as a team what story we were wanting to tell. During our preparation process, we discovered so many things about the story that could be told from a feminist perspective, and we realized just how timely we could make this story-telling. 

In addition to the clever and challenging aspects of a many-person story being told by only four people, we also have women playing male roles. And three of the four characters are women in this production. Woohoo! My role has a few characters rolled into one, and some are traditionally male roles. It’s exciting to be able to tell a male’s story from a female perspective, instead of having to actually play a man. And Martha has been such a joy to play. In many ways, she and I are very similar. I think people think that if a character is like you, you have to work less, but I have found that to be quite incorrect. No matter how similar we are, at the end of the day, I’m not Martha, we do not experience the same things, and our responses to things can vary greatly — and with the kind of work we do as a company, those responses can vary night to night!

Candice Oden as Martha in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. Photo by Russ Rowland.

These are desperate times, and the play speaks to that quite well. It also champions things like the #MeToo movement. The Hysteria of Dr. Faustus is so timely — even reviewers are saying so — and it’s thrilling to execute night after night. This show has so many complexities that are such a delight to deal with on a nightly basis. I was telling my mom I have a place to shove all my emotions, and it’s actually a good thing. Ha! 

Candice Oden as Martha in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. Photo by Russ Rowland.

It’s also been very gratifying to be working with the cast we have in the way that we do. We have a truly organic process, and in that, if a piece of the set breaks (and it has), we have the acting tools to deal with it. No night is the same, and I treasure the opportunity to do this kind of work. My work as an actor has grown over the course of doing many shows with The Seeing Place, and I’m actually playing onstage more than I ever have. Doing this show has been so freeing — it’s definitely one of my favorite TSP productions. And may the rest of the run be performance bliss! :)

***

Candice Oden is appearing as Martha in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. The show must close October 21 - To get tickets or to see reviews and production photos, visit www.seeingplacetheater.com/shows/9-faustus.html. 

Brandon Walker as Dr Faustus - Writing and Enacting Doctor Faustus

I really didn't know what I was getting into, probably much like Doctor Faustus' pact with the devil. I thought it would be a relatively easy task to adapt the play. After all, I've adapted ANTIGONE and THE STRANGER, and I've written two other full-length plays. It seemed like more of the same. Boy, was I wrong.

Since beginning, a few people have asked what drew me/us to such grand and epic material. I guess it didn't start to hit me what a gargantuan task I'd undertaken until I finished writing. In the process, I recognized that the play had gotten a Hell of a lot more personal than I had been expecting - pun intended. It's quite confronting to write a play about an aging, suicidal nobody, waking up to his own repressed desires. I think that, in a way, we can all understand. There are always these things we want that seem to be just out of arms' reach.

That's just the first problem. Really, this was also my first time writing an intimate scene as well - which is an unbelievably personal thing to do. And then there's the whole issue of the decline that Faustus runs into when he realizes that nothing is filling the gap in his life. And that's probably what's been most difficult for me as an artist: this is largely a play about someone that gets what he wants - and still isn't satisfied.

Brandon Walker as Dr Faustus in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. Photo by Russ Rowland.

As an actor, it's also an interesting issue to work on a script you've written. I've largely had to disassociate myself from the writing in order to accomplish what I'm doing onstage, and I've been much more successful than I was with my first play, WHEN WE HAVE GONE ASTRAY - in which I remember feeling so self-conscious onstage that I swore I'd never act in one of my own plays again. See, generally, there's someone else to blame as an actor. But when you're the writer AND the actor, the finger is going to point to you, no matter what. In my second play, SCOTCH KISS, I didn't write a character for myself. Same goes for THE PEOPLE VS ANTIGONE. I did write a part for myself in THE STRANGER, but we haven't done anything other than readings of that at this point. So, this is really my first time back since my first play. It's helpful that it is an adaptation - and I've tried to keep pretty true to the source material - even with the modernization. I've essentially pulled the story from Marlowe's texts, but the characters from Goethe's play - so, it isn't just the love story we see in the Opera of Faust. It is a story of corruption. It also helps that I'm not directing - and though I wrote the play, it's a very different thing to live through something as an actor than as a writer. So, once I started acting, I still had to learn how the behavior operates though me.

I'm very lucky to be working with the group I'm working with, and everyone has been very patient with me as I've caught up to them in terms of my work in rehearsals. Probably the biggest challenge I've had as an actor is that I've had to age myself 40 years for the top of the show - and I spend about an hour doing my hair and makeup before every show. I have a whole physical and vocal character that I put on for it. It's quite extensive. Then I have a few minutes as myself, sharing a fun banter with my partner in crime, Erin Cronican, as Mephistopheles, before putting on a second persona, an English novelist named Henry Faust. Then I have an extensive make-out scene that turns into a "me too" moment with Broghanne Jessamine, which though it's always nice to kiss someone, has got to be one of the most nerve-wracking things I've ever done onstage - especially considering that I wrote it. And I always come away from that feeling like a pretty terrible human being. And then everything goes south for Doctor Faustus, and I spend the rest of the play covered in blood from various people and filled with guilt, loss, and emptiness - literally haunted by Candice Oden as Martha, one of the many people I've destroyed.

Brandon Walker as Dr Faustus in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. Photo by Russ Rowland.

I think that the biggest surprise to me has happened in the playing of the role. I just didn't realize how profound the subject matter is. Hell really is a state of mind for Doctor Faustus. It's a fascinating thing to get what you want, because it really isn't ever enough, is it? We always think that things are going to be better when ____. And they just aren't. And related to the "me too" movement, it's been an interesting thing for me to tap into the many things I've done in my life to contribute to the problem. I can't speak for men everywhere, but I can say that I have crossed a lot of lines in my life. Most of them were not seemingly disastrous at the time, but I'm not proud of my behavior either. I have been creepy when I thought I was being romantic. I have been forceful when I thought I was fighting for a relationship. I have taken advantage of people who looked up to me when I'd convinced myself we were on an even playing field. I have also been on the other side of things. I was molested by a director in my early years as a professional actor. I know about compromised situations firsthand, and it's quite powerful to share them so viscerally both as a writer and an actor in this play.

Finally, it's really very exciting to me that this production is so ensemble in nature. The same basic themes are present for all of the characters. Gretchen is not just an innocent victim in our production. She has some responsibility in her own downfall. Wagner and Martha are both complicit as well. Really, we are all victims of our own envy, even Mephistopheles - and so, the audience gets to share in that from many different perspectives. I'd say that everyone that sees THE HYSTERIA OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS can really see themselves in at least one of the characters, if not all. It's a timely and important story - and just in time for Halloween.

***

Brandon Walker is appearing as Dr Faustus in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. The show must close October 21 - To get tickets or to see reviews and production photos, visit www.seeingplacetheater.com/shows/9-faustus.html. 

Erin Cronican as Mephistopheles - Fighting For My Voice

The title of this blog takes on multiple meanings, which I didn’t realize when I sat down to write today. Not only is there the craziness that has been going on with #MeToo and #IBelieveWomen in which my voice has figuratively been silenced, but I been fighting pneumonia for the past few months which has literally taken my breath away. I have felt so stymied that I have been glad for a creative outlet, and I’ve funneled all of my strength into producing/directing a decidedly more feminist take on the enduring fable, FAUST.


I’m fighting for my voice more than ever, and it’s both invigorating and exhausting.

THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS is the first play of The Seeing Place’s ninth season, and I’m so proud to be involved as an actor, director and producer. It’s the classic story of a man who sells his soul to the devil, but we’ve chosen to adapt for a cast of just four - three women and one man - which drastically changes the way the play is perceived by audiences. And by having the main antagonist, Mephistopheles, played by a woman (me!) we put further focus on the traditional roles of male and female when it comes to power, agency, and expression. [Tickets through Oct 21, here]

It’s been interesting playing the role of the quintessential devil. Everyone expects the devil to be a man, so there’s a real focus on what I bring to the role to make it different. I have worked hard to make sure that I’m not slipping into caricature or thinking that I’m supposed to be a man. Instead I’m a disembodied, non-gendered spirit that inhabits a female form, so gender has no construct with me. (You’ll have to see the show to find out why this is - no spoilers here!) Another challenge is that this is a character who’s joy and expression of love have been removed from her when she was damned to hell - how do I stay true to that while remaining energized and dynamic as am actor on stage? How do I keep my voice alive?

Erin Cronican in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. Photo by Russ Rowland.

Part of my inspiration for the role comes from great actors who are crossing boundaries in today’s theater (think Janet McTeer in Bernhardt/Hamlet and Glenda Jackson as King Lear.) And the other inspiration comes from within myself - where is the little girl who learned that she must be quiet - who was she before that lesson and how do I bring her to the surface?

As a director I’ve worked with the female actors to help them find their particular voice as the characters, especially pushing for the to explore their anger and dark emotions in ways that we don’t get to see on stage from women. It’s been inspiring to watch these women come into their own with the roles and make a statement about the environment in which we’re living and how that’s reflected in the play.

Erin Cronican in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. Photo by Russ Rowland.

All this while I’ve been dragged down by pneumonia, and for months I have been lacking a full bodied voice to speak with. Have you ever had the experience where your speaking voice was inhibited for a long period of time? I have found myself getting smaller and smaller in everyday life, while becoming more and more frustrated by my lack of personal expression. People who know me have assumed that the reason I’ve been sick is because I run myself ragged. And that may be true - running a theater company takes a toll, especially when working on a project that is so personally impactful. But I’m starting to feel like the loss of my figurative voice has made my literal voice disappear as well.

And it’s funny - as soon as we started run-throughs of the show where I was inhabiting the character for more stretches at a time, my voice started to come back. It’s as if my artistic expression on stage is helping with my personal expression in life. And the more of myself I reveal as an artist on stage, the more I’m revealing in my real life.

I hope that you’ll be able to come out to see this play. It’s got the thrills and chills that you expect from a play about the Devil, but it also poses questions about the nature of consent and desire that’s apropos of today. It’s also achingly funny, and I think it’s so important to laugh during these trying times.

***

Erin Cronican is appearing as Mephistopheles in THE HYSTERIA OF DR FAUSTUS. The show must close October 21 - To get tickets or to see reviews and production photos, visit www.seeingplacetheater.com/shows/9-faustus.html. 

Humans of "Jack Goes Boating"

We had a lot of fun chatting with each of the characters from JACK GOES BOATING, in this interview series inspired by "Humans of New York."

Introducing... 

HUMANS OF JACK GOES BOATING

Connie...

"It's weird living here in New York. There are so many people and they don’t really want to talk about real things….they wanna talk about fake stuff..... handbags and how much pre-school is. It's like you meet somebody and all of a sudden BOOM you have sex. I just really have to feel my way through it. I dunno, I’m alone a lot. I just try to like breathe you know? I dunno, I just get very nervous and I talk a lot and then people think I’m weird. I don’t really feel like I fit in anywhere. I like life and I like death. If I really like escape its going to be into a book or like a really cool dystopian TV show or something. I have weird flashes in my head sometimes...flashes from past memories. Like when I was ten my little cousin died. He drowned in the lake, I was supposed to be watching him and all of a sudden he was like gone and I was blamed. They say right before you die that you can see spirits and they kind of guide you to the other side. My mom was blind but when she died her eyes focused like she was seeing something."

Clyde...

Photo TBD

"Monogamy is a tricky thing. It's an ideal that we have, I don’t know where it came from. We want others to be faithful to us, but internally it's a hard thing to fight or to resist the urge or the impulse. I've been there, I’ve been cheated on, it hurts. I feel like, maybe I’m like a toddler. You know how toddlers always want their toys even if they aren't playing with them? So it's like the second you pick up a toy that the toddler hasn’t played with in like a month they get jealous and desperately want the toy back.... you know? It's hard and I guess that kind of paints me in a negative way but..yeah it's not easy. Like I don’t want to hurt the person I'm with …that's never my intention but human attraction is so powerful. Sometimes I wonder why we even have the ability to be sexually attracted to multiple people at once."

Jack...

"So...umm...I wouldn’t say that there's a lot that I got like going on you know... I live at home with my uncle...in the basement. You know, it's kinda cold but it's nice, you know, to have a place. I don’t really have a lot in the way of room but I think I’m gonna work for the MTA. Like, I wanna work the tracks. I don’t really wanna be working with, like, people. I just wanna get to know the underbelly of the city, there are all these like places underground that like nobody knows about with all these hidden tunnels. I think I just really wanna get to know that."

Lucy...

"Things are so shitty. I miss my husband, we’re together but I miss him because he’s just not like how he used to be. And I’ve made a lot of mistakes and he’s made a lot of mistakes and I just need us to be able to like move forward....but he’s not able to do that. I need my husband to not be a child. I just miss being young and in love. We were so carefree and had sex like all the time. Oh my god, it was crazy. Anything you can imagine... we did it. Anything under the sun, even if it hadn’t been invented yet. He used to be just the right combination of both gentle and masculine, it was really great."

Photos by Sabrina Schlegel-Mejia.

You can find more about these characters by seeing JACK GOES BOATING. Get $15 tickets to the show by going to www.TheSeeingPlace.com. 

Introducing Justin Hoch, appearing as "Walker" in TWO ROOMS

As a special feature on opening week, we're excited to introduce you to our cast and creative team, who talked with us about their life as actors and their experience of creating the world of TWO ROOMS. 

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

Introducing: Justin Hoch, who's playing Walker in TWO ROOMS. Here is his first-hand account of his life as an actor, and his perspective on working with this production.

Full given name:  
JustinHoch.com. My parents were waaaaaay ahead of the curve on that one.

Where you were born/where you were raised:  
I was born in Wyoming and raised mostly there, with some time spent in upstate New York, as well.

Zodiac Sign: 
Jake Gyllenhaal.

What your parents did/do for a living: 
Both of them are/were educators; my mom is director of math for a school district upstate and my dad is a retired elementary school principal.

Siblings: 
Yes

Favorite food of all time:
My mom's lasagna and/or french toast.

Special skills: 
I should go pro at catching food in my mouth. Like a seal, I am.

Something you're REALLY bad at: 
Self-immolation. Seriously. I'm horrible. Haven't ever even singed myself.

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway or Off Broadway show, what would it be?:  
I'm ashamed to say I don't really have a deep enough knowledge of theater history to answer this in any intelligent way. One of the perils of growing up in Wyoming, I reckon. (They don't say "I reckon" anywhere else but Wyoming, either.) Because he just passed, I've been thinking a lot about Philip Seymour Hoffman in Death of a Salesman, so I'll go with that.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?: 
My first inspirations were movies, and I've always just liked telling stories. The first play I remember seeing was a high school production of Flowers for Algernon, when I was in 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th grade -- something like that -- and that was when I first thought, "Yeah, I want to do that!" It was the first time I realized acting as a thing you could do. There was something real and tangible about seeing actual people on a physical stage versus watching them on a screen that snapped it into focus for me.

What age did you start acting, and what was the project: 
I demanded that I be the ringmaster in my pre-school circus. So I was 4 or 5 years old. I still remember having to leave mid-speech to go pee. It's weird the things that stick in our minds, isn't it?

Current show other than your own you have been recommending to friends:  
DYING CITY

Favorite plays: 
A favorite recent show I saw was Lickspittles, Buttonholers and Damned Pernicious Go-betweens by Johnna Adams. I loved The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, The Book of Mormon was hilarious. (Musicals count, right?)

Most embarrassing moment on stage: 
Nothing stands out as particularly embarrassing, actually. I'm sure that's more a function of repression and denial as a defense mechanism than the lack of mortifying occurrences.

What's your favorite part about being a part of The Seeing Place?: 
Working with the people. It's a great group.

What most excites you about your involvement with TWO ROOMS / DYING CITY? 
The opportunity to work/play with such talented folks is the first thing. Beyond that, it's awesome to be working on such good material and to be such a critical part of the creative process. There really is a ton of room to try things, even crazy things, make mistakes, and try some more things. That's a very freeing environment. I'm very much looking forward to sharing this show with audiences.

***

This is Justin's second show with The Seeing Place. TSP: MEN IN WHITE (Dr. Levine/Mr. Rummond). NYC: BEARD ENVY (Free Willy; co-writer), A PIECE OF PROPERTY (Pete), A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF TWENTY-FIVE STRANGERS LIVING IN A CITY BY THE LAKE (Jack), LAST ENCOUNTER (William). FILM: "Saturnalia" (Jonas) (7 festival awards and counting...), "You Don't Know Jack" (Tom Youk)(HBO, Dir. Barry Levinson, starring Al Pacino). "Thanks to all involved!" www.justinhoch.com

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here.

It runs in repertory with DYING CITY, which runs at 7pm and 2pm on the same dates. For tickets and information, click here.

Introducing Erin Cronican, who plays "Kelly" in DYING CITY

As a special feature on opening week, we're excited to introduce you to our cast and creative team, who talked with us about their life as actors and their experience of creating the world of DYING CITY.

DYING CITY opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 7pm and Sat-Sun at 2pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

Introducing: Erin Cronican, who is appearing as Kelly in DYING CITY. Here is her first-hand account of her life as an actor & director, and her perspective on working with this production.

Full given name:​
Erin Quinn Cronican

Where you were born/where you were raised:
I was born in at a military hospital in Virginia, and lived in Virginia, Oklahoma, and Alabama all before the age of 4. We moved to Brussels, Belgium where I spent kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade (in an American school), then moved to Colorado, and finally settled in what I call my childhood hometown, Escondido, CA (north county San Diego) at the tender age of 8.

Zodiac Sign:
Scorpio

What your parents did/do for a living:
My father was in the Air Force for 25.5 years. He worked at NATO (in Belgium) and at NORAD in Colorado Springs, CO. He became a civilian and continued to work in information security, helping pretty large companies make sure that they systems and data were secure. He died in 2006 - the grief for his loss is palpable daily. My mother was a wonderful stay-at-home mom up until the point when I was in high school, when she started coaching tennis. She has also been an award winning real estate agent. She is now retired and lives in a little house near the ocean in Florida, which has been a dream of hers since childhood.

Siblings:3 half siblings and 1 full sibling. Both parents had children before they married one another, and I was the first child of their union. So, in weird ways I'm a middle child AND the oldest child.

Favorite food of all time:
Eggs. Oh man, I would eat eggs 3 times a day if I could. I also love fresh, whole wheat pasta with some type of fancy, tomato-y sauce (extra spicy, of course.) Finally, if a restaurant has cheese dip on the menu, I will always order it.

Special skills:​ 

Singing, building and running companies, coaching actors on how to lead the lives they want to lead, and drinking copious amounts of tequila without getting sick.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?:
My English teacher from high school ended up directing our high school musical, South Pacific. I was initially cast as the understudy, but the director, Mz Whitten (yes, Mz) made it clear to me just how much she believed in me as an actor. Fast forward 2 months - our leading lady got cast in a professional production which pulled her out of our show, and POOF! I was now playing Nellie Forbush. Mz Whitten was supportive, nurturing, tough, exacting, and creative - and for many years after that I expected all directors to be the same. They are not. It is a rare person who can demand an artist to be better than they ever imagined while also inspiring the actor and making them feel valued. Mz Laura Whitten inspires me not only as an actor, but as an educator, as a director, and as a human being.

I also want to acknowledge my parents. It's much easier to be an artist when your family is supportive of that dream, and in the loss of my father I've lost one of the biggest champions of my work as an artist.

What age did you start acting, and what was the project:
My first acting gig was as the Gander (uh huh) in a Patio Playhouse youth theater production of Charlotte's Web when I was in 5th Grade. I thought it was SO AWESOME that I could stand up in front of a group of people and recite a movie that I adored, and get applause for it! Follow that up with a stint as Grumpy in a musical version of Snow White, and I was hooked... (on playing male characters, apparently.)

Favorite plays: 

Dying City, Closer, A Lie of the Mind, Rabbit Hole, Next To Normal, The Last Five Years. I include the last 2, even though they're musicals, because I want to tell those stories.

What's your favorite part about being a part of The Seeing Place?:
I love the fact that my hard work is in direct correlation with the roles I get to play. I've spent so much of my life working tirelessly for my acting career (paying my dues so to speak) and it's so wonderful to be able to have more control over the work I do. This is what self producing provides for me. In addition, it is so amazing to be given the responsibility of controlling my artistic output as well. So many times, actors go into rehearsal and are treated as puppets - stand here, breathe there, smile on this line only... and you feel like your own artistic voice is quieted by the "vision" of the director or producer. With The Seeing Place, the actors bring their ideas to rehearsals and the director's job is to shape those ideas so that a unified story is told. It turns the rehearsal process inside out and makes me feel like I actually get to express myself as an artist. It really is amazing.

What most excites you about your involvement with DYING CITY?:
When I first read DYING CITY it was with Brandon in our apartment , sitting side by side reading the play aloud from one copy of the script. As the play progressed, I was taken on this incredible journey of hope and loss and was wrecked for days. I knew I had to find a way to do the play.

I think that DYING CITY is a story about the fine line between grief and healing. How can you best serve the memory of someone lost? When is it too soon to heal? How can you stop the haunting of unwanted memories? And how can you forgive yourself for not saving someone? It explores guilt, shame, anger, love, lust, fantasies, loneliness, stillness, emptiness, and a yearning for hope. I am so excited to try to bring all of these things to life on a nightly basis with our audience - if anyone had dealt with a death in their life, they should see his/herself in at least one of the characters of the play. The fact that we might be able to make a special connection with our audience members is what excites me most about doing this play. I hope to share it with as many people as possible.

***

Erin Cronican's previous shows with The Seeing Place: MEN IN WHITE (Laura Hudson/Director); HAMLET (Ophelia/Co-Director), A LIE OF THE MIND (Beth), MISS JULIE (Director), LOVE SONG (Molly / Director), DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA (Roberta), THE LOVER (Sarah), CLOSER (Anna), THREE SISTERS (Masha), LOOK BACK IN ANGER (Helena) and TWELFTH NIGHT (Maria.) Regional favorites: THE LAST FIVE YEARS, ANGELS IN AMERICA, WIT, SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING, and EVITA. She has appeared on “Veronica Mars,” and “One Life to Live,” and can be seen in Paul Giamatti’s film, “Cold Souls” (among others.) Special thanks to this amazing ensemble and especially to Brandon Walker who will always be her favorite leading man. Proud member of AEA & SAG-AFTRA. Learn more at www.erincronican.com.

DYING CITY opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 7pm and Sat-Sun at 2pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

It runs in repertory with TWO ROOMS, which runs at 9pm and 4pm on the same dates. For tickets and information, click here.

Introducing Brandon Walker, appearing as "Peter"/"Craig" in DYING CITY and directing TWO ROOMS

As a special feature on opening week, we're excited to introduce you to our cast and creative team, who talked with us about their life as actors and their experience of creating the world of DYING CITY.

DYING CITY opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 7pm and Sat-Sun at 2pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

Introducing: Brandon Walker, who is playing Peter/Craig in DYING CITY and is directing TWO ROOMS. Here is his first-hand account of his life as an actor & director, and his perspective on working with this production.

Full Given Name:
Brandon Kristopher Walker (spelled with a 'K' to avoid the nickname "Before Christ" in elementary school - Thanks, Dad!)

Where you were born/where you were raised: 

San Diego, CA

Zodiac Sign:

Cancer. Because I've always needed another mother.

What your parents did/do for a living:

My Dad is an entrepreneur in marketing. My Mom is a Postal Clerk.

Siblings:

My Sister is manager at Subway.

Favorite food of all time: 

"Mike's Mess" at Zachary's Restaurant in Santa Cruz. Or a Wild Boar Benedict at the Hash House in San Diego.

Special skills: 

That's private.

Something you're REALLY bad at:

Organizing.

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway or Off Broadway show, what would it be?:

THE GLASS MENAGERIE with Laurette Taylor - just to see what all of the fuss was about.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?: 

Blair Hambuechen, Richard Baird, Jonathan Sachs, Francis Gercke, and Matt Scott.

What age did you start acting, and what was the project:

Abraham Lincoln in a class presentation in 4th grade. It wasn't pretty.

Current show other than your own you have been recommending to friends:

WAITING FOR GODOT. I wish I could afford it.

Favorite plays:

So many. But right now, I'm mostly in love with TWO ROOMS, DYING CITY, and LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (because of its importance in DYING CITY)

Most embarrassing moment on stage:

Probably when I knocked down a wall during an in-house preview of ANDROCLES AND THE LION for all of the head honchos at The Old Globe. Either that or when I almost killed myself, diving into a bush to retrieve a box of TicTacs during a benefit performance of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

What's your favorite part about being a part of The Seeing Place?:

I love being able to live through my work in rehearsals and onstage - which is always a fight elsewhere.

What most excites you about your involvement with TWO ROOMS / DYING CITY?:

I'm really getting a very big artistic workout, playing two characters in DYING CITY and directing TWO ROOMS. Even playing and co-directing HAMLET felt a bit less exhausting - at least in rehearsals. I'm definitely looking forward to an easier workload once we open. But I'll probably miss it, too. I'm one of those people that seems to really love to suffer for my art. God only knows why - if there is a God. If not, I guess we'll all be at quite a loss. Or not. Either way, it doesn't really matter. And even if it did, what can we do about it? Does that answer your question? Are there ever any answers? This message has been brought to you by 4am, ladies and gentlemen. Goodnight.

***

Brandon Walker is an NYIT nominated actor for his work in The Seeing Place's DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. Other previous shows with The Seeing Place: MEN IN WHITE (Dr. Ferguson); HAMLET (Hamlet); ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD (Hamlet); A LIE OF THE MIND (Jake), LOVE SONG (Beane), THE CREDEAUX CANVAS (Winston), WHEN WE HAVE GONE ASTRAY (Ira), WAITING FOR LEFTY (Sid), LOOK BACK IN ANGER (Jimmy), TWELFTH NIGHT (Malvolio), CLOSER (Dan), THREE SISTERS (Andrey), and THE LOVER (Richard). He has worked with The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Poor Players, New Village Arts, Moxie Theatre, ion Theater, North Coast Rep, Sierra Rep, and Barnstormers Theater. Member AEA. Training: David Gideon. Such a joy to share the stage with this glorious ensemble – special thanks to Erin Cronican for keeping me from going mad.

DYING CITY opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 7pm and Sat-Sun at 2pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

It runs in repertory with TWO ROOMS, which runs at 9pm and 4pm on the same dates. For tickets and information, click here.

Introducing Alexandra Hellquist, appearing as "Lainie" in TWO ROOMS

As a special feature on opening week, we're excited to introduce you to our cast and creative team, who talked with us about their life as actors and their experience of creating the world of TWO ROOMS. 

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

Introducing: Alexandra Hellquist, who's playing Lainie in TWO ROOMS. Here is her first-hand account of her life as an actor, and her perspective on working with this production.

Full given name:  
Alexandra Karin Jacqueline Therese Lee Kejser Hellqvist. But professionally, I just use Alexandra Hellquist. I'm the only person I know with "Hell" in their name. Rock on :)

Where you were born/where you were raised: 
I was born in Manila, in the Philippines, but was spirited away after two weeks. Since then, I've lived in Japan, England, Australia, France and Italy, before coming to America. I've now been here longer than I've been in any other country, which blows my mind.

Zodiac Sign: 
Aquarius! And even though I don't believe in astrology per-se, I fear I'm very, very Aquarian.

Siblings: 
One brother, in Australia, who's a musician/rockstar and who's getting married soon to his gorgeous Maltese bandmate. He looks more Asian than I do, and has an Ozzie accent, and their electronic duo is called Curious Creatures. Click to listen to their first single So Tall!

Favorite food of all time:  
Salmon roe. And foie gras (sorry!!!!). And oysters. And very rare, very tender steak. But NOT all at the same time! Though possibly in the same meal... Yes, I'm a carnivore.

Special skills:  
I'm a self-taught pole-dancer (my legacy at my college is a all-gender-all-body-type-all-sexual-identity inclusive pole-dancing troupe. Go figure). I can blow smoke-rings even though I've never smoked a real cigarette. And I dig accents. Which was strangely useful during our rehearsal process.

Something you're REALLY bad at: 
Staying in touch with people. Let's just say I'm still learning to communicate virtually in general. Social media kind of terrifies me. But so does the phone. I'm a guilt-ridden, elusive luddite, I suppose...

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway or Off Broadway show, what would it be?:  
I don't know if this is cheating, to go to London's West End, but I'd love to sit beside George Bernard Shaw as he watched Eleanor Duse blush in Heimat. In far more modern times, Mark Rylance in Jerusalem.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?: 
My grandmother always called me a "teater abe", or theater monkey (imagine that said with a Danish accent), so she was my first unabashed supporter. When I first started acting in earnest, a wonderful being named John Emigh first trusted me, despite my utter green-ness, in his production of The Greeks and has been beloved ever since. And here in New York, I adore and am indebted to my teacher Peter Jensen at the *wonderful* T. Schreiber Studio. I miss you, Peter!!!

What age did you start acting, and what was the project: 
I was the littlest weasel in the Wind in the Willows at my primary school in England. I wore a belt as my tail, and I had one line.

Current show other than your own you have been recommending to friends: 
Anything by the glorious Exquisite Corpse Company. They're a fiercely ambitious, sexy, dynamic crucible of multidisciplinary artists and performers who create immersive new works and actively nurture new artists. I freakin' love them. They do a regular black box program where all proceeds go to the featured artists, and they're doing a subversive, collaborative, crazy-twisted-cool WareArt Festival called SubTerra in May of this year. Go see it!

Favorite plays: 
So many, but - Off the top of my head, Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, The Seagull, Closer, The Goat or who is Sylvia, The Importance of Being Earnest, A whooooole slew of classics like Medea and Shakespeare glories... And from new playwrights, the collaboratively-written Odd.A.See which has some of the most beautiful, vivid imagery I've ever encountered, and The Why Overhead and Clown Bar by Adam Szymkowicz who has a gorgeous absurd-touching-tender-painful-poetic-comedy thing going on in his work.

Most embarrassing moment on stage: 
Doing That Scene from the end of The Seagull as Nina, totally falling apart, and having the only line that meant something to me be "You have no idea how awful it is, when you know you're acting badly". But I would LOVE to do this show one day.

What's your favorite part about being a part of The Seeing Place?: 
The mission of organic, unblocked, living, breathing theater. Such a rarity, and so precious.

What most excites you about your involvement with TWO ROOMS?: 
It's honestly been the hardest rehearsal process I've ever been through, ever, with anything. We've all worked very hard on it, and we still are. It's about the work, after all. And I'm excited to see what alchemy happens now... Aaaaah!

***

Alexandra is a multi-ethnic mutt who loves the stage, screen and everywhere in-between. Favourite NYC stage collaborations include The ECC's ODD.A.SEE, Zootopia's THE WHY OVERHEAD, The Ume Group's BUTOH ELECTRA, Depth Charge's BUTTERFLY, BUTTERFLY, KILL-KILL-KILL!, and Extant Arts' CORNER POCKET. Film leads include the Netflix ninja episodic "Shinobi Girl", Rohit Gupta's "Midnight Delight" and Sean Manzione's "Seed Sprang!....". To Michael, whom she loves. See more at www.alexandrahellquist.com and imdb.me/alexandrahellquist!

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here.

It runs in repertory with DYING CITY, which runs at 7pm and 2pm on the same dates. For tickets and information, click here.

Introducing Logan Keeler, appearing as "Michael" in TWO ROOMS

As a special feature on opening week, we're excited to introduce you to our cast and creative team, who talked with us about their life as actors and their experience of creating the world of TWO ROOMS. 

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

Introducing: Logan Keeler, who's playing Michael in TWO ROOMS. Here is his first-hand account of his life as an actor, and his perspective on working with this production.

Full given name:  
Logan James Johnson Keeler

Where you were born/where you were raised:
I was born and raised in Maine.

Zodiac Sign:
Libra, I think.

What your parents did/do for a living:
My father is a real estate lawyer. My mother is in a anarchist cheer leading troop. Ok, just kidding, but I was fortunate enough to have her home to raise me and my siblings throughout our childhood.

Siblings:
I have three. One brother and two sisters.

Favorite food of all time:
A nice Reuben sandwich. extra pickle on the side.

Special skills:
I'm a mean juggler.

Something you're REALLY bad at:
I've never been good at the harpsichord.

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway or Off Broadway show, what would it be?
Call me crazy, but I'd go way back in to see James O'Niell in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. I have a sweet spot for aging actors in sword-fights.

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?
Gene Wilder, mostly.

What age did you start acting, and what was the project:
I was cute enough to play Louis in THE KING AND I when I was 10ish. That hooked me.

Current show other than your own you have been recommending to friends:
Anyone got a spare ticket to GLASS MENAGERIE? I love that show.

Favorite plays:
PILLOWMAN by Martin McDonugh, THE CARETAKER by Harold Pinter, LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene O'Neill, PRIVATE LIVES by Neil Simon.

Most embarrassing moment on stage:
Oh, boy. As Billy Crocker in CRAZY FOR YOU in high school I was supposed to secretly remove my enamored's mother's fox throw and wear it as a beard and spend the rest of the scene pretending to be George Bernard Shaw. When she came on without the throw I was forced to take her hat instead. Upon being asked later who I was, I exclaimed, "Can't you tell?  I'm Portuguese". Fumble recovered, kinda.

What's your favorite part about being a part of The Seeing Place?:
We could easily put up any of our shows in four weeks and it would be good, and I could throw it on my resume and continue on my merry way. But there is something to be said about the the respect for the craft and respect for the playwright to give time in the rehearsal process to grow into the piece and fully flesh it out into a living, breathing, organic thing. At The Seeing Place, we spend about four weeks on dramaturgy and another four in rehearsals. The end result, however it turns out on a nightly basis, is something I can be proud of knowing I have invested myself in the craft of acting and the legacy that all those great actors and teachers built before me.  

What most excites you about your involvement with TWO ROOMS?:
Let's be honest. The character of Michael and the predicament he finds himself in is way outside my comfort zone. I have spent the last month or so with him, so to speak, and I'm excited about living through something so alien to me on a nightly basis and coming out unscathed (hopefully) on the other side.

***

Logan Keeler joined The Seeing Place Theater in August. This is his second show with the group following the opening of their 5th season with MEN IN WHITE as Dr. Pete Bradley in November. Recent productions include THREEPENNY OPERA (The lost Theater, London) as Mr. Peachum, NEXT TO NORMAL (Stranger Productions, Boston) as Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine, HARVEY (Connecitcut College Theater Department) as Elwood P. Dowd, and his Off-Broadway debut as Bernie Bartok in the first revival of MONEY: THE MUSICAL. Logan is a graduate of Connecticut College and The William Esper Studio in New York City and studied at The British American Drama Academy in London. He enjoys playing accoustic guitar, sketching and is slowly teaching himself mandolin. He lives in Brooklyn.

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here.

It runs in repertory with DYING CITY, which runs at 7pm and 2pm on the same dates. For tickets and information, click here.

Introducing Lila Smith, appearing as "Ellen" in TWO ROOMS

As a special feature on opening week, we're excited to introduce you to our cast and creative team, who talked with us about their life as actors and their experience of creating the world of TWO ROOMS. 

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here. 

Introducing: Lila Smith, who's playing Ellen in TWO ROOMS. Here is her first-hand account of her life as an actor, and her perspective on working with this production.

Full given name:
Lila Smith

Where you were born/where you were raised:
Born on the Upper West Side, raised mostly in Brooklyn.

Zodiac Sign: 
Cancer

What your parents did/do for a living: 
Both of my parents work in education and continue to be full-time parents to me and my brother, as well; it's not an easy job and they're both great at it.

Siblings: 
One awesome younger brother, Jacob, who lives in Philadelphia and is taking me on a sibling vacation shortly after the run of TWO ROOMS closes.

Favorite food of all time: 
Lobster, closely followed by all foods ever (except eggplant).

Special skills: 
Knowing when an avocado is at peak ripeness, fostering an atmosphere of inclusiveness, asking the right questions.

Something you're REALLY bad at: 
Taking time for myself

If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway or Off Broadway show, what would it be?: 
I'd have to go back and re-watch a Broadway show I've already seen: Janet McTeer in A DOLL'S HOUSE. I went with my mother, and it's the performance that made me want to be an actress. Fortunately, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center has a lot of archival footage we can view for research purposes. I highly recommend taking advantage of it if you can!

Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?: 
I went to Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, and I had the benefit of working on shows with the Players' Circle, with teachers/directors such as Rory L. Schwartz, Robert Ellman, Scott Martin, Daria McCloskey, and Roberta Raymond. There are no words for the gratitude I feel for having the education they gave me. It is thanks to them that I know the importance of work ethic, ensemble work, and deeply respecting all the dedication that goes into a production, from cast to crew to volunteers, and of course, the audience.

What age did you start acting, and what was the project: 
When I was 5, I played Widow Corney in OLIVER! with my kindergarten class, directed by Mrs. Devinoff.

Current show other than your own you have been recommending to friends: 
TWELFTH NIGHT on Broadway.

Favorite plays: 
The Complete Works of Shakespeare, and various plays written by Tennessee Williams, Annie Baker, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Theresa Rebeck and Tom Rowan.

Most embarrassing moment on stage: 
Final dress for KISS ME KATE and I drew a total blank after "I hate men! I can't abide them... da da da da da..."

What's your favorite part about being a part of The Seeing Place?: 
The growth in my work that has been possible by a fiercely supportive team and a creatively challenging process.

What most excites you about your involvement with TWO ROOMS?: 
I am excited to play Ellen in TWO ROOMS, a human being walking a fine line between her official duties and her personal feelings. Working within her story, I'm hoping just to be able to live in the moment on stage, and hopefully have some great conversations with audience members after the play. Also particularly exciting: this marks my debut with The Seeing Place!

***

Lila Smith is so proud to be making her debut with The Seeing Place. She is a born and raised New York City girl, whose professional performing experience in the last five years has mostly been in other states, so it’s great to be performing this close-to-home material on a home-city-stage with this incredible cast and crew. Lila is also Co-Founder and Executive Director of Shakespeare Anywhere, an event services company with a focus on classical performance talent. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

TWO ROOMS opens February 21 and runs through March 9 - Wed-Sat at 9pm and Sat-Sun at 4pm. For tickets and information, click here.

It runs in repertory with DYING CITY, which runs at 7pm and 2pm on the same dates. For tickets and information, click here.

Cast Interview: Alan Altschuler in A LIE OF THE MIND

Your Name:
Alan Altschuler

Role in this production:
Baylor

What's been your favorite role, to date?  

Playing Oberon in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?  

Having a fellow actor in TWELVE ANGRY MEN shift his accent mid-performance from Eastern European to Italian and finishing every sentence with the words, "Mamma Mia!"

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role? 

Making sure that Baylor has various levels and does not come off as two-dimensional bully.

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process? 

Working to develop my relationship relative to each of my scene partners: Meg, Mike, Beth and Frankie.

What parts of yourself are similar to the character?  

The similarities between Baylor and myself stem from my personal experience with certain men of Baylor's generation, who tended to be bullies who actually lacked self-confidence and/or self awareness.

What's next for you (with The Seeing Place, or other)?   

This June, I'll be playing Polonius in both HAMLET and ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD with The Seeing Place.

A LIE OF THE MIND runs March 1-17, 2013

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

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

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

Cast Interview: Robert King in MISS JULIE

Your name:
Robert King

Role in this production:
Jean

What's been your favorite role, to date?

Performing in my one-man show, HALFRICAN-AMERICAN. I don't think I will ever find a role that means as much to me as that.

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?  

One of my first shows in NY was an Off-Broadway show that started off with a legit script, and evolved (or really, devolved) into an interactive Chip & Dales spoof. It ran for a year and a half, and will haunt my dreams forever.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role?  

On the surface, and in almost everything you find about Strindberg's writing, you can find a lot of misogyny. The hardest part of preparing for this role was justifying and humanizing that, because it is so far from who I am.

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process?  

This process allows you freedom to find things on your own, and that boils over into being able to "play" onstage. Very rarely do you find surprises and honestly fun moments onstage, and this process really cultivates the opportunity to do that.

What parts of yourself are similar to the character? 

Jean has such a deep desire to improve his station in life, to be seen as more than his current position, and live better. When you are just starting out as an actor (and in most professions) you have to prove yourself over and over again, and really MAKE people see that you are better and can do better.

What's next for you (with The Seeing Place, or other)?  
I will be playing Guildenstern in ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, and I couldn't be more thrilled. And terrified. In a good way.

MISS JULIE runs March 3-12, 2013

Sun at 7pm,  Mon at 6pm & 9pm, Tue at 7pm, in New York City.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

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

Cast Interview: Janice Hall in A LIE OF THE MIND

Your Name:
Janice Hall

Role in this production:
Lorraine

What's been your favorite role, to date?  

Well, although my theater roles to date have been good ones, there haven't been that many, so I'll have to pull out an opera role. The role of Salome was something I never expected to play; it's incredibly dramatic music, and my voice isn't quite the size and scope usually associated with her.  But in small theaters, it worked--aside from the loud orchestra, everything else about the character suited me perfectly. And then, also doing multiple roles in the operatic version of Angels in America is a tremendous experience.  I feel as if I've done the play, although I haven't. For one thing, the opera is a lot shorter... 

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?  

A production of Madame Butterfly in Berlin, directed by a very controversial Spanish director (Calixto Bieito). I made an entrance poised on the rim of a hot tub, rode a mechanical bull, poured Coke on my head in the middle of an aria, and went on a killing rampage at the end of the show (that's not really how Puccini wrote it). And there were some other things that I don't think I want to write down here... But, oddly enough, it was a wonderful experience---at least there was drama onstage, in a way that really fed me in the role. 

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role? 

For me, working in the way we work in this company is new and different.  I come from the world of opera, where everything is regimented and planned out in detail.  Nothing is left to chance.  In A Lie of the Mind, things onstage are different every night, and I am learning how to roll with that. 

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process? 

The most exciting thing for me is to get to do this wonderful play. I love Shepard's writing, and the characters he has created. And it is a truly ensemble piece, where everyone carries equal weight. This is the perfect show for an ensemble company like The Seeing Place. 

What parts of yourself are similar to the character?  

My character, Lorraine, is unlucky in love. She loves maybe too much, too intensely. I think that is true in my own life as well.  And she loves to wallow in her misery; I like to think I've gotten through that phase of my own life, but who knows?  But the wonderful thing about Lorraine is that by the end of the play she has let it all go, and is ready to start a new life, which I think is very inspiring.

What's next for you (with The Seeing Place, or other)?   

Next, I'll be playing Gertrude in Hamlet for The Seeing Place. I am very excited to be doing my first full production of a Shakespeare play!

A LIE OF THE MIND runs March 1-17, 2013

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

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

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

Cast Interview: Marnie Klar in MISS JULIE

Your Name:
Marnie Klar

Role in this production:
Christine

What's been your favorite role, to date?

 Joan in “Love Song,” as it was an emotional roller coaster and playing with such a dynamic cast, I felt as if I were always on my toes.

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?  

While playing the role of Cinderella in “Into The Woods,” the wire lowering my birds broke and they fell into my hands as I was singing “fly birds, back to the sky…” The died!  I had to walk them off stage as in a burial procession.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role?  

The most challenging part of Christine has been getting to her core and understanding her place of servitude.

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process?  

Using The Seeing Place’s rehearsal process to uncover the layers of Christine and personalize them for myself.

What parts of yourself are similar to the character? 

I think I’m similar to Christine in her strength and practicality. 

What's next for you (with The Seeing Place, or other)?  
I’ll be performing in my newest cabaret, “Accidental Happiness,” opening on April 13^th at Don’t Tell Mama.  www.marniklar.com for more information.

MISS JULIE runs March 3-12, 2013

Sun at 7pm,  Mon at 6pm & 9pm, Tue at 7pm, in New York City.

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

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

Cast Interview: Mary Lahti in A LIE OF THE MIND

Your Name:
Mary Lahti

Role in this production:
Meg

What's been your favorite role, to date?  

Cinnimon.  No, kidding (sort of).  My favorite under 40 role is the role of Amy in COMPANY.  My favorite over 40 role is "Georgia" in CURTAINS.

What's the wackiest experience you've ever had onstage?  

Oh, so many to choose from.  I guess maybe performing for a Father's Day Benefit dance concert where the only audience member turned out to be the choreographer's father.  We were tricked into thinking it was a big benefit concert.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role?  

I was going to say, preparing to massage my character's husband's feet, but that's not so bad.  I would say probably finding a balance in the character substitution for my character's daughter who is beat up and has brain damage.  It was way too easy to put myself into that realization and I have had to find a balance in the exploration for the character.

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process?  

Besides absolutely loving this cast?  I would say breaking down a scene by individual objectives and exploring just one at a time for the whole scene to really get a sense of the dynamics with your scene partners as well as within yourself.  It's just amazing what unfolds in the process.   

What parts of yourself are similar to the character?  

Oh, I would say the over mothering is probably the biggest similarity and there is mention to not yelling or screaming which is very much me.  I don't like yelling.   But I am in no way, shape or form a country girl.

What's next for you (with The Seeing Place, or other)?  

Well, I will be helping the company for the season but my next project is my debut cabaret show planned for May which I'm so excited about.  This is a different area I had not considered before and after studying this form for awhile, I'm ready to take what I've learned and put on what I hope to be a fun show.  

A LIE OF THE MIND runs March 1-17, 2013

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

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

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

Cast Interview: Erin Cronican in A LIE OF THE MIND

Your Name:
Erin Cronican

Role in this production:
Beth in A LIE OF THE MIND

What's been your favorite role, to date?
I think it might have been Roberta from DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. I never in a million years thought I would be called upon to play a broken mother from the Bronx. She had so much heart yet so many anger and hurt, and it was amazing to find a personal way into the character so that I was sharing myself fully with the audience.

What's been the most challenging thing about preparing for this role?

Oh wow - The physical & emotional aspects of someone with brain damage, that's for sure. I watched a lot of videos to get a sense of what a person physically goes through when they're recovering from a brain injury. I also did a lot of research on what it feels like, emotionally, to have an injury that severely impacts communication. Beth knows what she wants to say - she still has the same thoughts, feelings and emotions as before the beating - but cannot find a way to free her voice. This was such a challenge to create, and I'm finally starting to feel like I have a good handle on it.

What's been the most exciting thing about the rehearsal process?

The ability to build complex relationships with each of the characters in the play, portrayed by some of the finest actors in NYC.

What parts of yourself are similar to the character?

Beth is someone who wants desperately to fit in, but doesn't have any way to be the kind of "normal" required. She also is fighting to have her voice heard, against all odds. In playing this role (which has been played by some of the greatest actresses in NYC history) I feel much the same way. I want to so much for my voice to be heard, without judgment, so that my story can come through. Beth also has a love/hate relationship with her body, now that her body has betrayed her through this tragedy. This is especially true in her seduction scene with Frankie - she knows she's no longer beautiful in the way she was before. Through this, I've had to come to terms with my own body image issues (especially since I spend a good portion of the play in just a bra!)

What's next for you (with The Seeing Place, or other)?
I'll be playing Ophelia in The Seeing Place's repertory productions of HAMLET and ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD. It's a nutty season for me - I went from a girl who didn't exist (Love Song) to a girl who has brain damage (A Lie of the Mind) to someone who goes crazy and kills herself in a rage. Good times. :)

A LIE OF THE MIND runs March 1-17, 2013

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

For tickets, click here.

For more info about The Seeing Place, click here.

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