The third leg to make a good theater town is acting talent. The Springer will usually bring in one or two of the leads in any given play from out of town. And this has been very successful for them. The rest of the cast is mostly made up of folks who just enjoy doing it although they occasionally cast a Columbus State University Theater major who has hopes of finding a career eventually.
Theater has come to a place where Artistic Directors in professional theaters look for plays with small casts just because of the costs of mounting a larger cast, so a town needs a lot of theaters to have a lot of good actors. It's almost unfair to grade Columbus on actors because there's just not enough productions to keep them here. Lighting or sound folks can work at Cascade Baptist or the Cancer Benefit, but actors are not so versatile. What's worse is that there's not even a lot of good restaurants here to give them work between gigs.
The Associate Artistic Director at the Springer, Ron Anderson, is actually an excellent actor-the best in town actually making his living in theater and probably the best by any measure. Ron's work in "Of Mice and Men" was as good is you could hope for on any stage. JJ Musgrove, who's now at the Symphony, is also an accomplished actor but he only takes an occasional gig. There are some local fill ins at the Springer who have had excellent performances but their body of work is uneven.
For actors, the city gets a D.
1 comment:
Ouch. Not sure I agree with this blog article overall. It is true that Columbus, as a whole, is not brimming with professional actors. That is primarily because it is not a "theatre" town. Columbus is an old industrial town that is finding it's way in the 21st century. Certainly the various arts and culture organizations are all trying to create and build new audiences in a variety of ways, but to give the acting talent a "D" is not a grade that I would agree with.
There are times where the Springer brings in outside talent, and rightly so. It is difficult to cast specific "type" roles with local actors all the time and Springer does a great job filling those spots with equity caliber performers.
Although I appreciate the compliments paid to me by this blogger, there are many actors in town that deserve a worthy mention that can act circles around me.
Haley Rice has been seen in "A Member of the Wedding" and "Enchanted April". This is an actor that is not used enough professionally and she has the capability to play a variety of roles. She has an MFA from the University of Illinois and has acted professionally all over the country. Her approach to acting is fresh and open and she captivates audiences by her bright wit and sharp intellect. Springer and the rest of us would do well to cast her more in upcoming performances.
Rebecca McGraw is truly one of Columbus' finest assets to acting. She has been recently seen in "Hamlet" and before then "Dinner with Friends" and "Sarah, Plain and Tall". Rebecca is fierce on the stage and commands attention. Her delivery, preparation, and talent is miles above anyone that could be brought in from out of town.
Rearcous Smith has finished up his BA at Columbus State where he returned to finish his degree in his 30s. He has been a professional dancer, actor, and entertainer throughout Atlanta, Macon, and Columbus and has been at Springer in "Hamlet" and "Smokey Joes Cafe" and others. He has a solid foundation in reality and delivers true and honest performances. Any time he is on stage you realize that you are watching someone of quality.
Steve Valentini has delighted audiences for years. Being one of Columbus' few "equity" actor that has been active at the Springer, Steve has a sense of professionalism that dominates every performance he has been in. Working with Steve is also a pleasure as he is a consummate professional.
These are just the ones I can think off the top of my head. Jeff Holbrook is growing into a fine actor with all of the various gigs that he has taken since CSU. Courtney Loving has been a joy to watch as well as her husband (Will?). Jens Rasmussen delivers an honest and professional performance every time he touches the stage and I look forward to seeing him in many things at Springer. Anthony Jackson, Adam Archer, Amber Dickerson, Krystine Summers, Summer McCusker, and most likely many others are in town making their living acting or other theatre related activities.
So, I would give Columbus a B- or C+ for "acting".
Once again, just my opinion. But that is the point of a blog, isn't it?
Post a Comment