How and why oh why does an actor become an artistic director?

How and why oh why does an actor become an artistic director?

When I decided I wanted to be an actor I never thought I would become an artistic director. Actually, I never thought I would become a director either, but at least that’s a career most actors dabble in at least once in their lives. When I began my training at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, I had big ambitions that didn’t involve standing on the producer’s side of the aisle, trying to both write and find excellent material, balance a budget and fill seats. Fast forward seven years to 2008 and I am artistic director for the New Plays for Young Audiences series at Charter Theater. I just wanted to be on Broadway.

Looking back I can now see how I got to where I am – and I couldn’t be happier. This blog is a reflection on how a career evolves. After completing the advanced acting program at the Conservatory I attended the United Professional Theatre auditions in Memphis and left a month later for a national tour of Tom Sawyer the Musical with American Family Theatre. I had the very good fortune of working with some extremely talented artists, and we traveled to 28 states (I got to see almost our whole great country!) and performed for four months for audiences ranging from one hundred to four thousand screaming and excitable children, and somewhere along the way, I began to develop an extreme attachment to theater for young audiences (TYA.) While my sights were set on the great White Way – I was beginning to get really interested and excited about theatre for kids. After working for American Family Theatre I began an 8 month stint at Wayside Theater in Middletown VA, where I performed in four plays for young audiences (fourteen in total) and began to study the TYA style and what opportunities would be available in that market once I returned to home to Washington, DC.

What I learned from my research was that DC, a metro area that serves almost 1 million families, had only two truly professional theaters that served children; Imagination Stage, in Bethesda MD, which is one of the finest theaters in the country, and Adventure Theater in Glen Echo Park MD. My research showed me that there was room in the DC market for more theatre for young audiences and I wanted to help bring more of that to the city! So, with the help of my best friend and mentor Nan Ficca, I decided to dive into creating a theater that would combine all of the things I loved about bringing the experience of live theatre to a new generation of young people. Charter Theatre – a company dedicated to the development of new works for the stage was looking for someone who could help them start up a TYA program, so, along with Nan I did. Suddenly – I was the artistic director of Charter Theatre’s New Plays for Young Audiences Series. We’re now coming to the end of our third season, and I’ve budgeted, planned, written, performed and/or directed 7 shows, and I know now that theatre for youth is passion that will continue to be a focal point of my career as an artist.

I also realized that it was my training at the Conservatory truly prepared me to be able to jump into the role of Artistic Director of a theatre company. In addition to the regular class schedule in acting, I had seminars in directing, producing, lighting design, and more and as a member of the advanced program ensemble I was engaged in all aspects of putting a project together including marketing, front of house and box office, props, sets, lights, props, costumes – literally everything – so I had not only an understanding – but actual practical experience in each of these areas. The boss should fully understand and be able to do everything he or she expects their staff to do – and I did. And in most cases it is I and Nan with the help of Conservatory alumni and students filling all of these functions for our fledgling company. And that is the really cool part – I DO know how to do all of these things. And even cooler is that taking on this project has created an opportunity for other conservatory students and alum to get involved and continue to learn to be producers and explore the many, many exciting aspects of putting it all together for an audience.

To sum up – I never imagined I’d be an artistic director – and here I am and I couldn’t be happier. In future blogs – I’ll be talking more about Theatre for Young Audiences –it’s not only super fun and fulfilling but also vital to the future of young people who are in schools where the first budget cut that happens in hard financial times is arts instruction. I look forward to your questions and input let’s talk TYA!

If you are interested in TYA – please come see our current production of Princess Peanut’s Rainy Day which runs Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 through May 24^th. All the detail stuff you can find at our web site: here. And let us know what you think about the show – AND what any young people you bring to the show think – input from the audience is always welcome. You can check out our OurKids.com review from opening weekend here.

And if you are interested in seeing the things I’ve been able to do as a part of this endeavor, I’ve linked to some of my reviews below.
Doug directed “Princess Peanuts Rainy Day” (even though the review says someone else did).

Doug wrote and performed in “The Prince and Troubadour”

Doug directed “The Chicken of the Family”

You Oughta Be In Pictures!

I meet with about 10 prospective students a week here at the Conservatory who are visiting to learn more about training to be a professional actor - people with a dream. For many, what they really want is to be a star - in the movies and on the red carpet! Don't we all! And I frequently get these questions: "Why should I spend so much time training - I know of an on-camera class that is only a few weeks long?" and "Why should I spend time training for theatre if what I really want is to do film?"

I'm so excited that the Conservatory's new blog has given me a reason to finally sit down and answer this question in writing so it will be codified for all time!

It's an important question - especially to those people who are looking for sound advice about how to get started on a path toward their dream. And the answer is pretty simple. Acting is acting no matter what your chosen media: stage, film, television, voice work, the list goes on. Each of these jobs takes the same amount and type of preparation, character development and practice. The differences between working on stage versus non-live media are technical and they can be learned in a short amount of time IF – you first know how to act. If you learn the technical aspects of working on camera but haven’t learned to act - the camera will know.

Training for and working on the stage makes you a better film actor because working on the stage is more demanding. There is no cut, no take two, when the audience is there. Actors on the stage know how to maintain character for an entire play, and how to think on their feet and deal with missed cues, botched lines, technical snafus and stay in character all the while. I have been involved in more than a handful of stage productions where I've been in the house and watched brilliant actors save the show when something has gone wrong. And the best part is seeing that the audience is absorbed - completely unaware that Jane just dropped a line -which Joe then rescued so the audience wouldn't miss important information. This is a form of improvisation, a learned skill highly valued by film directors, and it takes practice.

This is the reason folks who cast for non-live media LOVE to cast actors who have theatre training and theatre credits - they know that those people know how to do their JOB.

It’s one of the best jobs in the world but at the end of the day acting is a business like any other, and time is money. When casting I'm looking for an artist/employee who knows how to do her job, can do it efficiently in the amount of time allotted and who can solve problems on the spot. This is true in every business - and just as true in the entertainment industry. In film - although we can do another take - every additional take costs money. I need an actor who can do it in one.

If you really want to do film – train on the stage and do theatre! Break legs all!

You Ought to be in Pictures
Music by Dana Suesse Lyrics by Edward Heyman
You oughta be in pictures, You're wonderful to see, You oughta be in pictures, Oh what a hit you would be! Your voice would thrill a nation, Your face would be adored.

The Artist's Project 2009 - Awe Inspiring!

This weekend concludes the 2009 Artist's Project at the Conservatory and what an action packed project it has been this year! For those who don't know - The Artist's Project - now in its ninth year - is when Conservatory students, alumni and faculty come together to self produce and the Conservatory provides the space, equipment, marketing and box office assistance they need to realize their dreams. As we all know - one of the biggest barriers to artists being able to produce their own work is affordable space.

This year's project included Love and Whiskey - a new play written and produced by Conservatory guest faculty member Allyson Currin; Late Bloomers and Glory Days also by Currin and produced by the Conservatory Alumni Committee, featuring Conservatory alumni. Next up was Conservatory Cabaret - now in its fifth year - a cross between Saturday Night Live and vaudeville featuring students, alumni and faculty. This year there were over 20 acts and very entertaining hosting by emcees Doug Wilder (one of our faculty bloggers) and George Michael Harris III (affectionately known around the school as Three) who pulled the whole evening of entertainment together - especially Doug, who directed. This past weekend - for one night only - alumna Leigh Anna Fry and board member Renee Gentry brought us Dear Mr. President... an original work featuring alumni in stand-up routines that was a like a hybrid of The Daily Show and letters to Santa.

We wrap up the 2009 Artist's Project this weekend with a production of The Houseguests produced by Alumni Roger Payano. At first tech last night the production was definitely on it's way to a great opening night! This is also Roger directorial debut - he produced the show so that he could begin building his directing resume. Go Rog!

Nearing the end of 14 weeks of non-stop production here at the Conservatory (think very positive, and excited exhaustion...) I have to say that I am personally in awe of the many students, alumni and faculty who took advantage of the opportunity that the Artist's Project provides to produce, write, act, direct and share some amazing work with the public. Our curriculum here at the Conservatory is designed to produce not just actors who audition and wait for the phone to ring, but artists who have a fully developed aesthetic and the knowledge, skills and ambition to make great art. This year's Artists's Project reinforced for me what is possible.

There's still time to catch The Houseguests this weekend - April 10, 11 & 12 at 7:30 PM. To reserve your seat contact me at NFicca@TheConservatory.org.

Did you see any of the performances in this year's Artist's Project? If so, I'd love to know what you thought - post your comments here. Or even questions if you are thinking of producing next year.

The Thin Line Between Truth and Fiction

A couple of brief items that I thought were amusing and worth sharing:

A few nights ago, I had what might be a rite of passage of sorts for actors - my first "actor's nightmare," dreaming I was on stage with absolutely no idea why I was there. It may very well be that the cold meds I was on played a part in this, since I generally don't have such unpleasant unconscious thoughts. In any case, what made it almost entertaining was that the setting for this unfolding catastrophe was NCDA, so I was surrounded by familiar faces.

Of course, that also only added to the drama trauma, since it's so much harder to disappoint the people you care about. So, I'm on stage, surrounded by my cohorts. Some of whom, I seem to recall, were equally clueless. Interestingly, I don't recall being stricken with absolute panic. I remember thinking things were going slowly, but also being very alert about what was happening and trying to listen and respond semi-appropriately until I could "escape."

But apparently I wasn't good enough. My co-bloggers soon appeared to bail us out - one of them actually taking away the script that had somehow appeared on stage (even in my unconscious I know that's a no-no during a show!). Even though Doug and Nan didn't look thrilled to be there, I was relieved to be rescued. I think the dream fast-forwarded to some kind of post-show discussion of what happened, at which time, mercifully, I woke up.

On a slightly different note, "Oh, No, Performers Coming Into Audience" from The Onion gave us all a laugh the other day. And then, days later, I find I'm cast in a play that has some crowd interaction in it. (But not to this absurd extent.) Just another example of art imitating life imitating art, I guess.