M- Malvolio!

Philip Cuomo as Malvolio in PAC's Twelfth Night.
Photo by Gary Norman

“M- Malvolio! M- that begins my name!"

Playing Malvolio is a privilege. It is the finest role I have ever played. An actor often looks for roles with a strong character arc and emotional journey. We love to play roles that transform over the course of a play. We love rich language to resonate in our bodies and flow freely from our lips. And of course we love to hear an audience laugh.

Every now and then we are given the opportunity to put all of that together.

Happily that opportunity exists now for me in the Portland Actors Conservatory production of TWELFTH NIGHT directed by Michael Fisher-Welsh. When Michael suggested I play the role as a guest artist in the ConservatorySeason of Plays, I blanched. I became very nervous. What would it be like to perform along side students I have been teaching and directing for two years? Would I be able to execute all the lessons and advice I so expertly and easily give? Could I “put up?”Or would I need to “shut up”?

Happily Michael gave me the room to think it all over, re-read the play and make a decision. Putting my head back into the play and reading specifically for the role of Malvolio, the decision was easy. It’s MALVOLIO. It’s a great comic role filled with pathos and heartbreak. A man pompously denies himself in the name of virtue and propriety the pleasures of the world, judging harshly others who seek and derive pleasure from life. But as a human he cannot escape longing and hope. When tempted by the possibility of achieving the unattainable, he convinces himself that it is possible and commits with confidence and ferocity to enjoying “the full prospects of his hopes.” Of course he discovers he has been tricked and is then unimaginably humbled.



PAC students Bjorn Anderson (Sir Andrew), Lissie Huff (Feste)
 and Adam Thompson (Sir Toby) in Twelfth Night.
Photo by Gary Norman.

 It is a delight to play.

It is a joy to play with the dedicated, hard working and talented actors that comprise the class of 2012. As Malvolio, I play scenes with few of them. There is Adam Thompson, who plays Sir Toby, Malvolio’s nemesis, and out-clowns the clown teacher; Rebecca Ridenour as Viola, who expertly and gracefully engages Malvolio; Lissie Huff whose Feste is a clever, playful antagonist; and Katie Butler as Olivia, the attentive Lady of Malviolo’s dream. The rest of the group are energetic, humorous and sensitive in their portrayals, honoring their roles in the finest traditions of the theatre.

If you have the opportunity, please do see their fine work as we engage in a delightful romp about love and desire. TWELFTH NIGHT plays through March 4^th at Portland Actors Conservatory.

Be Not Afraid of Greatness: See TWELFTH NIGHT at PAC!

A young woman washes ashore in a strange land after surviving a shipwreck that separated her from her twin brother, whom she believes dead. She takes a position as a page serving the handsome Duke Orsino. The catch? She must disguise herself as a boy to get the job. Thus, our heroine Viola spends her days as “Cesario,” and soon finds herself in a bind when she falls in love with the Duke, while at the same time inadvertently causing the Duke’s love interest Lady Olivia to fall in love with her. Just when it seems things could not get any more complicated, Viola’s brother Sebastian arrives!

Photo: Owen Carey, Design: Tim Stapleton

It all makes for a very comical, adventurous and romantic tale of mistaken identity - a gender-bending celebration of love and life! It is Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the second show in Portland Actors Conservatory’s 2011/12 Season, playing Feb. 17 through Mar. 4, with previews on Feb. 15 & 16.

“It’s such a fun, accessible, passion filled story with such wonderfully written characters,” says director and PAC faculty member Michael Fisher-Welsh. “It’s got a shipwreck, twins, mistaken identity, more music than any other of Shakespeare’s plays, 4 sword fights, yellow stockings and a dungeon. When Beth Harper asked which Shakespeare play I’d like to direct for the 2nd year students, Twelfth Night immediately came to my mind.”

Taking the stage as a guest artist, PAC Executive Director and Third Rail Repertory company member Philip Cuomo plays the straitlaced Malvolio, head steward to Olivia. Much of the comic relief in the play comes at Malvolio’s expense, including an incident involving “yellow stockings…ever cross-gartered.”

“The play is often referred to as Shakespeare’s ‘gateway to the tragedies,’ explains Fisher-Welsh, who was most recently seen on stage with the title role in King John at the Northwest Classical Theatre Company, “not only because afterwards is when he started writing his greatest tragedies, but also, I believe, because there is a dark side to many of the characters in Twelfth Night and it’s been interesting exploring those aspects of the play.”

PAC’s second-year students round out the cast, and the resident creative team includes Tim Stapleton (scenic design); Jeff Forbes (lighting); Jessica Bobillot (costumes); and Chris Mikolavich (sound).

You won't want to miss PAC's latest production! As it says in the play,"be not afraid of greatness!" Tickets are available NOW!

See PAC’s Beth Harper onstage in CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION!

Art mirrors life mirrors art mirrors life, ad infinitum. Such is certainly the case for PAC’s Artistic Director and founder Beth Harper, who has been cast as…wait for it….an acting instructor!

In Artists Rep’s production of Circle Mirror Transformation, written by Annie Baker and directed by Allen Nause, Beth will be playing the character of Marty, who teaches an “adult creative drama” class at a small-town community center.

Winner of the 2009 Obie Award for Best New American Play, the New York Times called Circle Mirror Transformation "an absolute feast” and declared it, “the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and bright-eyed with the desire to spread the word.”

The play follows Marty’s six-week class and the real-life dramas that unfold between her students: a recently divorced carpenter, a high school junior, a former actress, and Marty’s husband. As the students progress through seemingly shallow theatre games into deeper psychological waters, they discover that their lives have changed forever.

Asked to explain the difference between her own philosophy of acting instruction and that of her character, Beth says, “Marty’s approach to acting is therapeutic - she is directly and specifically trying to get people to see themselves. I do not believe acting is therapy, but if the process is surrendered to completely and utterly, the actor will certainly be affected on a therapeutic level." "The similarities," Beth adds, "are that we are both based in the human connection, wanting to explore self and all its possibilities." 

Artists Rep says, “By the end of the class, layers of emotional baggage are stripped off to reveal how truth, change and public performance can possibly ‘set the body and spirit free.’”

“The audience is not told everything,” comments Beth, “everyone will come away with a different story – even the actors.”

Don’t miss this unique theatre experience! Tickets are on sale now. The show runs February 7 through March 11, 2012 at ArtistsRepertory Theatre.

PAC Welcomes New Faculty!

Brian Demar Jones

Portland Actors Conservatory is excited to announce the addition of Brian Demar Jones to our Studio Program faculty!

Brian will be teaching ACTING: LEVEL ONE, which begins Jan. 23 and continues for eight weeks on Monday evenings, and SCENESTUDY INTENSIVE, beginning Feb. 21 and continuing every Tuesday evening for six weeks. Both programs are currently open for enrollment.

“We’re thrilled to have someone of Brian’s caliber,” says PAC Artistic Director and founder Beth Harper, “His belief systems so closely mirror our own and his methodology is a perfect fit for our students.”

A newcomer to Portland, Brian was most recently a company member with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, where he also taught workshops. Brian has worked professionally at the 5^th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Taproot Theatre, and many other venues throughout the Pacific Northwest. He can be seen in the upcoming production The Brother/Sister Plays at Portland Playhouse, and all over this year’s FertileGround Festival.  

Brian is an experienced educator, having taught for the University of Washington, where he received his MFA degree in Acting, as well as various theatres and performing arts institutes. He has led workshops and classes in Audition Technique, Suzuki/Viewpoints, Scene Study, Basic and Advanced Acting, and Musical Theatre, among many others. 

Brian is a great addition to the studio faculty because he has mentored and worked with actors from the extreme novice to the seasoned professional. Our studio program offers individuals of all skill levels a place to enhance and develop their foundational techniques. 

“I am interested in helping students cultivate their own process,” explains Brian, “I always tell my students that my way is not the only way but one way among many.” 

Brian’s methodology mirrors that of PAC and focuses on working as an ensemble, utilizing a fusion of Stanislavky based method of physical actions with Viewpoints & Suzuki to create organic and powerful actors. He is well-versed in both classical and contemporary theatre, with particular emphasis on Shakespeare and new works. 

As an actor/ director / singer, he brings with him a variety of skills to share and help others succeed in their own personal goals. He sets the same expectations for all, providing the skills necessary to succeed but understanding that each student’s journey is unique. 

PAC’s Studio Program reflects the belief system of our full-time Conservatory Program. Both programs are rooted in exploring impulses and the concepts of objective, obstacle and tactic, fundamental to the method of acting developed by Stanislavsky and continued by artists and theorists such as Uta Hagen. 

Our strong theoretical basis and experienced faculty make our program ideal for the working professional actor seeking to exercise their instrument, as well as the newcomer to the art of acting.

Click here to read more about our Studio Program, enrolling now.

Audiences and critics love RECKLESS!

Audiences and critics love RECKLESS! Portland Actors Conservatory started the 2011-2012 season with a BANG last weekend!

Cate Garrison of bePortland writes, "All of the students gave great performances, but the night went to second-year student Rebecca Ridenour, who plays Rachel. She took the audience on the journey of Rachel’s transformation, and we were right with her every step of the way."

Here's what some of our audience members had to say:

"Reckless is brilliant. Suz and I absolutely LOVED it. Bravo!!" ~ Shelley Lipkin

"This was a fabulous play with an outstanding performance by Ms. Rebecca! Cheers to a great show!" ~ Leela Cyd

"RECKLESS was so good I cried, literally. Yes I'm a sap but really really good. Congratulations!" ~ Maureen O'Connor

"Go see Reckless, at Portland Actors Conservatory, fine work, everybody!" ~ Ty Boice

Written by Craig Lucas and directed by Philip Cuomo, RECKLESS follows the story of Rachel, a housewife who narrowly escapes when her husband takes a hit out on her life at Christmas. She finds herself with a peculiar but loving new family. There’s Lloyd, a gentle social worker, and Pooty, his deaf-mute, paraplegic wife. They both work for Hands Across the Sea, a little nonprofit organization for the disabled. Rachel’s unsinkable attitude goes from unease with her unpleasable coworker to disbelief when she learns the secrets Lloyd and Pooty both harbor. Other than that, everything’s great. Until the following Christmas when Rachel’s husband comes looking for closure. A Bonnie-and-Clyde road trip has fantasy colliding with reality as Rachel and Lloyd break down in order to move on. The New York Times called “Reckless” “a bittersweet Christmas fable for our time” when it debuted on Broadway in 1988. Craig Lucas is the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominated author of “Prelude to a Kiss” and “The Light in the Piazza” (book).

Get your tickets now for the most uniquely fabulous show of the Christmas season!

Runs Thursday through Sunday through Dec. 18.

PAC Alumna Brooke Blanchard, formerly of 'Grey's Anatomy,' Stops in for a Visit!

PAC was graced with the presence of one of our many talented alumnas yesterday, the one and only Brooke Blanchard (Class of '98). She and newborn Cole showed up (her third child) to say hello to Beth and sit down with Conservatory Confessions for some dish.

Brooke Blanchard, Class of '98

If you don't know Brooke, she's an absolute PAC success story: after leaving the Conservatory, she moved to New York City, where she played twins Lily and Rose on "As The World Turns" for four years (2000-2004). After that, she moved to Los Angeles where she became a series regular on "Grey's Anatomy" as Jill the Paramedic. Brooke's character has appeared in 11 episodes over six years, often spouting medical jargon that makes your head spin around WHILE wheeling a gurney down a hall at top speed.

Recently, Brooke and family have been spending more time in Portland, where Brooke will be able to concentrate on raising her brood while managing her photography business, Brooke Blanchard Photography.  

We got some great pearls of wisdom from Brooke while Cole slept, nursed and gurgled here at the PAC office. She remembered waitressing in NYC and doing theatre when she was first cast on "As the World Turns."

On doing a soap:

It was a lot like theatre, it's the most similar camera-acting job to theatre, because they film you in longer takes. And you get a new, complete script every week. It was also the first time in my life I got to say 'I’m an actress because I make my living off of it.'"

On going to the Daytime Emmys for "As the World Turns":

“I was like a kid in a candy store” 

After three seasons, Brooke's character(s) got kidnapped. Unsure if she'd get axed and craving a change, Brooke started finalizing her intended move to Los Angeles. In the meantime, she'd get written into an episode of ATWT. Brooke's ex-boyfriend was FedExing her the scripts that would show up at her old apartment, and she'd book a plane to make the shoot dates. She'd often jump on a redeye from LAX, take a car service to the ATWT studio, and head straight back to the airport without setting foot in a domicile. When waking up at night on an airplane, sometimes Brooke didn't know if she was headed East or West!

On establishing oneself in LA:

"I theorize that if you are 19 and gorgeous, or very unique and quirky you will find your place. I was not really any of those things. I was a dime a dozen – usually I went in the back door through theatre."

Brooke was living off her ATWT residuals and bartending when another return to the boards brought her closer to her next on-screen gig. While doing a world premiere play by one of the writers of "Grey's Anatomy," “Me, My Guitar and Don Henley," Brooke got to know the playwright, who helped get her into the casting director's office for GA. 

On getting on GA:

"It game me a certain sense of accomplishment, getting on primetime. I had thought of giving up acting after moving to LA"

On working with Sandra Oh:

"Sandra Oh has a fantastic work ethic – she was amazing on set to everyone. She knew me through the writer, but she was not just nice to me because of that. I saw her go introduce herself to extras – and I saw the opposite of that with other people."

On playing Jill and memorizing her medical monologues:

"I stressed more over that paragraph than I would over 20 pages of dialogue."

On what PAC gave her: 

"PAC is a really great program. I've worked with people who went hrough Tisch, Northwestern, Columbia, and I never felt that they had a leg up on me. Everyone has their own style and talent, but as there’s talent and then there’s knowledge. I always felt like I had a really good base coming from here." 

On school, pressure, and classes:

"When I went to PAC, the audition process to get into 2^nd year was a really intense…do or die. For me it was, 'If you don’t do second year, what do you do?' The pressure on you was good. We worked hard here. I've taken lots of classes to stay in touch with my creativity since leaving PAC, and nothing has been as serious."

On how children have changed her perspective on acting:

"I used to stay up nights thinking about my career. That changes. I know now I can do some theatre here and there, but I don’t have to make my living at it."

On her career as a whole:

"What I’ve seen as a life lesson is when you get to one rung, no matter where you are you need to figure out how to be happy, because there’s always a next rung. You've got to find joy outside the business of acting."