Bridging the Gap: Educational Theatre to Professional Theatre

Perseverance and Practice
by Philip Cuomo


Recently, I facilitated a conversation with a group of artists at Post5 Theatre as part of the first annual Outdoor ShakespeareFestival.

The artists at Post5 asked me to talk about how an emerging theatre artist moves beyond their training into the professional world. Like good acting, the answer is simple but not easy: perseverance and practice.

Perseverance is about the commitment to a lifelong body of work. Practice refers to the discipline of doing - like a yoga instructor who reminds you of poses to do and ways to challenge yourself in your “daily practice.” In order to succeed as an artist, in any discipline, one must do the work - the practice - and commit to that practice in the long term. Persevere in that practice.

54 West 22nd Street
Former home of Theatre 22
and Sydney Armus

I often think about when I first learned this lesson. About 25 years ago I worked at Theatre 22 on West 22^nd Street in NYC. It was a small, 40-seat black box theatre, with a tiny office and rehearsal space. The entire place was less than 1000 square feet. The gentleman who ran the space, Sydney Armus, was a successful actor. He had been the original Speed on Broadway in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, played a supporting role in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and he was a regular on the early years of Law & Order, playing an eccentric judge.

Sydney owned and lived at Theatre 22. His bed was in a loft above the office desk.

A few years after working at the small theatre, I ran into Sydney on the street and said, “Sydney! How are you doing? How’s the…how’s the…”

In his deep resonating voice, trained and practiced in Broadway theatres, he interrupted me: “’How’s the career,’ Philip? Do you mean to ask me, ‘How’s the career?’”

Armus in 2002
(Photo: offbroadwayonline)

“Well yeah, Sydney, how’s the career?” I replied.

“Philip, you and I, we don’t have careers, we have lifestyles.”

I heard that and completely understood. Here was a man in his sixties who was a successful and committed professional actor, who had chosen a life in the theatre. He devoted his time and pledged his energy to the practice of theatre. He lived in a theatre – it was his place – not his workplace.

His lifestyle exemplified the sacrifice and dedication required of anyone, in any discipline, who is an artist.

This is part one of a multi-part series on Bridging the Gap: Educational Theatre to Professional Theatre, by Portland Actors Conservatory Executive Director Philip Cuomo.

How do you define success?

In the coming weeks, Philip Cuomo, Executive Director of Portland Actors Conservatory, will be writing a series of blog posts about defining success as emerging actors bridge the gap from educational theatre to the professional theatre.

In the meantime, we're musing on this New York Times column by Sarah Ruhl, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for playwrighting, who has decided to take criticism out of the equation with her latest production, “Melancholy Play." By doing so, she is redefining how her work is judged successful - who gets to decide? How is successful theatre defined?  How do you define success?

To the Class of 2012: A Letter from Producing Artistic Director Beth Harper

Thank you for reminding me, dear friends, that it is a thrilling, exhilarating, and passionate time to be a part of the living arts. Especially when around me I view with despair the decline of civil discourse, the demonizing of political difference, and a crayon box that seems to have lost all of its colors except for two. I can’t think of a more important time for the arts. I feel blessed. I have the honor of coming to "work," to mentor and commune with you; the kind of humans with the guts to commit two years of your precious lives to immerse yourselves in an exploration of what it means to be human, not from your own point of view but as seen through the eyes of another, and insist that we find value in seeing the world, in touching the world, tasting the world through viewpoints other than our own. You 12 artists have created an ensemble and cultivated and replenished an all too rapidly vanishing supply of social empathy. You have nourished a collective ability to stay curious about each other and the work at hand and to converse and understand each other across political, racial and religious lines. You make me feel hopeful.

To the class that will follow you, I say: stop, look, listen, observe. For it is not that these 12 people have set the bar too high. They set it and worked tenaciously at reaching that bar every single day. They will be the first to tell you that it is not an easy task to stay awake, alert, curious and out of your own way at the same time. They just knew it was important, they made it a communal goal and they did it. Just because it’s not the easiest choice doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

Now as you leave here, it is your turn to pay it forward. You will encounter scores, hundreds, of new budding artists desperate to learn, desperate for someone to pay attention to them. You will see them hanging outside your stage door, desperate for permission to be heard- to be listened to in a deep ongoing way. Mentoring the next generation is the work we must all undertake. To respect the achievements of the past we must all strive consciously, passionately, stubbornly to reward the aspirations of the future. And ironically, as one who has mentored for over 30 years, I am here to bear witness that, it is those you will mentor who will be the greatest mentors to you. You reminded me of that every single day.

In closing, class of 2012, I speak collectively for all your guides and mentors when I say: it was our pleasure. Every hour. Every minute. Every second. Every perplexing, confounding, frightening, exhilarating, passionate, eye-opening emotional roller-coaster-ride moment was worth it. It was a pleasure. You are a pleasure. I told you from day one that our job was to eventually kick you out and that time has come….get out and fly like the beautiful birds that you are.

Love,

　

　

Beth Harper

Producing Artistic Director

Portland Actors Conservatory

HOLY GHOSTS Inspires Reflections on Art, Faith and Work

A conversation with Tim Stapleton
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It is no secret that our Resident Scenic Designer Tim Stapleton is talented. Just look at our sets this season! What we are discovering now, however, is that his talent and artistic integrity knows no bounds.

Tim Stapleton (center) with PAC
students in HOLY GHOSTS
(photo: Owen Carey)

We are happier than a ticks on a fat dog, as they say in the South, to feature Tim (along with other guest artists Jim Davis, Michael Fisher-Welsh and Cate Garrison) in our upcoming production of Romulus Linney’s Holy Ghosts, directed by Beth Harper. PAC is also proud to show Tim’s series of paintings entitled FAITH and WORK throughout the run of Holy Ghosts, with a special reception on April 18 from 7-9pm.

Tim recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us about his experiences and influences as a scenic designer, actor, and artist.

PAC: Can you tell us about your inspiration for the look and feel of the Holy Ghosts set? How much have you drawn from your own experiences to develop the design?

TS:  The entire PAC season was done as one "unit" design. The foundation for all three shows has been there on stage since Reckless. What changed were the needed particulars to tell each story. This helped with time, labor, and expenses, and also helped the students see exactly how a designer thinks. I actually designed Holy Ghosts first. Beth and I talked about our experiences growing up in the South. How the churches there looked and felt. Romulus Linney says that it takes place in a room in a house. Well, I drew on my experiences of going to grange halls and makeshift buildings where revivals took place. We both wanted a plank floor, and felt the color scheme should be subdued and rather brown. These people are grounded in the earth.

PAC: How do you feel about being onstage versus working behind the scenes? Is the experience what you thought it would be? What is it like acting alongside the PAC students?

TS: I love designing. It has been my life's work for 30 years now. What I find interesting is that I get to move around in an environment that I imagined. Actors can't see themselves...and therefore it can difficult to see the surroundings as you move through the space. However, throughout this process with Beth's inspirational direction, we are all in the room, and we know we are. Acting with the students is a gift. These students are so devoted...they rise to the challenges...and give of themselves. Wholeheartedly. Who wouldn't want to be on stage with that?

PAC: Can you describe your character, Cancer Man? We know he is struggling and surviving with cancer. What is your favorite thing about him? What is challenging about the character?

TS: Cancer Man is the only character in the play without a name. He is only referred to as Cancer Man. He is an elder in the church, and the services do not start without his presence. He is benevolent. He has accepted and owned his disease, and says so right when he enters the room. Therefore, he is accepting of all things and all people, especially the ones in his church community. Although he does not show frustration, that would be judgmental and he isn't, I think he just can't understand why people won't "let go and let God." My favorite thing about him is his unconditional love for others and his undying faith. One of the challenges is to be complete and authentic. Because he doesn't tell his story, as the other church members do, he IS and must BE his story.

PAC:  How did you develop the idea for FAITH and WORK? Where do you draw your inspiration for your paintings and what motivates you to do them? What would you like people to know about the art show and the paintings?

OLIVER
acrylic and metallics on canvas
16" X 20"

TS: The idea for the exhibit came about during an afternoon/evening on my deck with Beth reading short stories and poetry by Southern writers. She had a vision that we would do this show together. During this time, she offered me the design position and the role. Having grown up in Appalachia, as an artist I am interested in my heritage...my people. My father was a coal miner. I had been reading some material about faith in the Kentucky coal fields, and it came to me that those men who went underground were saints. They sacrificed their lives so their families could have all the necessities of life. So, why not coal miners as religious icons? I went to Michigan over break and produced most of the exhibit. Beth has helped curate, in that she wanted some female imagery in the exhibit. I have included pieces about my grandmother who worked the land much like Beth's ancestors did.

PAC: What medium are you using in your paintings and can you tell us something about your choice of medium - is it influenced by the subject or other factors?

TS: The paintings are mostly acrylic on canvas. There are a couple with paper and acrylic on canvas, and two mixed media pieces (paper, wire, jute, canvas, beeswax, acrylic on plywood). The two mixed media pieces are visual statements about my grandmother - the media were chosen specifically for those two pieces. There are four or five pieces that also have metallic leaf on them - the metallics are used to evoke a "play" on Byzantine religious iconography: coal miners as saints.
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Holy Ghosts runs April 13 through April 29, with previews on April 11 and 12. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.actorsconservatory.com/ or by calling (503) 274-1717. Tim's paintings will be on display for the run of the show and all are welcome to attend the artists reception on April 18.

On the final Saturday performance, April 28, PAC is asking patrons and friends to join them with a night of Southern hospitality. Live music and a gallery showing of Tim’s work will precede the production. And a reception complete with some Southern food favorites will follow. Please contact the box office at (503)274-1717 to upgrade your ticket.

PAC is Getting in Shape for Summer!

Summer on Stage 2012!

We are halfway through our Season of Plays here at the conservatory, and with Spring Break upon us, we have begun to look forward to the next phase of our year – summer! During the summer months, we certainly take time to smell the roses (we do live in the City of Roses, after all!), but that doesn’t mean we are not as busy as ever! 

Our summer youth conservatory provides an opportunity for us to shift focus to developing the next generation of artists and arts lovers. Summer on Stage offers Portland area youth an unmatched summer camp experience, guided by professional actors and singers who nurture and support while instilling vital skills and a sense of professionalism in our young participants.

Gabriel Abdellatif

Seventh grader Gabriel Abdellatif, who will be spending his third summer on our stage, shares, “The opportunity of an arts program where young people learn many of the same skills professional actors learn is such a rare thing. Many school’s arts programs are lacking, so to have a program so fantastic to fill the holes is a real gift.”

Summer on Stage offers students the same opportunities and instruction PAC offers in our nationally accredited two year professional actor training program. Students will study voice, movement and fundamental acting technique during the morning sessions, and in the afternoons our students will put theory into practice by producing and performing in a play. Plays range in style from Shakespeare to original works created by the students. Participants are exposed to classical and modern themes in ways that make them immediately relevant to the youth of today.



SOS students putting theory into practice



For young people like Gabriel, the benefits of SOS go beyond the stage. “I have learned about movement and what role it plays in theater. I learned how to make a resumé and audition for a show, perform Shakespeare and even write my own play,” he explains, adding, “The skills I learned in SOS have helped me outside the world of acting. They have helped me in school when we have a Literature Seminar; I am not lost when the teacher starts reading Shakespeare or in my writing classes. I know how to give my character depth because I learned to write dialogue for real people.”

Our exceptional instructors include Andrea White, most recently starring in Oregon Children’s Theatre’s Locomotion and Profile Theatre’s A Lesson Before Dying, and Melissa Whitney, a member of Northwest Classical Theatre Company, onstage now in Much Ado About Nothing. Melissa is also a Special Education teacher with the Beaverton School District.

   

Michelle Kopper Seymour, president of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance, leads our Musical Theatre Intensive for teens, and brings her expertise as the owner of Vanport Square Studio where she combines 25 years as a professional actor/singer to bring unique insight to her classes and workshops.



Acting exercises in the PAC studio

We offer scholarships to our summer programs for promising students who require tuition assistance to gain access to our training, and various discounts are available for those who qualify.

Check our website for details of our program, and share the extraordinary benefits of a summer on stage with your favorite young person!







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!