Shades of Gray

To dye, or not to dye?  That is the question...

Nothing heralds the transition from youth to middle age and beyond than the appearance of those first gray hairs.  Unless of course you are one of us who are genetically predisposed to premature gray.  It is a Beaman trait amongst the males of the family, and my own father was graying by the time he was in his late 20s; I don't remember him without silver hair.  I was a late bloomer, actually, and didn't begin to really see the salt mix in with the pepper until I was in my early 40s.  I look at photos of myself when I came out of grad school in 2004, and I still had dark hair and beard.  The change really began shortly thereafter.

Head shot with dyed locks, 2005

Having a somewhat youthful face and knowing the connotations that gray hair has to those casting roles in show business, I chose to start coloring my hair.  Dark brown dye covered those telltale grays and, I thought, kept me in that late 30s-early 40s market; having gone to graduate school later in life I wanted to maximize my castability.  The color was never quite my natural shade; always looked a little too dark, but it seemed the right thing to do.  I didn't stop with the hair color for a few years... until I was on a lengthy tour with Spamalot and was being wigged in the show.  It seemed silly to keep up with the hair dye so I let it go and let the gray grow in.  The response from people was rapturous.  Apparently salt and pepper hair on a man is sexy, dignified, irresistible.  The names of all the leading silver foxes--Clooney, Cooper, Slattery-- got bandied about me.  I thought, hey, maybe I am on to something here!

At 22, playing Ebenezer Scrooge

And thus began my journey as a silver fox.  As the years have passed, and I approach 50, the salt has begun to overwhelm the pepper and the politics of THE GRAY have changed.  Show business is a vehicle for cultural and societal views and attitudes, particularly in a youth obsessed culture such as ours.  And as 'hot' as many may consider graying temples, nevertheless they are the heralds of age.  And in show business an actor who chooses not to dye his silvering locks (irregardless of the fact that there are such things as wigs and hair color) can see the door close on an array of roles, while another opens. You are just seen differently. This brings with it mixed emotions.  I still have a fairly youthful face and spirit, am still in pretty decent shape and can pass for a youngish dad in his early 40s.  But suddenly I find myself in the over 50 group (I ain't there quite yet!), and it can be a little depressing at times, even though some of the roles are pretty fantastic.  I was a character actor even at the tender age of 21 (when I looked 16) and would plaster my face with painted on wrinkles and spray the silver into my hair in college to play almost always middle aged and old men.  Now that I have arrived into my career 'sweet spot'--I often say "my best years as an actor are ahead of me"--it still brings a rather powerful sense that not only am I cresting 'over that hill' but I can see it in my rear view mirror!

Imagine how we'd think about Tom Cruise if he stopped dying his hair?  Would he still be an action hero? Tom Hanks would be playing grandfathers if he stopped artificially extending middle age.  We consider George Clooney and Richard Gere still sexy and desirable, and they are handsome, virile guys.  If we saw them in a role where they dyed their hair dark it might actually make them suddenly appear older, wouldn't it?  Oh, the politics of gray hair are complex... they are rooted (pardon the pun) in a societal fear of aging, they signal a passage from which one never can return.  What's the answer?  For most women it has rarely been a question--you keep on dying that hair, avoiding the feelings of looking 'washed out' and old.  For men, it's trickier.  Women can balance an artificial hair color with makeup, bringing the whole thing together.  For men, well... look at James Lipton.  I rest my case.  Let it go, Mr. Lipton.

New head shot, 2015

Why do I muse at such length on this subject of the connotations of letting the gray grow?  I think I still look good and I have a great full head of hair (which my balding brethren admonish me not to complain about), and I am told all the time how sexy and elegant my silver is on me.  And of course, the choice being made to go natural, it is my job to own it and revel in my silver foxiness.  Life is about adjusting to change, isn't it?  Show business magnifies this because it forces us actors to think about ourselves in terms of new archetypes and traditional roles.  Nevertheless, I still think my best years are ahead of me. And the most attractive thing about a person is that they own themselves.  Nothing is quite as powerful as someone who is comfortable in his or her own skin.

Fascinatin' Rhythm

Every audition season is different.  Last season, I was run off my feet with auditions and callbacks, and blessed with the enviable task of juggling multiple offers, deciding which great parts I wanted to play...which generally translated as: how many of these offers could I accept that wouldn't overlap with each other?  The summer season is all too short, and it can be a real challenge to line up work, and maximize the opportunities to perform; the kind of problem all of us actors wish for!

I faced such a dilemma this season as I tried to stay on with a brief remounting of the superb production of Peter and the Starcatcher that I was in last fall at Pioneer Theatre Company.  We were given a chance to reunite for one week of performances at the Victoria Theatre in Dayton, OH, taking over dates that had been abandoned by the national tour of the show which closed before being able to fulfill them.  Alas, it proved a real battle to reserve these dates in June and still find work that would sustain me through the summer season.  And so, I won't be joining my fellow starcatchers in Dayton, and I will miss making magic with them again.  If you are in the Dayton area, run, don't walk, to the Victoria Theatre to experience this splendid production!

My summer will be spent in the roaring 20's world of Nice Work If You Can Get It to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.  This rollicking musical comedy played on Broadway with stars Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara, and is a reworking of an early Gershwin musical called Oh, Kay!.  I will be playing Cookie McGee, a bootlegger who disguises himself as a butler in order to hide 400 cases of hooch in a swanky mansion.  The role was created by Michael McGrath, who won the Tony Award for his performance.

Nice Work If You Can Get It will be a co-production of The Gateway in lovely Bellport, NY and Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, one of my favorite summer spots, where I appeared previously in Buddy (also a co-production with Gateway) and as Albin in La Cage Aux Folles.  I will also have the pleasure and privilege of playing opposite Sally Struthers, who has become the first lady of Ogunquit Playhouse, and a real audience favorite.  I am excited to work with this veteran comedienne!  The show will be directed by Larry Raben, and choreographed by Peggy Hickey, whose work can be seen in the Tony winning Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder.

The Gateway dates are June 10-June 27, and at Ogunquit Playhouse July 22-August 15.  

A Letter To Isobel

My talented niece, Isobel, is in the thick of auditioning for college theatre programs and conservatories.  She has been the star of her high school, demonstrating guts, showmanship and above all, confidence, as she has nurtured her love of performing.

As Izzy's closest relative in the business, and also someone who has coached dozens of young hopefuls for their college auditions as a private coach, and in my capacity as leader of the Goodspeed Musicals Audition Intensive, I have sort of stood silently in the wings, available to help when called upon.  Isobel is aided of course by the support of her family, especially her Mom, Patricia, who trained as a performer at one of the nation's top schools, Boston Conservatory.  It's moving to see this girl embark on her journey in the theatre, and watching this unfold has made me contemplate what I might offer her in the way of insight as I celebrate my 25th year as a professional actor.  So, here it is.

________________________________________________________________________

Dear Isobel,

I think I understand, as well as anyone, the dreams and desires that have brought you to this moment of embarkation, this stepping into the world as you await the decision of where to train as an actor and musical theater performer.  You've accomplished so much in your hometown, where people have truly accepted you for who you are--a real original--and where you have been given the chance to stretch and grow with each terrific part you have undertaken.  You also have had a preview of what it will be like to train alongside other young talents as a participant in the Emerson College summer program.  I have no doubt at all that you have brought heart and vibrancy to your auditions for the colleges and conservatories you have targeted and that they have recognized your unique personality and gifts.

I also know that at your tender age nothing anyone could say would dissuade you from your chosen path.  Nor should it.  It's not an easy path, the path of an actor, and it takes courage, stubbornness and devotion to pursue.  So I am not going to be one of those who try to intimidate you with horror stories of the harsh realities of show business.  But I am going to be honest.

In this business, rejection is the norm.  Being out of work, not getting the job--these are the norm.  It's something to accept, a reality to try and use as a spur rather than crumble beneath.  The work of an actor is mostly the work of stepping up time and again and putting oneself out there for the next job.  Even the most beautiful, the most effortlessly talented, spend more time not working than working.  You must believe in yourself, try not to personalize the vagaries of the business, nor get tangled in stories about why someone else is luckier or more fortunate than you, harboring resentments and hurts at how unfair it all is.  Show business is not a meritocracy.  Being good isn't a guarantee.  It often makes absolutely no sense.  But if you want it, you have to simply keep showing up.

Part of what enables you to do that is getting to know who you are and what you love to do and what you do best.  I know you enough to know that you already have a huge leg up in this department.  You know who Isobel is.  This will be enormously useful to you as you begin your serious training as a performer.  I want you to enjoy college!  I didn't enjoy undergrad that much, mainly because I spent the whole time feeling I had to compete--for approval, for good parts, for acknowledgment.  I had the gift of going to grad school when I was almost 40, and discovering the joy of just showing up each day curious to learn, and immersing myself in craft.  Stay in the moment of training and discovery.  These years will never come again.  The world and the business will all too soon demand things of you.  This is the time to revel in the art of what you do and to find your voice.

Let's talk backup plan.  It's a crappy subject, but it's one worth thinking about.  When I was your age I thought even contemplating a back up plan or the development of skills for that dreaded day job, or parallel career, meant admitting defeat.  Jumping without a parachute to me meant full commitment, full belief in my potential.  But the business being what it is, even the best have to support themselves and can't always do it performing.  Nurture whatever interests or skills you have that might be parlayed into money making opportunities, especially ones that will also allow you some freedom to pursue the business.  Don't wait until you are trying to survive in New York and start scrambling for a day job.  Think about it now and have a plan.  If you play an instrument, keep playing it!  Get good at it.  It's a reality of the way shows are created these days that actors often are asked to play music as well.

And now, the tough love portion of this letter.  I know I will come across as a judgy, over the hill, out of touch old crank.  But I do, in fact, live in 2015 and do observe your generation with a certain amount of perspective.  Never before have young people had such unfettered access to information and free education--via the internet, and that little phone you hold in your hand, you can tap into everything you need to steep yourself in your craft and the traditions of theatre.  And yet you guys are so damn lazy about digging around in there, so lacking in curiosity!  If this is the work you love, if this is the career you are willing to sacrifice stability for, to pursue despite all the odds, then you need to make it your mission to know all you can about it and revel in the discoveries you can make about it.

Yes, I know this is the era where a teenager can record a bunch of videos of himself singing in his room, post them to youtube, go viral, and become a major recording star.  I know it comes so easy to those lucky flashes in the pan.  But aren't those the rare freak successes, and aren't they short-lived? Don't you want more?  Aren't you investing the next four years of your life in training so you can create a foundation for a lifelong career?  So read every play you can get your hands on, from the classics to the latest hit on Broadway.  Listen to every original cast album.  If you love musical theatre, then watch every single musical movie ever made.  Know what shows are being produced now, and know who wrote them.  Regularly visit sites like Playbill.com and BroadwayWorld.com, where the latest news on the current work in theatre is available to you. Pursue knowledge like it's your job.  Training in a structured theatre program is a great experience, but you are responsible for your education for life.  And an actor's career is a self-directed career.  Even with the best agent or manager you still have to know what's going on and who's doing the hiring; you have to get yourself out of bed in the morning and stand in line at open calls; you have to show up at the audition and be prepared and ready and on your game.  That self direction never, ever ends.  And I guarantee you, no matter how gusty, or talented, or cute you are, there is no substitute for education, knowledge and preparation.  Start now.  If you are lucky enough to meet a veteran actor, buy her a coffee, draw her out, have her tell you her stories.  Theatre is a received tradition.  Learn from those who came before, and steal their best stuff!

Finally, I just want to say that I am so proud of you.  I am proud of you for nurturing your gifts and pursuing your dreams.  It moves me that you share my Dad's birthday.  I feel his loss so keenly... and I embrace, more and more each day, the knowledge that his artistry and pursuit of excellence in theatre helped shape the artist I am today.  He gave me so much and I know he would have been proud to watch you blossom as an actor and a creative artist.  I am always here for you, and I look forward to watching you grow.  You are just beginning.  Pursue it with determination, with joy, with discipline and with dignity.

With love,

Uncle Jamie

Transitions

Usually this space is chock full of news about the latest gig I am working on, or the one about to begin.  I love sharing my creative process and my excitement about being a working actor.  I thought I would muse a bit this time on that familiar place all actors come back to--that period of uncertainty and anxiety between jobs, where we don't yet have the next thing lined up and must do the familiar hustle to find it.

I returned from beautiful, WARM Vero Beach, Florida just under three weeks ago, having had a treat of a time playing Bela Zangler in "Crazy For You" with as lovely a group of creative people as one could wish for.  Not only were the subzero temperatures in New York a shock to my system, but along with them came the slap in the face of reality!  I returned just as audition season was getting cooking and had to start thinking about booking work between now and the end of the summer season.

There are two major audition seasons in New York for theatre work.  The first comes around the end of January through the end of March and is when producers are hiring for projects that will happen between May and end of August--sometimes even beyond that into early fall.  The second audition season happens between end of August and early October, and is for work that will happen around the holidays and into the beginning of the next year.  There is a third push that happens around December and is mainly for shows that will be mounted in the early months of the following year--February, March.  But I think the first audition season of the year proves to be the most hectic and the most crucial, especially for actors who do musical theatre, as summer is when the most jobs are happening.

So of course, upon returning to the city I surveyed the audition notices, the season announcements, and began setting my sights on the productions and roles that I feel are 'in my wheelhouse' as an actor.  Along with the excitement of possibility there is also the overwhelming feeling that much has to happen in a very brief space of time before the audition season is over and everything is cast.  I am fortunate to have a good agent who knows my work well, and to have some strong relationships with casting directors with whom I have proven myself.  I also have some good connections with directors who work a great deal and this helps me get into the room and strut my stuff.  I am in an interesting passage in my career; I am established enough that certain theaters do not hesitate to bring me in for key roles in their seasons.  But I am also, having not yet done a Broadway show, still banging on the door of those upper echelon opportunities where I have not yet proven my value; sometimes even getting an audition appointment at all is an uphill battle.  After 25 years in the profession this can be disheartening, but it's par for the course.

What I discovered this year, as I attempted to hit the frozen ground of New York running, is the need to step back a little, rest and recuperate from my recent endeavors.  The break between "Peter and the Starcatcher" in Salt Lake City and "Crazy For You" was literally a matter of days.

 As anxious as I might be to snatch up more work and make sure I am seen during audition season, I also feel the need to recenter, regroup and rest a bit.  So I am spending this time doing things like investing in new head shots, reconnecting with friends and colleagues, leaning on my agent a bit and letting him shop me around for the available jobs, and cultivating a little peace and quiet.  I find it hard to allow myself this space, so eager I am to keep booking work and anxious about earning my living in this precarious of all professions.  But sometimes I think, in the midst of the maelstrom of this city and this industry, the healthiest and most productive thing I can do is to take a step back and breathe, trusting that there will be a next thing.

Zangler's Follies

That's me, center, as Zangler with the company in the Act One Finale, "I Got Rhythm"

As of this writing, we are closing out the first week of our run of "Crazy For You" at Riverside Theatre in lovely Vero Beach, Florida.  I can't tell you what a tonic it has been to spend the first weeks of the new year in a warm and sunny place and in such a warm and sunny show! Click here for a look at a great montage of moments from this sparkling production!

I knew "Crazy For You" would be fun--it's a bubble of a show, a real love letter to the classic musicals of the 1930s;  but nothing prepared me for the rapturous response of the audience!  Our opening was as electric as any I have experienced.  Our production is based on the original as brought to life by Susan Stroman-- a tried and true formula made fresh and heartfelt by the expert work of our choreographer Deanna Dys and our director, the great Jimmy Brennan.  I saw Jimmy play Bobby Child on Broadway 20 years ago, and he and Deanna were both a part of that original Tony-winning production. Their history with the piece combined with their own creative gifts breathe beautiful new life into it.   We are blessed to have extraordinary dancers tapping up a storm, and Drew Nellessen and Abby Church, two triple threat performers, playing the lead roles of Bobby and Polly.  Reviews are ecstatic, audiences are on their feet every performance, and the show is rapidly selling out.

"Crazy For You" is also especially delightful for me because not only does it hearken back to the frothy fare of Depression-era Broadway, but it also evokes those amazing musical films of the 30s, art deco extravaganzas starring the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Being a die-hard classic movie fan, I couldn't help looking for inspiration from those films as I created my characterization of Broadway impresario Bela Zangler, a sweet treat of a part.

Adolphe Menjou

Zangler is clearly based on Flo Ziegfeld, a great showman who perfected the follies revue, dripping with glamour and gorgeous showgirls.  He also has about him the qualities of those womanizing Broadway producers of early 1930's backstage musicals; mature roués cheating on their wives, plying pretty young ladies with champagne and promises of stardom.  In this respect, my Zangler owes a little to the suave Adolphe Menjou, who played a number of these roles, most notably in the classic "Stage Door." 

Erik Rhodes

Zangler also has the qualities of the 'continental' second man who figured so often in Astaire/Rogers vehicles-- a handsome, European type who we know will never get the leading lady.  Often these characters had exaggerated accents and were given fun comic business as the wool is pulled over their eyes by the leading man so he can covertly woo the starlet.  In the Astaire/Rogers films, often this second man was played by handsome and funny Erik Rhodes.  He played an Italian gigolo, Rodolfo Tonetti, in "The Gay Divorcee" and an Italian fashion designer, Alberto Beddini, in "Top Hat."  In crafting my flamboyant Hungarian Mr. Zangler, I found Rhodes's rolled 'r's and animated flourishes a great inspiration.

I'm just having a ball playing this guy, who disappears for most of Act One, but returns in Act Two to be given one of the best scenes and numbers in the show-- the drunken mirror act with Bobby, "What Causes That?".  It's a show stopper, and I am so happy to have a talent like Drew Nellessen as my partner in crime.  Shows like "Crazy For You" put us directly in touch with the spirit of those old films and fluffy Broadway shows where pretty girls, great Gershwin songs, and high energy tap dancing diverted audiences from the Great Depression and into a world of fantasy.  I can't deny that being in warm and easy Vero Beach while the Northeast is shivering through a polar vortex feels equally like a world of fantasy.  But I am not complaining!

My Holiday Letter 2014

2014:  A Rogue's Gallery!

What a year it has been.  I think every actor of ambition dreams of success--success on the scale of a Broadway show, or a feature film, or a starring role in a series.  It is these dreams of fame and fortune that sometimes propel us into the business in the first place.  As we live and learn within the business, many of us realize that what we really want is to WORK.  To do the thing we love with great people and have the chance to explore roles that excite, challenge and transform us.  2014 has been, for me, an embarrassment of riches.  Two plays.  Two musicals.  Two ultimate dream roles.  Reunions with favorite directors and musical directors, and thrilling new collaborations.


My year started with one of the busiest and most adrenaline-driven audition seasons I have ever known.  Between January and the end of February I did over 30 auditions, showing up in line for open calls and chorus calls, attending appointments and callbacks.  My first offer was from Flat Rock Playhouse, where I had the delight of playing Milt Fields, a Jewish comedy writer bringing the one-liners in Neil Simon's "Laughter on the 23rd Floor."  Not only was this one of the most loving and delightful casts I have ever worked with, but I had the gift of forging a friendship and brilliant working relationship with director Michael Kostroff.  He has become one of my favorite people.

Summer brought the chance to play the role at the top of my musical theatre dream role list, John Adams in "1776."  Having chased the part for several years through audition after audition, the perfect opportunity arrived to play the role at Cape Playhouse, under the direction of the wondrous Jimmy Brennan.  If you've watched my video blog "Becoming John Adams" or follow me on Facebook, you know just how over the moon I was to play this iconic leading part.  I will never forget it as long as I live.

Wonder of wonders, hot on the heels of this dream come true, another came along.  The ultimate comic villain, Thénardier, in the blockbuster musical "Les Misérables," at Orlando Shakespeare Theater.  Again I was in the loving and trusted hands of director DJ Salisbury and musical director Ken Clifton, two of my favorite collaborators.  The production broke box office records at the theatre; the flash mob our cast performed of "One Day More" in an Orlando mall went viral; and as of this writing I have been nominated for a BroadwayWorld Orlando Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

As I write this, I am in production week for my latest endeavor, "Peter and the Starcatcher," a sublime mix of theatrical magic and pure storytelling, at Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I am tickled to be playing the ever-industrious, if somewhat dim, pirate sidekick Smee, in a fabulous collaboration with Leo Ash Evens as the vainglorious Black Stache.  It is such a thrill to work on a show that is so fresh and innovative, with a director and choreographer who have brought incredible heart and imagination to the production.  Jenn Thompson and Patti Wilcox have collaborated brilliantly, and have called upon all the talents of our 12 actor ensemble to bring this show to life.  It will be the perfect holiday confection for Salt Lake audiences.

Four amazing roles.  Four regional theatre debuts.  And the fifth will begin just as 2014 comes to a close!  When "Peter and the Starcatcher" ends here in Utah, I will have a brief two days in Massachusetts to celebrate the holidays with my family before flying off to sunny Florida the day after Christmas to begin rehearsals at Riverside Theatre.  The show is the glittering Gershwin musical, "Crazy For You," and my role--Hungarian theatrical impresario Bela Zangler.  Zangler is a jewel of a character part which earned for its originator, Bruce Adler, a Tony Award nomination.  "Crazy For You" brings me back together with director Jimmy Brennan and musical director Ken Clifton--truly, the best gift Santa could have possibly given me!

Show business is a feast or famine deal, so I am giving daily thanks to the theatrical gods for this run of good fortune, and enjoying every moment of being a working actor.  Many blessings abound.  Being on the road so much makes a personal life a challenge, but I am buoyed by good friends and family.  Tragedy struck our family this year with the death of my father, but the loss brought me closer to my extended Beaman family and helped me to realize the true gift they are.  Losing my Dad has also given me a chance to reflect on the lifetime of artistry and excellence he lived and how profoundly it has influenced me.  Grieving is a long process, I find.  Dad passed only a brief three months ago and every day I have feelings and thoughts that I need to process and cope with.

My New Year's wish for all of you is that you pursue your passion and find ways of living your dreams.  Gather those you love close to you and whenever you have even the smallest impulse to call one of your loved ones, or reach out and say, 'I am thinking of you and love you'--DO IT.  It takes so little to keep the flow of love going.  And what goes out, comes back.  I am grateful that I will begin 2015 engaged in my craft in a warm and sunny place.  This new year marks my 25th year as a professional actor, and will also bring my 50th birthday.  Phew!  Am I grateful?  You betcha.  Do I still have the hunger to realize more ambitions?  Damn straight!  I continue to reach for more opportunity as an actor.  I continue to invest in my work as a teacher and coach for performers in New York and wherever I perform around the country.  I continue to hope for someone special to share the next chapter of my life with, but I have plenty of love to go around to friends new and old, and my beautiful family.  Have a wondrous holiday season, one and all, and a happy and healthy new year!!

Family Business

"Peter Pan" has beguiled children for over a hundred years, but the play holds a special place for those of us who grew up in the theatre.  It is a magical spectacle that features kids as the stars, and many an actor has fallen in love with theatre by performing in it as one of the Darling children, or lost boys.  My first exposure to "Peter Pan" was at Boston University where my Dad designed a student production.  I got to sit in out in the house in wide-eyed wonder as I watched pirate ships glide on stage, a dancer in a crocodile costume with glowing eyes slither about, and best of all, kids only a little older than I soaring through the air in flying harnesses.  Oh, how I wanted to be one of them.

Jenn Thompson, my director on "Peter and the Starcatcher," was.  And several other members of the cast have also shared their stories of the thrill of being a child actor and entering the magic world of make believe that J.M. Barrie created.  The childhood of a 'theatre brat' is something truly special because we get to see behind the curtain and learn how the magic is made... you might think this would spoil our illusions, but on the contrary--those experiences as a young actor instill the dreamer in us, and we are propelled into our careers by them.  My parents met in theatre school and I grew up with my father in scene shops and theaters, while my Mom created her own company and training facility where I had all my early training and experience as a performer.

Jenn Thompson with husband Stephen Kunken

Jenn Thompson had a similar growing up.  Her father, Evan Thompson, is a veteran actor and director and her brother Owen is also a performer.  Jenn grew up performing children's theatre with her family, in plays her Dad wrote.  She is married to respected New York actor Stephen Kunken, whose work I greatly admire.  Jenn's life has been steeped in the traditions of theatre.  I feel a real kinship with her; there is something about being 'born in a trunk' as my Mom calls it.  We share the same references, we know the legends and lore of the theatre.  This makes Jenn an ideal director for "Peter and the Starcatcher."  It is a piece that seeks to get to the root of the theatre tradition--pure storytelling-- with a minimum of stagecraft, where the actors create the world, becoming pirates, mermaids, birds, corridors, doors... whatever is required to bring the story to life.  Jenn brings incredible detail and imagination to this process, as well as the special wonder of an artist who saw the magic of theatre through a child's eyes... and still does.

Karen Azenberg on stage at Pioneer Theatre Company

Our producer, Artistic Director Karen Azenberg, is also a child of the theatre, and part of what I would consider a legacy of Broadway royalty.  Her father, Emanuel Azenberg, a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame, has produced theatre on Broadway for decades, and his association with Neil Simon has brought most of that prolific writer's most successful plays to the stage.  Karen grew up in the Broadway theatre, and has worn many hats--director, choreographer, stage manager, and now she brings that wealth of experience to her role as producer with taste, sense, and a love of the family business she came up in.  She related to some of us during a break in rehearsals the story of her bat mitzvah, and the reception after at--where else?--Sardi's!  Now, that's a theatre kid!  I feel blessed to work under Karen's leadership and to observe the way theatre is done here at Pioneer due to her vision.

Performing as a young 'ham' of thirteen!

You don't have to have grown up a 'theatre brat' to cherish its traditions, but I speak from experience when I say that having that childhood makes it impossible for you not to!  Theatre artists like me, and Jenn, and Karen absorbed all things theatre at that vulnerable time when we were 'sponges,' our senses alive and our imaginations boundless.  I feel like "Peter and the Starcatcher" calls on that childhood wonder, those memories tinged with the smell of sawdust and greasepaint, the dreams of kids who wanted to fly--not just in fairy tales, but in real life, suspended from a wire, soaring over a stage with colored lights in our eyes, seeing the wide eyed wonder of other kids from their seats in the audience. 

As of this writing we are well into our second week of demanding, exhausting, but thrilling staging rehearsals for the show and it is coming together, thanks to Jenn and our brilliant choreographer Patti Wilcox, as well as all the creative forces at work behind the scenes at Pioneer Theatre Company.  I look forward to stepping out onto that stage in a couple weeks and bringing the magic to a new generation of dreamers.