Beer Flight Theatre Cast: Andrew Glenn

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet the last of our actors. Andrew Glenn has been involved with Threepenny since the company's first show A Midsummer Night's Dream. A carpenter by trade, Andrew can usually be found backstage (either here at Threepenny or at Theatre Memphis), assisting with the construction of sets and serving on the run-crews of many, many productions over the last several years. He will be making his first on-stage appearance for Threepenny this weekend, and he stops by the blog to talk about it.

Andrew Glenn - The Unnamed Man

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing?

I am Andrew Glenn, and I will be in Harold Pinter's "New World Order."

How did you get involved in working backstage in the local theatres and Threepenny particularly?

I first started when my friend Jeff Posson got me involved in helping over at Theatre Memphis. My first show was Oklahoma! in 2008, and I ended up working on a lot of shows there. For Threepenny, I first helped with Matt's original production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and then helped again with the remount a few years later. Every now and then, Matt needs some help and I come help him. I sort of do every backstage thing you can think of: building sets, run-crew, pin-rail, lightboard and sound op, whatever is needed.

Any on-stage roles before this weekend?

My only other on-stage role was in Glengarry Glen Ross at Theatre Memphis. Tony Isbell was the director. There was a part that I was a good for, and it was a lot of fun.

What are your thoughts on your character in "New World Order"? 

I enjoy it. I don't really have any lines, so everything I do is supposed to be about a physical reaction to what is going on around me. So that's a lot of fun. It's a strange play.

Any last thoughts on the plays or the beer or anything else?

They're not really happy plays *laughs*. I mean, they're all really, really good, engaging and everything, but they're all fairly bleak, so drink that beer, with all your might *laughs*.

Thank you Andrew. This concludes our actor interviews, Be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening...

TONIGHT, August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Remember, all shows are Set-Your-Own-Admission with a suggested donation of $15. Curtain goes up at 8pm!

Beer Flight Theatre Cast: Michael Khanlarian

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet another of our actors. Michael Khanlarian recently appeared in Threepenny's production of Cindy Lou Johnson's Brilliant Traces. Most of Michael's recent work has been with Tennessee Shakespeare Company, where he is currently touring with the Romeo & Juliet Project and will be appearing in their upcoming productions of To Kill a Mockingbird (Bob Ewell) and Much Ado About Nothing (Leonato). We're always happy to have Michael back on our stage.

Michael Khanlarian - Jerry

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing?

My name is Michael Khanlarian. I am playing Jerry in The Zoo Story.

Now Michael, you have been on the blog before so we already know a little bit about you, but what have you been up to recently?

 Most recently, I've been working with Tennessee Shakespeare Company on the The Romeo & Juliet Project. We go through schools all around the Mid-South. Freshman have to read Romeo & Juliet, so we go through it with them and relate it to their lives. That story is really about teen violence, so we connect this 400 year old story to the students lives and it's always lovely to see how they react to those similarities. It's one of my favorite things that I've ever done.

How do you go about preparing for a role? 

Well, for Zoo Story it's just getting my lines *laughs*. I mean the line load is just so heavy. Other than that I don't know if I have a specific process for each one. I mean once I have the lines, I think it's like Steven said, it's about getting the lines in your head and trying to inhabit them. Though maybe not word-perfect like Steven, at least not in this show *laughs*.

*Editor's Note: Michael is referring to the Threepenny blog interview we did with Steven Brown earlier this week. Scroll down to find it


What are your thoughts on Edward Albee and The Zoo Story, particularly? 

You know, I don't know a great deal about Albee. I've heard a few stories about him. Mostly how specific he is about the way some of these lines are said. He is very specific about the blocking and some of the ellipses, and I've heard some stories about him being a quote/unquote "tyrant" about how these lines are supposed to be emoted. Interesting, but I really don't know if it's true. But this story, it's really like all stories, it's about two people connecting, or trying to find a way to connect. In Brilliant Traces it was two people stuck in a cabin who couldn't leave. In this one, there are two people stuck in a park who could leave at any time, but they choose to stay, so it's why are they choosing to stay and connect with each other. They're two vastly different people, so what is it about this moment that makes them connect?

You know it's interesting. In your shows with Threepenny, you've always been sort of coupled up, paired with another actor in a two person piece. Is that more of a challenge than a larger ensemble?

I don't know if it is more of a challenge, but it certain presents it's own unique challenge; mostly from the fact that you only have this one other person to depend on, where with a larger ensemble there are multiple people around to sort of help you if you get lost. Now with this show, it's sort of different, because it's so line heavy for me that if I get lost, I'm in trouble. Because Peter, the other character [played by Corey Parker] is a listener and I just talk and talk. I have a five page monologue at one point, that feels like a twenty page monologue to me sometimes *laugh*. So that's a big challenge

Any last thoughts on Beer Flight Theatre Night as a whole?

We were just saying, after the run-though was over that it was lovely that all the shows basically revolve around two people, one has three but that character is sort of removed in some ways, so it's all about the pairs. It's not a light evening at the theatre, I would say. And beer is wonderful, but sometimes I think we could maybe use some hard liquor at this show *laughs*. Ultimately I think these shows, like most good shows, discuss what it means to be human and what connects us as human beings. And that's the most important thing: if I can see something real on stage and something that makes me feel connected to the actor even though I know they're not really this person, then I'm happy

Thank you Michael. Check back tomorrow to meet our last performer! 

And be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening TOMORROW NIGHT August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Beer Flight Theatre Night: Corey Parker

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet another of our actors. Today we are excited to be introducing a new face to our Threepenny company. Corey Parker has been an actor and acting teacher all over the country. He brings years of experience and artistic excellence to our stage, and we are excited to have him on the blog today.

Corey Parker - Peter

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing?

My name is Corey Parker.I am playing Peter in Edward Albee's The Zoo Story.

How did you start acting?

 I started acting at the age of three, after my father's death. We were living in New York, and we were going around town trying to make money. And then I started in the theatres at the age of thirteen in New York and ended up becoming a member of the Actor's Studio and the Ensemble Studio Theatre and working with Steppenwolf. I've always just loved theatre.

How did you end up finding your way to Memphis?

I met my wife in Los Angeles, and she was from Memphis. We decided to come back and raise our kid here.

How did you first encounter Threepenny?

I knew Matt. I had worked with him some. So when he created it. he told me about it. I'm also a teacher as well as an actor, so I went in and did some warm-ups and exercises with the company at some points.

How do you go about preparing for a role? 

I think it's always different, you know? I think there is always this desire to find this formula, so you can just check off the boxes and be done. You know, the most obvious thing is that you do need to learn your lines, but I think after that you can start to follow your intuition about who the character is and ask yourself "how I can find some sort of connection with him, and what is he really after, or what does he really need or want." And you start to get those connections. They can come from anywhere: from watching an animal, or a painting, or listening to a piece of music. You just follow your heart and you start to find and discover this person.

What are your thoughts on Edward Albee and The Zoo Story, particularly? 

Well, I think Albee is a pretty astounding, amazing writer. I have a high respect not only for his ability as a writer, which is mind-blowing, but also just his brain impresses me. I've watched interviews with him from the 70's, 80's and 90's. I've read interviews with him, and I just think he's an astounding writer. I also think he's a control freak. I think as he became older he just got so controlling over things. Like this play, the version we are getting to do... a professional production of this play cannot do it the way we get to do it. Albee wrote another play that goes in front of this play, and you can only do those two plays together now. So this play we're doing is from 1959, and it's an amazing creation, and I think it should be allowed to be done the way it was originally written. But, you know, it's his play, I guess he has the right to be controlling. It is an amazing play.

Editor's Note: Professional productions of The Zoo Story are also required to produce Albee's piece Homelife, which serves as a sort of Act I for The Zoo Story. Colleges and non-professional theatres (like Threepenny) are permitted to just put on the original one act.

Any thoughts about the upcoming night of one acts and what connections you see between the plays?

I actually got to see the other plays for the first time tonight, and I think the thing that is really in common here is Matt: Matt's vision, Matt's heart, Matt's creativity. And I really respect Matt a lot, and I love watching him put things together. He produces. He directs. He's a powerhouse and nothing seems to stop him, and he works very, very hard. So I think Matt is the real answer to that one

Where can we learn more about you Corey?

I have a website, http://www.coreyparkeractor.com. And I also have an actor blog, which is http://memphisactor.blogspot.com/, both of which you can check out to keep up with what I'm up to.

Thank you Corey. Check back later this week to meet another performer! And be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Beer Flight Theatre Cast: David Galloway

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet another of our actors. Today we bring you some international flair with David Galloway. Originally from Scotland, David has been designing and performing in the Memphis area for many years now. He's appeared in previous Threepenny productions such as Macbeth and Dido, Queen of Carthage. When he isn't performing theatre, he is performing with local punk band Shamefinger. 

David Galloway - Lionel

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing in?

I am David Galloway, and I'm playing the character of Lionel in Harold Pinter's "New World Order."

How did you start performing in theatre?

 I got started with theatre proper in undergrad. There were auditions for a show that some of my friends were doing called On the Verge, and I thought "well what the heck, I'll audition for it" and I got in and by the end of that process I was like "this is something I think I should do." So I declared my theatre major and started doing shows.

How did you first encounter Threepenny?

That was Macbeth, I'm pretty sure. Auditioned for Macbeth, played Banquo and I loved it. Had a great, great time.

How do you go about preparing for a role? 

A lot of it is research. I look into the history of the play and the specifics around my character. I'll think of other characters from other plays or mediums that are similar to my character, and research them as well, see if I can't find anything to pull in to help define who I'm playing. But mostly for me, it's all about the reading and research.

Now, you are Scottish. What are your thoughts on Harold Pinter and this play, particularly? Especially how it might relate to politics in the United Kingdom?

Ah, you see, what's weird is that during this process we haven't talked too much about UK politics, but we have talked a lot about US politics with this, given our current political climate. Pinter is an English playwright, who writes a lot about freedom of the press and freedom of speech, and I think this play, at least in his initial interpretation, is very much a tongue-in-cheek poke at that. You know, with all this PC, political correctness, this is what Pinter thought could happen: intent could overcome ethics. But at the same time, I don't think his original intent is what the play means for us today. With the crap that's going on with our current elections in this country or with the language that was used surrounding the Brexit campaign in the UK, I think we're seeing something different. We are seeing a breakdown of Truth via language. Where our newscasters can say whatever they want to say because it gets ratings up. And I think this play can sort of speak to that a little bit, and ask what defines what it true and what is right. But even more than that, I think this play deals with the moral dilemma of dehumanization and torture. What justifies getting getting to that point where you can dehumanize a person so much that it's okay to inflict excruciating pain on someone? Where is that line for you? And I think that's relevant at the moment as well, because it's in the news. Is torture alright for enemies and should we use it? I don't think so. I think it's disgusting and anyone who does it should be condemned.

How does it feel to be performing a short 10 minute piece as opposed to a long-form play.  Is it more or less pressure?

In many ways I think there is more pressure, because with a full length play you have two hours to work out all the stuff. We've got about ten minutes. It's really about 6 minutes of dialogue and about 4 minutes of other stuff. But we have to establish these characters in such a small window of time, make them relateable to the audience, make the situation explainable and relateable to the audience with a heck of a lot less than you would have in a full length play. So I think the challenge is definitely greater.

Any last words to the audience about the play or the beer or anything else?

Memphis Made is pretty damn fine.

Any other plugs?

Come see Hamlet [presented by New Moon Theatre Company, February 3rd-19th at TheatreWorks] when that comes out. Come see Shamefinger. We are playing at Murphy's this Thursday at 8pm and this Saturday at 9pm. It should be a blast.

Thank you David. Check back later this week to meet another performer! And be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Beer Flight Theatre Cast: Steven Brown

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet another of our actors. Steven Brown has been performing at multiple theatres in the Memphis area for almost two decades. His last appearance with Threepenny was in our production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. We are delighted he will be joining us once again for Beer Flight Theatre Night.

Steven Brown - Des

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing in?

My name is Steven Brown, and I'm playing Des in "New World Order" by Harold Pinter

How did you start performing in theatre?

 I first got started in theatre in high school. I was one of those kids who could never decide what they wanted to be on career day, so I decided to give the acting thing a try. I took a theatre class my Freshman year, got into my first show sophomore year and just kept going after that, all the way through college and beyond.

How did you first encounter Threepenny?

The first show I did with Threepenny was A Midsummer Night's Dream. I had already been around Matt a little bit. We'd worked on a few shows together and seen each other around the community. He approached me about Midsummer, and I liked the idea and the concept of the theatre: pay-what-you-can and a focus on classics like Shakespeare and contemporary works in a sort of stripped down setting. So I did that show, and after that I told him if there were any others I would be here.

How do you go about preparing for a role? 

Well first thing I do is just read the script quite a few times, just trying to get a sense of where everyone is coming from and seeing how my character relates to everyone around them. No matter what kind of role I'm playing, I need to find that relation with the other characters. After that, I think it's all in the words. I work the lines until I have them word-perfect in my head, so no matter what rehearsal calls for, I have them down in my mind and can be adaptable with them. Because, to me, the character lies in the words. Thought gets you to where you need to be, but words are how you express that to the audience, and when you can perfectly connect the words to the thoughts behind them, that's when you have a good performance.  But in order to do that, you have to have the words. They're your constant.

What are your thoughts on Harold Pinter and this play, particularly?

I've not had an extensive background with Harold Pinter before this. I've seen a few of his plays before around, mostly in college. I'm aware of his trademarks: the "Pinter Pause" and everything. I am glad we're not sticking hard and fast to those directions and being a bit more free-form. But I really do enjoy it. I think "New World Order" has a really great economy of story. He packs a lot into a little bit, hiding things in the subtext. The words you see are the tip of this huge iceberg. There is so much subtext to be found or created. There's a freedom to that as an actor because you can find your character and your own motivations to get where you need to go.

* editor's note: Harold Pinter routinely worked moments of silence into his scripts, usually with the simple stage notes of "pause" or "silence," hence the "Pinter Pause." Actors, directors, critics and theatre scholars have long debated the artistic and technical intent behind these stage directions. Pinter himself (in later years) said they could be cut if they didn't make sense.

How does it feel to be performing a short 10 minute piece as opposed to a long-form play.  Is it more or less pressure?

Actually, no, it seems like a chance to really play. Not indulge or anything, but normally in a play it's about responding in a way to keep the action going. It's about responding on the line, there's not a lot of acting in between. But with this, with Pinter and because it is so short, there is almost a responsibility to find those moments in the character and in the story that are expressed through silence or in waiting for a response or trying to form a response and letting the audience see all that forming. So because it is so short and there is so much subtext to be packed into that small amount of time, it's almost more fun than a full-length show. So I don't feel more pressure.

Any last words to the audience about the play or the beer or anything else?

Hopefully the beer and the show and everything will be great. I think these three shows really go together in a very interesting way. They all sort of come from two people in conflict and I think that's really interesting.

Thank you Steven. Check back later this week to meet another performer! And be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Beer Flight Theatre Cast: Michael Ewing

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet another of our actors. He recently appeared in Hattiloo and Threepenny theatre's collaborative production of Free Man of Color. His appearance at Beer Flight Theatre Night will be his last performance in the Memphis area for a while, and while we are sad to see him go, we are glad to have Michael Ewing performing with us one more time.

Michael Ewing- Man

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing in?

My name is Michael J. Ewing and I will be playing Man in "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen" by Tennessee Williams.

How did you start performing in theatre?

The first thing I did was in 8th grade. I got to play Scrooge in an abbreviated version of A Christmas Carol for kids. So I got to play a lead, and I say that because it sort of kindled something there. But because I was an athlete, running track and cross country through college, theatre sort of went on the back burner. So, to shorten the complicated story, I auditioned for a play my last semester in college, and I didn't get it, but it triggered something. So, after college I moved to this little ski town in Colorado for a year and did four shows back to back to back to back, and it was great and I loved it. I moved to New York City and just got completely overwhelmed and intimidated so I went and got a "real" job for about two and half years. But eventually, after traveling a bit, I sort of had a... I guess you could call it a crisis of purpose, and I said "f*** it I'm gonna give it a shot". I was in the Philadelphia area, and I just started looking for things and I've been scrambling and scrabbling it together ever since.

How did you first encounter Threepenny?

Through you *laughs*. I first heard about it last year when I was doing The Seagull (at Playhouse on the Square). So I came over and saw Long Day's Journey into Night, and I was just blown away.

How do you go about preparing for a role? Be it a short 10 minute play or a larger one like Free Man of Color or The Seagull

For me, it's an amalgamation of approaches. To begin with, I read the play, or read it again if I'm already familiar with the work. Then I quickly try to get a sense what the director's vision is, and, from there, I try to bring my myriad of experiences and technique to the table. I did a lot of improv early on, and while I feel I'm not a great straight improvisor, what I did get from those experience is this willingness to not be afraid to fail, because failing at improv is the scariest thing in the world. Also, it created this sense of "yes, and..." when I work, that has served me really well as a regular actor because it keeps me open to what my fellow actors come up with,  and what the designers and directors decide to do. So, initially, I try and be a sponge for everything and then as the rehearsal process continues, you start to narrow things down and make clearer, more concrete choices.

What are your thoughts on Tennessee Williams and this play, particularly?

Well, I've talked to few people about this play and I think for some it's really cool and others it's a little scary because this play is kind of a tone poem. And that's a real challenge as an actor, because there is this really fine line between it being too precious and it being almost ridiculously melodramatic. In a way it's sort of a nugget of Tennessee Williams himself. I think you could make that case for almost all his works have that pull between "is it too precious/is it too strident" That's the big challenge, I think.

How does it feel to be performing a short 10 minute piece as opposed to a long-form play. Especially considering how Williams puts so much emphasis on creating a mood. Is it more or less pressure?

This is what sort of comes back to my improv "yes, and..." training. I really don't worry too much about that sort of thing, anymore, that pressure. Plus, I've already worked with Matt on Free Man of Color, and now, on this second go-around I have even more faith in putting myself in his hands and going where he wants to go. I've been doing this long enough that I don't worry. Some people will think this is really cool and for some people it won't be their cup of tea, and I have little control over that personal preference. I can just do the best I can when the performance comes.

Any last words to the audience about the play or the beer or anything else?

Be an improvisor. Be a "yes, and..." open audience member, cause it's a nice little variety of shows, and I think there is a conversation among the three pieces that is something to look for.

Thank you Michael. Check back later this week to meet another performer! And be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Beer Flight Theatre Cast: Jaclyn Suffel

Hello All,

Threepenny Theatre's one weekend run of one act plays will feature the works of three of the greatest modern playwrights (Edward Albee, Harold Pinter and Tennessee Williams). Today we will meet the first of our actors. This is her second time performing for Threepenny (she previously appeared as Juno, queen of the gods in Threepenny's Dido, Queen of Carthage collaboration with the Opera Memphis's Midtown Opera Festival). She has been a member of the Memphis theatre community since relocating here from Houston, Texas in 2007. Meet Jaclyn Suffel.

Jaclyn Suffel - Woman

Welcome to the blog. What is your name and what show are you performing in?

My name is Jaclyn Suffel. I play Woman in "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen" by Tennessee Williams

How did you first get started performing in theatre?

In elementary school, we did these really strange, almost like canned musicals. They were musicals that were written specifically to be performed by elementary school kids. So I started with those. I played Spots the Leopard and a character just called "The Boss" in a Christmas show, which was my first taste of being a villain. I loved it, and I've never looked back *laughs*.

Where did you get your more formal training?

In Texas, there is a UIL one-act competition, which is this competitive form of theatre that we do. It's a heightened form of high school theatre that requires theatre production on a very rigorous level. So that started my training and then I went on to Southwestern University on a theatre performance scholarship and majored in theatre there.

How did you first encounter Threepenny?

All my besties are in it *laughs*. All of my good friends helped found it. The first Threepenny show I saw was A Midsummer Night's Dream and it was a phenomenal production that was done on a low budget and I was really impressed with it. What this company does is amazing.

How do you go about preparing for a role?

I spend a lot of time with my script. I believe in deep script and character analysis. I take a lot of notes and mark my script up. I really like to think characters through, practicing deliveries on my own, reading the script multiple, multiple times aloud before the rehearsal process begins. Then, when rehearsals begin, which is my favorite part of any production, I quickly want to create a relationship with the director where I can ask questions and we can go back and forth. I can learn their vision and expand mine.

What are your thoughts on Tennessee Williams and this play, particularly?

I love Tennessee Williams. I think he's one of the most amazing playwrights in existence. I think most theatre folks would say the same. Even his stage directions are poetry. The way even the most minute of his details holds weight  and has importance. And I think his ability to write about the weakness and vulnerability of humans is accessible in a way that not many playwrights can touch, probably because it so truthfully came from his own vulnerability. With this play in particular, it's a really intense and heartbreaking little one act that explores codependency and two people's codependency on one another.You just get sort of a glimpse, a snapshot of what that looks like on a daily basis and how heartbreaking it really is.

How does it feel to be performing a short 10 minute piece as opposed to a long-form play. Especially considering how Williams puts so much emphasis on creating a mood. Is it more or less pressure?

I feel a lot of pressure, but I think it mostly has to do with the arch of the story being so condensed. You have this very tiny moment to make this massive emotional journey. It means you have to be incredibly precise about everything that you do and there is no room for error and there is no room to make an unclear choice.

Any last words to the audience about the play or the beer or anything else?

I mean, plays are always awesome and plays plus beer only makes life better. In general, I think it's really important to support local theatre. This theatre was started by some local people who just had a passion for doing traditional good, solid written work. Not everyone does the kind of theatre Threepenny does, and we need them to continue producing, so for those of you who come support this and grab a beer... we appreciate you.

Thank you Jaclyn. Check back later this week to meet another performer! And be sure to come check out Threepenny and Memphis Made Brewing Company's Beer Flight Theatre Night, opening August 26th at Evergreen Theatre. One Weekend Only!

Threepenny Returns... with Beer!

Poster Design by Ronnie Lewis

Threepenny Theatre was founded with a simple goal: we wanted to create great works of theatre at low production costs. The reasons behind this were two fold.

1) We didn't have a lot of money (no point in lying about it)

and, more importantly

2) We wanted to show that great theatre did not necessarily need extravagant bells and whistles to be intensely engaging and incredibly moving. 

Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with the amazing production values of larger theatres (Memphis is blessed to have some of the finest theatre designers you could ever hope to encounter and the work they do it always stellar), but, at the end of the day, it is this most basic of needs - the desire for human connection - that drives the art form. 

People, coming together, to feel something created by other people. That is the heart of the theatre: to unite people in a shared experience. It is a communal ritual, and one that we enjoy sharing with anyone who is interested. That is why all of Threepenny's shows have always been, and will always be, set-your-own admission. Anyone who wants to see one of our productions will be able to, regardless of how much they have or who they know. You show up, you're in.

In that spirit of community, we have come up with an idea. Earlier this season we were lucky enough to collaborate with Hattiloo Theatre on a wonderful production of "Free Man of Color." So, for our final show, we thought it might be fun to collaborate with another local Memphis institution. 

So, in the spirit of community, Threepenny Theatre will be partnering with Memphis Made Brewing Company to present a weekend of three very strange, very engaging, one act plays (from three of the greatest modern playwrights) paired with local beer after each play. 

Over the next couple of weeks we will be introducing you to the various actors who will be performing in our shows. We hope to see all of you soon, share a beer, and thank you for all your support.

Shows will be at the Evergreen Theatre:

Friday August 26th at 8pm

Saturday August 27th at 8pm

Sunday, August 28th at 2pm

and

MONDAY, August 29th at 8pm 

And, as always, every show is Set-Your-Own-Admission (suggested donation of $15). 

YOU MUST HAVE YOUR I.D. TO DRINK THE BEER. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO EXCUSES.

We look forward to seeing you!

Meet the cast of Brilliant Traces: Meghan Lisi

If I must be wrung through the paradox, - - - broken into wholeness, wring me around the moon; pelt me with particles from the dark side. Fling me into space; hide me in a black hole. Let me dance with devils on dead stars. Let my scars leave brilliant traces, for my highborn soul seeks its hell - - - in high places.

Individuation by Avah Pevlor Johnson

Hello everyone, Threepenny is opening a new show this Friday when we present Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson, running June 19-June 28th at TheatreWorks, 8:00pm start time for Fridays and Saturdays, 2:00pm on Sundays, and a performance on Monday night, June 22nd at 8:00pm.

Brilliant Traces is an short two-person show with a very strange premise. Henry Harry is a reclusive man living alone in the Alaskan wilderness. His isolation is interrupted during a snow storm by the arrival of a woman clad only in a wedding dress and flimsy satin shoes. What follows is an intimate look at the power of trauma and the difficulty in finding real human connection in this world. Let's meet the actors.

Meghan Lisi - Rosannah DeLuce

Welcome to the blog! What's your name and who are you playing?

My name is Meghan Lisi and I am playing Rosannah DeLuce


Meghan, you're fairly well known to Threepenny audiences. What's your association with the company?

I started working with the company during Macbeth, when I played Lady Macbeth. Then I was Dido, in Dido, Queen of Carthage. I also handle marketing for the company now, so a lot of times when you see posts up on the Threepenny Facebook page, they may or may not be from me.


What drew you to the company?

I saw Threepenny's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream that happened at the University of Memphis two summers ago (editor's note: and was brought back by popular demand last summer). I saw the Monday night show, which was very, very exciting because I was in a show at that time and wouldn't have been able to see it otherwise, and I was really blown away. Not just because the actors were awesome, but from start to finish I could see the director's hand in everything. I could see what he had done. I could see the choices that he had made, and I could see the actors not only making those choices but having a great time doing it, and I just thought "I want to work with this company." So I did.


How did you get into acting in general?

I am one of those creepy people who have been acting all of their lives. My very first role was the Little Chick in Old MacDonald's Barnyard when I was in Pre-K, so I've kind of been doing it ever since. It's just always been part of my life. I went to undergrad at Florida State and got my B.A. in theatre, and then after going out into the big scary world of Los Angeles for a while, I went back and got a M.F.A. in acting from the University of Alabama through the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.


What do you do when you're not performing?

When I'm not performing I spend my time fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Memphis is really cool like that. I get to make a huge impact on the world, and still get to do my art, so that's pretty awesome.


Brilliant Traces: what are your thoughts on this play?

My thoughts on this play are that it is a very difficult play from an actor's perspective. This was something I hadn't realized, because I'd never done a two person play before. When you're doing a monologue or soliloquy, you are in charge of you, and you get through it. When you're doing an ensemble piece with a lot of actors, you're in charge of you and being were you need to be, and you get through. When you are doing a show with just you and another actor, you are in charge of everything. Because if you mess up, even a single word or emotional cue, if you get lost, then there is only one other person there to save you, and when you screw up you are doing a disservice to everything. So it's a very meticulous process, but the play itself has been, shockingly, a joy to work on. I wasn't so sure at the first read. I was thinking "Wow, this is a really strangely written play." The language is very heightened, but once you start getting into it, you realize Cindy Lou Johnson's language feeds into the incredible awkwardness of two people being trapped in house with about 900 tons of emotional baggage. It's amazing how well she captured this feeling of "Well, this is awkward."


This play, when I read it, it just strikes me that it is all about trauma and the nature of what causes trauma. How do you think a play like this is beneficial to Memphis audiences?

Memphis has been through a lot of trauma itself, you know. It's interesting, Michael made a comment in his interview about his character being a walking scar and my character being an open wound. That made a lot of sense to me, but it also makes a lot of sense in relation to Memphis. This town has scars, but we wear them proudly. And I think that part of the process of this play is these two people learning to deal with wounds that they have. And it's a thing that all people have to deal with. And it's Cindy Lou Johnson's ability to capture that idea that, I think, makes her such an excellent writer. She finds a way for two people on stage to strip away their need to hide and just deal with the hand that life has dealt them. And that's something everyone has to deal with in their life: interacting with people while dealing with our own baggage. This is just a highly theatrical version of that common situation.


Any last words to audiences coming to see Brilliant Traces?

I want to say like "Get excited, Memphis. WOOOO," but really this is something Memphis audiences don't get to see every day.  Just two people, and Michael's brilliant and Matt's direction has been amazing. Every person who has touched this show has just really put their heart into it. There just aren't too many opportunities to watch two people open up, take a slice of life, and just reflect it on stage. Anyone who's lived though even half-a-minute of life will understand, in some way, what these two are going through, and because of that, maybe understand themselves a little better.


Thank you Meghan! We hope to see you all at Brilliant Traces, opening tomorrow at TheatreWorks. First show is at 8pm, then again on Saturday at 8, Sunday at 2, and Monday at 8. Every show is Set-Your-Own-Admission!

Meet the cast of Brilliant Traces: Michael Khanlarian

If I must be wrung through the paradox, - - - broken into wholeness, wring me around the moon; pelt me with particles from the dark side. Fling me into space; hide me in a black hole. Let me dance with devils on dead stars. Let my scars leave brilliant traces, for my highborn soul seeks its hell - - - in high places.

Individuation by Avah Pevlor Johnson

Hello everyone, Threepenny is opening a new show this Friday when we present Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson, running June 19-June 28th at TheatreWorks, 8:00pm start time for Fridays and Saturdays, 2:00pm on Sundays, and a performance on Monday night, June 22nd at 8:00pm.

Brilliant Traces is an short two-person show with a very strange premise. Henry Harry is a reclusive man living alone in the Alaskan wilderness. His isolation is interrupted during a snow storm by the arrival of a woman clad only in a wedding dress and flimsy satin shoes. What follows is an intimate look at the power of trauma and the difficulty in finding real human connection in this world. Let's meet the actors.

Michael Khanlarian - Henry Harry

Welcome to the blog! What's your name and who are you playing?

I am Michael Khanlarian, and I'm playing Henry Harry.


Michael, this is your first show with Threepenny Theatre. How did you find the company?

Well, I have been working with Matt Crewse, the artistic director of Threepenny for a very long time now. We met in college and we worked together at Tennessee Shakespeare Company, and we've done several independent projects around town, so I have a very good working relationship with Matt. The only Threepenny show I've been able to see so far was Long Day's Journey Into Night, which I was very impressed by (editor's note: Michael recently returned to Memphis after living in Los Angeles).


How did you get into acting in general?

I actually had no intention of acting when I was a kid or even in high school or in college. In fact, the only reason I got into acting at all was that I was in college, and I was just kind of swimming. I didn't really know what I was going to do, because I was just told to go, you know? I was told I was supposed to go to college, so I was just kind of hanging out, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do, and I was walking by the theatre building one day... and I saw a girl. She went into an audition... and then I followed her into the audition, and that's pretty much how it started and I've just sort of rolled on from there. I forgot about her and fell in love with acting.


That's almost kind of romantic, man.

It is kinda romantic! *laughs*


How do you like to prepare for a role? Do you have a particular way you like to perform?

It's different every time. I mean, I'm used to doing Shakespeare, especially the last couple of years, or narrative theatre. So with that, I start with the language and the text. But with every role, especially one like this, it's different. It's always different. I don't have a set way of doing things. I just try and connect things to me in some way.


Brilliant Traces is an interesting show. It's only two actors, you and Meghan Lisi, so what's it like doing a show where there aren't a multitude of characters to engage with?

It's difficult. I've never had such a hard time with lines before, and I don't think it's because we have so many lines, it's more that both of our characters lie a lot. We lie about a lot of the same things. We both have these specific traumas that we lie about, and we lie about it in different ways, so it makes it difficult to keep things straight. But working with someone like Meghan, once you have the lines down, it's really easy. I enjoy it. I brought this play to Matt's attention, so I knew this play was right for me.


It's interesting you used the word "trauma," because I wanted to ask about that. This play, when I read it, it just strikes me that it is all about trauma and the nature of what causes trauma. How do you think a play like this is beneficial to Memphis audiences?

Well, I think the cool thing about this play and what really draws me towards it is that it is about two people who are... how do I put this... weak is not the word... they are vulnerable. Vulnerable people, as we all are. And you get to see these people be real with each other. It takes a while, but they are trapped in this space together and they have to deal with each other. And it's a man and a woman, and I don't think that's an accident. It's that dynamic, and Cindy Lou Johnson does a really good job capturing that tension between a man and a woman when they HAVE to deal with each other when all pretense is gone. It starts of with them having to try to deal and be polite, but then the gloves come off. These two people have trauma in their lives, and the title, Brilliant Traces, is a reference to a poem written by Cindy Lou's mother. "Brilliant Traces" are the scars that we carry in our lives because of the traumas we endure. And Henry Harry, the character I play, he's a walking scar, and his counterpart, Rosannah DeLuce, is an open wound, and she comes into his house and he has to deal with these wounds. So I think Memphis audiences can find something emotionally moving in watching these two people be vulnerable with each other. You get to see a man and a woman being open and generous with each other, and with Meghan, who is so open and generous with her performance, you get to see two actors at the top of their game.


Any last words to audiences coming to see Brilliant Traces?

I think this play is not to be missed. If you want to see two actors at the top of their games being open an present with each other, and being vulnerable, you can't get better than this.


Thank you Michael! Be sure to check out the blog Thursday, when we sit down with the other half of this show. And we hope to see you all at Brilliant Traces, opening this Friday at TheatreWorks. Every show is Set-Your-Own-Admission!

Long Day's Journey Into Night: Considerations on Darkness

That's Eugene O'Neill in the 1936. He didn't write Long Day's Journey Into Night until 1941, and it wasn't published until 1956. It was his last great play, and most would argue, the greatest play he ever wrote: a tragic triumph of American realism.  O'Neill instructed that the play not be published until 25 years after his death (he died in 1953) but his wife used a legal loophole to circumvent these restrictions.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is an autobiographical piece. Well, at least it is emotionally autobiographical. The characters in the story are based around O'Neill's life. James is his father (a promising actor in his youth). Mary is his mother (a morphine addict). O'Neill is the embodiment of their children (he actually had to go to a sanitarium for tuberculosis, it's where he really started his play-writing). In Long Day's Journey Into Night, O'Neill was writing his life. He was exorcising his demons onto a page and presenting them to the world; while, at the same time, making sure he would never be around to view the results. 

The question I have is... why? 

Why did O'Neill write it, and why should you, or any audience, see this on-stage diary of one man's broken family? What is the purpose? In my interviews with the cast of this show I asked them all the same question: what is the benefit of presenting such a dark, challenging piece? It's painful, it's brutal, it's depressing, it's long (full disclosure, the show runs over three hours). What's the point?

I think O'Neill's reasons and the audience's reasons go hand in hand. I believe O'Neill wrote this play as a form of closure for himself. The tragedy of this story is that the family refuses to engage with the things that destroy them. Closure, true closure only comes from facing the things in our life that hurt us. You have to walk through the darkness to reach the light. A show like Long Day's Journey Into Night forces us to consider all possible shades of existence, and engage with the shadows that lie just under the surface of our lives. We live in an imperfect world, it would be a lie to deny it, so we face it, every day, in our own ways, and are, I think, made better for it.

There's a term that's been used in the theatre (and the classroom) for over 2,000 years. It's called catharsis. You may have heard the term, vaguely defined, having to do with a mixture of pity and fear at the end of a play. The term has always bothered me. The standard definition has always been so incredibly unsatisfying. It wasn't until just recently, when I began considering Long Day's Journey Into Night, reading the play and looking through articles that I finally stumbled on, what I believe, is a much clearer meaning for this very old word.

Catharsis is the feeling of relief and release that comes after you make your way through the worst part of a painful experience.

A horrible separation. 

A destructive addiction

A depressive season. 

A loss of faith. 

It's that massive psychological moment when you suddenly realize that the beat goes on and you move forward into the world, hopefully tempered and strengthened by the experience. A piece of you may be broken, but the whole of you stands stronger than you did before. 

If something can't be a happy memory, it can be a lesson learned.

Theatre is a safe medium, the characters on-stage experience these painful moments, and you the viewer are invited to empathetically engage with them. At Threepenny, we don't believe that theatre can change the world, but we do believe that theatre can change a person. It can help them experience and consider things in new ways. I, personally, believe that the most important goal of the theatre is to make you feel. That is the purpose of a play like Long Day's Journey Into Night. O'Neill wrote from his gut. He was all about feeling. We hope that you will feel something, and that it will, in a small way, affect you.

We walk you into the darkness in a safe way. The show is long, but O'Neill designed it that way. The length allows for a full integration of the senses. As you fall into the play and your mind wanders your emotions will hopefully synch with the those of the characters.  Don't worry about catching every last little detail, don't stress, just let the show fall over you. If we've done our jobs you will feel what they feel. You will hope as they hope. You will fail as they fail, and, at the end, when you exit the theatre, perhaps you will have been affected and enriched, if only a little bit.

We'll have chocolate and wine waiting.

Thank you for reading. Long Day's Journey Into Night opens TONIGHT at 7PM at TheatreWorks. As always, it's set-your-own-admission with a suggested donation of $15 dollars. Hope to see you there.

Learning Never Ends

Long Day's Journey Into Night: Bill Baker

Hello all, Threepenny is back in the month of February, presenting Eugene O'Neill's great American tragedy Long Day's Journey Into Night, opening THIS FRIDAY at TheatreWorks and running through February 22nd (no show on Valentine's Day). As always, the show is set-your-own-admission with a suggested ticket price of $15.

This week, we meet the parents: James and Mary Tyrone, and we are fortunate enough to feature two of the finest actors in Memphis performing with us in this show. This is their first time working with Threepenny and we are very excited to have them. For our last interview, we meet the patriarch of the Tyrone family, played by the outstanding Bill Baker.

Bill Baker - James

Welcome Bill. How long have you be involved in theatre in Memphis?

I've been involved in Memphis theatre for about forty years. Since I was in my twenties. When I started out I was doing stuff at Circuit Playhouse and they had a little attic theatre they had started for experimental work and I was working there, creating new things.

What are some past favorite roles?

I played Lenny Bruce in a play called Lenny. That was in the 70's and was a big one in my life. More recently, I played King Lear with New Moon ensemble. But very recently, the last play I did was an original adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland called Madhatted, where I played the White Rabbit, and that was a great deal of fun.

Who was that with?

That was with Our Own Voice Theatre Troupe, which is a theatre company I'm one of the founding directors of.

Long Day's Journey Into Night, what are your thoughts on this play?

I guess the big thing for me is that it's heavily literary, and I don't usually do that. At least I haven't in the last twenty years. Most of my work has been much more focused on experimental and improvisational work, sort of ensemble-created pieces, so those texts are played with a sort of free and loose mentality. But what I've come upon recently, doing Lear and now doing this, with this piece of great literature as your text, there's a certain sort of sacred quality to the language, and we have to respect it in a way that you don't have to when you're writing the piece as you go. So, it's this way of regarding the text that is so interesting. Even though it's very traditional and I worked that way when I was younger, it's very new to me again.

How are you connecting with the character of James?

I mean, I am a father, so I connect with him in that way. I connect with him in terms of feeling for one's children and feeling for one's spouse. Also, in my day job, I work with a lot of people who suffer from addiction, so I connect to the struggle that he has with his wife, who is a morphine addict, and I can empathize with how he feels. I also grew up in a household where alcohol was a regular part of the world, and that's a big part of Tyrone's life, so I think the dysfunction of the family is just as much a result of alcoholism as it is of morphine addiction, so I can also relate to the way substances can alter the family dynamic.

And what do you do during the day?

I'm a psychotherapist. I work with people with both severe persistent mental illnesses and also with substance abuse issues.

What is it like working with this cast?

Oh, it's great. They're all so talented. I worked with both Dylan and Christina on King Lear, so it was nice picking up that relation, but Gabe and Jillian are great as well. Gabe and I have this long, interesting scene together that sort of comes near the end of the play and it is really a pleasure to play that.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is a very dark play, darker than a lot of shows Memphis audiences are used to. What do you think are the merits of putting on a show like this?

Well, the darkness is about something that is very much a present problem in our culture, which is addiction. The show is fashioned as a tragedy. Although no one dies, we see that they are all sort of going down in flames in their substance abuse. We are a chemically dependent society, you know, and it is a tragedy, and we see it over and over again. People allow the drugs in their lives to just pull them down. So, if the Aristotelian theory of catharsis is something that is healthy for us as a culture, which is somewhat debatable, it may be interesting to see if a few people who may be struggling with these problems themselves may end up being enlightened or purified by the experience of seeing the tragedy of this family.

Any last words to audiences coming to see Long Day's Journey Into Night?

Uhm, come sober *laughs*. And prepare to be sobered, I think. And be persistent, stick it out. It is long and it is demanding, but it is definitely worth it, so come with yourself ready to make a long day's journey into night.


Thank you, Bill. This concludes our interviews for this show. Check back a little later this week, when I take a stab at the darkness that seems to pervade this classic work and try to convince you, my beloved reader to join us this weekend.

Long Day's Journey Into Night: Christina Wellford Scott

Hello all, Threepenny is back in the month of February, presenting Eugene O'Neill's great American tragedy Long Day's Journey Into Night, opening THIS FRIDAY at TheatreWorks and running through February 22nd (no show on Valentine's Day). As always, the show is set-your-own-admission with a suggested ticket price of $15.

This week, we meet the parents: Mary and James Tyrone, and we are fortunate enough to feature two of the finest actors in Memphis, performing with us in this show. This is their first time working with Threepenny and we are very excited to have them. Today we interview our leading lady. She's been a part of the Memphis theatre scene for over 30 years, having performed on almost every stage in town, picking up numerous Ostrander awards and nominations along the way. Her name is Christina Wellford Scott.

Christina Wellford Scott - Mary

Hello, what's your name and who are you playing?

My name is Christina Wellford Scott, and I'm playing Mary Tyrone.

How long have you been involved with theatre in the city of Memphis?

Oh, a long time, thirty-plus years I would say.

What was your first show?

Well, my first show, I was in the chorus of Carousel for Front Street Music Theatre. They performed at Lausanne, directed by George Touliatos, who was my first acting teacher. That was in 1972. Though before that I did play Teddy Wewon in the fourth grade play *laughs*.

Long Day's Journey Into Night, what are your thoughts on the play?

It's a beautiful, magnificent play and it demands a lot of everybody involved. It's a privilege to be in it.

What are some of the challenges you've faced working on the show and portraying the character of Mary?

I think the biggest challenge has been finding the time to let it all settle in. It's such a mammoth work, and I feel the pressure of trying to find all the things Mary could be, and hoping to get to what I envision for the character.

Now, I have it from a very reliable source that you do, in fact, have children. How does that affect your portrayal of Mary?

I think it helps me, emotionally, to understand a lot of her fears and anxieties. I don't know how I would look at the character if I weren't a mother of four. I couldn't even imagine what that's like because I've been a mother for so long.

What's it like working with your fellow cast-mates?

Wonderful. They're all wonderful, and we have a great director. I couldn't be happier with the cast and crew and director. It's just wonderful.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is a very dark play, darker than a lot of shows Memphis audiences are used to. What do you think are the merits of putting on a show like this?

I think it's such a profound play, and I don't think every part of it is dark, but I believe it speaks to a very important place in the human experience, in the same way that Lear does, or Hamlet, or any play that has a dark subject. This is a great play. This is a GREAT play. It's not a melodrama. It's a profound piece that ennobles people who watch it and share in the experience, I think. That's what I hope for.

Any last words?

God help me and the Blessed Virgin *laughs*


Thanks, Christina. Our final interview is coming soon. Long Day's Journey Into Night opens THIS FRIDAY, February 6th, and runs until the 22nd. There is no show on Valentine's Day (Saturday the 14th), but there is a show on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16th! We hope to see you all there.

Long Day's Journey Into Night: John Dylan Atkins

Hello all, Threepenny is back in the month of February, presenting Eugene O'Neill's great American tragedy Long Day's Journey Into Night, running February 6th through February 22nd at TheatreWorks. As always, the show is set-you-own-admission with a suggested ticket price of $15.

For our final interview this week, we talk to a fella who has been with Threepenny since the beginning. He is the only person to appear in every single one of our shows. He was Demetrius and Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He was Macduff in Macbeth, and he was Richard in #blessed, but most of the time, he is John Dylan Atkins.

Welcome back, Dylan. You're one of our founding company members, and you've appeared in all of our shows. Your last show was #blessed, where you played Richard, a sort of sleezy con-man. How was it transitioning from that comedy into Long Day's Journey Into Night?

It is worlds apart *laughs*. That show was more focused on character acting and just completely changing my body, whereas this show is more naturalistic. More about finding what that character is inside me, instead of creating it out of nothing. I have to find it.

Now, you've had an attachment to the character of Jamie for a long time. What's it like to finally get to play this role?

Oh, it's a dream come true. Jamie is the number one dream role I've had since I was introduced to the play by Gloria Baxter. And now I'm getting to do it... it's baffling *smiles*.

How challenging are you finding it?

There are challenging parts, but it's a really comfortable room to work in, so when something isn't working I don't feel a lot of pressure or anything because I know Matt and I will find a compromise to where it will work. I just have to be sure to let the moments I have happen and make sure to get out of my own head, which I always say is my biggest problem. But this cast has made is feel a lot easier than I maybe thought it should have been.

How are your cast mates to work with?

Oh, they're great! Everyone is really strong, and I've worked will all of them before, so it really helps that we have that previous relationship. It's really nice.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is a very dark play, darker than a lot of shows Memphis audiences are used to. What do you think are the merits of putting on a show like this?

Well, not everything in this life is Light. And I know we don't usually like to expose ourselves to dark things, at least openly, but I think there are some safe environments, such as the theatre, where it's really helpful and beneficial to look at these things.

This play hits really close to home for me, because I've had a lot of people in my family struggle with addiction, and I've seen lives just melt away from it, just like you see in this show. So I'm moved by it even when I'm not onstage, just listening to my cast mates. I'm moved by it, and it's therapeutic for me. I guess that's the hope. That it will help somebody in some way. Because it's not stuff you want to think about, but when it's right there in front of you and done as delicately as this feels like it's being done, then I think that can have a good outcome.

Any last words about Long Day's Journey Into Night?

It's a dream come true for me.


Thank you Dylan. Check in next Monday and Tuesday when we meet the parents, played by two of the finest actors in Memphis theatre.

Long Day's Journey Into Night: Jillian Barron

Hello all, Threepenny Theatre Company is back in the month of February, presenting Eugene O'Neill's great American family tragedy, Long Day's Journey into Night, running February 6th through February 22nd at TheatreWorks. As always, the show is set-you-own-admission with a suggested price of $15 dollars.

We're coming at you hot with three interviews this week and the final two next Monday and Tuesday, Today's interview is not a member of the Tyrone family proper, but she's certainly a familiar face to people who saw #blessed last fall, where she played Dana, the maid. This time she's playing Cathleen... the maid. Say hello, once again, to Threepenny's favorite smile, Jillian Barron.

Jillian - Cathleen

Welcome back to the blog, Jillian. Who are you playing this time around?

I'm playing Cathleen.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is a much different show than #blessed. What was it like transitioning from that show to this show and from one maid to another?

*Laughs* Yes, very different maids! Cathleen is not as outspoken as Dana was and it's interesting the differences between playing the same type of character in a drama instead of a comedic farce.

What are your thoughts on performing in Long Day's Journey Into Night?

I'm super excited to be performing with the other actors and actresses in this show. This play is absolutely fantastic, and I know not many venues are willing to put on this play because of its material and its length and the depth. It's difficult to find people to carry the show along and keep you intrigued, and I think Matt's done a great job, and I'm so excited to be a part of all of that.

Have there been any special challenges as you've worked on this character?

Yes, I've had to learn an Irish accent, and that has been very challenging *laughs*. 

What's it been like working with your cast mates?

Oh, it's been great! I don't get to spend as much time with them as they do with each other, since I'm not involved in as many scenes as they are, but the time I do get is fantastic. They're so much fun to work with and really easy to work with. There's no drama. It's been great.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is a very dark play, darker than a lot of shows Memphis audiences are used to. What do you think are the merits of putting on a show like this?

I think it's good in that it is a genre that Memphis audiences rarely get exposed to. It's something new for them to take in and process and deal with, which I believe is important. It brings up so many questions and issues that you don't have to face, necessarily on a regular basis, I mean at least I hope you don't have to face them on a regular basis. But I think it's good, I think it helps you to reexamine human nature, but in a safe environment and at a safe distance, because it is a play. You don't have to deal with it one-on-one in a real situation. You get to deal with it through these characters. Which I think is fantastic.

Any last words to the audience coming to see Long Day's Journey Into Night?

Don't drink too much water *laughs*. It's a long play... and bring chocolate to eat afterwards *laughs*

Thank you Jillian. Check into tomorrow as we interview the only man to appear in every single Threepenny production.

Long Day's Journey Into Night: Gabe Beutel-Gunn

Hello all, Threepenny Theatre Company is back in the month of February, presenting Eugene O'Neill's great American family tragedy, Long Day's Journey into Night, running February 6th through February 22nd at TheatreWorks. As always, the show is set-you-own-admission with a suggested price of $15 dollars.

Once again it is time to meet the cast, starting with a familiar face for Threepenny. He was our Malcolm in Threepenny's production of Macbeth, so let's say hi to Gabe Beutel-Gunn.

Gabe - Edmund Tyrone

Hey Gabe. So, how long have you been in Memphis?

I've been in Memphis, let's see... it was June of 2013, I think? No, wait, it was July of 2013, so, about a year and a half. I came directly from Chicago. I went to college at Loyola University in Chicago. I studied theatre there. Bu before that, I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.

What are some of your favorite past roles?

Favorite past roles? Lots of them. There are very few that haven't been favorites. I was Benedick and then I was Caliban with Bikini Shakespeare in Chicago. Those were the two most recent things I did before I left Chicago. Since coming to Memphis, I've done a lot of good roles. I really liked Danny in The Submission on the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis, and then I just did Kipps in The Woman in Black with New Moon Theatre, which was a lot of fun. Malcolm in Macbeth with you guys. I could go on and on.

How did you find out about Threepenny?

When I auditioned for Macbeth, I didn't know anybody. I read about the auditions somewhere and went. When I got to the auditions everyone seemed to know everyone and I didn't know anyone, and I sort of felt like the outsider, but once I was cast and rehearsal began, I got to know everyone really quickly.

What are your thoughts on Long Day's Journey Into Night?

It's an amazing, amazing play. Truly a masterpiece of a master artist, or a writer, playwright, author, whatever term you want to use. It's so real and so powerful that I think that almost any family can relate to what goes on with the Tyrones in this play. It's so well done, and I think that Matt has put together a great cast. I love working with everyone. I can't wait. I can't wait for people to see it.

You play the baby boy of the Tyrone family?

*Laughs* Yeah, well it's fitting, because I was the younger of two brothers in real life, and I think Dylan was the older of two brothers? So it kind of works the way we are fit. So yeah, a lot of people consider me to be the baby of the family, even though the character is about as old as I am. The Tyrone family has sort of put all their hopes on Edmund in many ways, and Edmund is the only one who hasn't gone off the deep end, yet. So I think there's a lot of pressure on the character, at least that's how Edmund feels.

How is it working with your cast mates? 

It's fantastic. Matt has put together an amazing cast. Dylan and I worked together very closely in Macbeth  and so we are keeping that rapport going. This is my first time working with Christina and Bill and they are both very good actors. They give me a lot to work with when I'm doing a scene with them. It's a lot of fun.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is a very dark play, darker than a lot of shows Memphis audiences are used to. What do you think are the merits of putting on a show like this?

Because it's so good! It is dark material, but I think people need to see it. It can hold up a mirror to your own life. You can see the way this family might be struggling with the very same things you are struggling with in your family. The way the Tyrones handle conflict can allow you to reflect on the way you handle things in your own life.

It's just such a good play, and I think that people in Memphis should see that they can handle theatre like this, and it can be really productive.

Any last words to the audience coming to see Long Day's Journey Into Night?

Get ready for a powerhouse of a play.


Thank you Gabe. Check into tomorrow when we check in with an old friend.

meet the cast of #blessed: Davis Fancher

#blessed, the first show of our second season is entering its final week at the Evergreen Theatre. We have a show at 8pm on Saturday, November 1st and a 2 o'clock matinee on Sunday, November 2nd.

   

It's time for our last interview!

Davis Fancher - Miss Loyal

Hello! What's your name, and what's the role you are playing in #blessed? 

My name is Davis Fancher, and I play Miss Loyal.


Where are you from ? What do you consider to be your hometown?

Well, I was born in Virginia. I moved around a lot when I was a kid, but I've spent the majority of my life in Memphis, so I consider Memphis to be my hometown.


What first drew you to acting?

Well, I guess you could say it was my brother. He's five years older than I am, and he got into acting when he was in high school, and I would go see his shows. My family always loved watching movies and seeing shows together, so I grew up knowing a lot of actor's names, because that's what my family did. So I saw my brother doing things on stage at his high school, and I just loved it. I thought it looked like so much fun, so when I got into high school, I did the same thing.

When I got to college, I didn't really intend to major in it because I was terrified [laughs], but when I got about half-way through my second semester, I realized it was what I wanted to do... so why not?


Where did you receive your training?

I received my training at the University of Memphis. I got my B.F.A. in theatre performance.


Who were your mentors? Who do you admire and look up to, either on-stage or in all aspects of your life?

I kind of want to say every faculty member at the University of Memphis, but I want to say that Jo Lenhart, specifically, has been really inspiring to me and is a wonderful person, and has really helped me a lot in my journey, as you would say. Besides that, honestly, everyone in Memphis who is doing theatre is someone I look up to. Every single person in Memphis who is doing theatre is just an inspiration.


What's your favorite part of the theatrical process?

I'd have to say that my favorite part is once everyone has kind of got their lines and we get into the smoothing process. It's the part for me where most things get discovered. Everyone's get their lines and we're running through, making discoveries and we no longer have the book in our hands, that's my favorite part. I feel like when that happens that there are these magical few rehearsals that occur where everything isn't set in stone yet, but you're able to think outside of "what's my next line?'


What's your least favorite part?

I want to say auditions... I can't think of anything else... It's auditions [laughs].


What are some of your favorite past roles?

Most recently I was in As You Like It at Theatre Memphis, directed by Jo Lenhart. It was just a lovely production of a lovely show. It was one of those productions where you just loved everybody. It was just a really wonderful process. Besides that, I would say that my favorite show was Eurydice at the UofM. Leslie Barker directed that, and when I think of favorite shows it always comes out first in my mind. It as a very wonderful process, and I can't say enough good things about being in that show. I think that show, more than anything solidified my desire to be a theatre major. There was just a lot of love in that show.


How would you define your style. What do you like to focus on as you prepare a character?

I tend to focus in on the words. I like to try and put myself into the character's shoes as much as possible. I really like to get into the text and mentally draw my character from the words on the page. I'm very in my head about it.


When you're not working with Threepenny Theatre, how do you spend your time?

I work and I play video games and I read and I hang out with close friends. Though, unfortunately, the main answer is just work [laughs].


How do you like the Threepenny process?

Oh, I love the Threepenny process. It's wonderful. I think it's so interesting, because this is the first time I've worked with company that has this kind of attitude, especially when Matt said "We can't pay you, but we will offer you things that no other company in town offers in terms of in-rehearsal actor training and physical training." It's really just amazing, because I feel like that even though I have a fairly small part in the show, that I'm still involved in the creative process, and I feel like I'm still learning so much. And also with the whole Set-Your-Own-Admission idea, I think that's really new for Memphis, and I think that is really good and really needed.


The "Big" Question: why do you continue to do what you do onstage, and once you are all said and done, what would you like to have accomplished with your art, not just in this show, but in your life?

I do it because I want to. I know that sounds really simple, but that's what it is. It's something that I like to do and it's something I want to do, and it's something I've luckily been given the opportunity to do, so I do it, because why not?

In terms of what I want to accomplish in my life, I feel that acting gives you insights into different ways of thinking, different viewpoints and different ways of living, so I hope to come out of each performance with a different viewpoint on things, and in terms of my art, I hope to better be able to understand the world, which is very confusing at times. To better understand the world and the human condition, I kind of just want to know things, you know? I think acting helps with that. It gives me a chance to see things.


Anyone you'd like to send some love out to? Shout outs?

My family because they have always supported me, even when I didn't know how to support myself. My family, my friends, my fiancee: those are the big three. Triple F [laughs].


Always be closing. Any final words to people about #blessed?

#blessed is a blast and everyone should come see it.


 And to wrap up, some quick-fire "Inside the Actor's Studio" questions!

What is your favorite word? crisp
What is your least favorite word? gangular
What turns you on: creatively, spiritually or emotionally? humor and laughing
What turns you off? hatefulness
What's one thing you love about Memphis? That no matter where I go, Memphis is part of me
What sound or noise do you love? kittens and puppies being cute
What sound or noise do you hate? shouting
What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt? piano technician
What profession would you not like to do? plumber.

Finally, if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

"Not too shabby."


Thank you, Davis!

And thank you all for checking out these interviews! We have our final two shows coming up this Saturday and Sunday. We hope to see you all there. Thank you for supporting Threepenny Theatre Company.