The world is supposedly a stage but being an actor for the first time can be an unnatural weird experience. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you confront the intimidating reality of being perceived by others – of allowing your very existence to be defined by an audience. When I was little I wanted to be an actress when I grew up. I eventually learned that I am more of a writer than a performer I prefer to live one more tier into my own imagination. But being a good writer requires stepping outside of yourself once in a while.
Jack Lunch convinced me to participate in my first ever community theater performance a few months ago with the Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre one of his favorite directives is making new Sheet staff participate in a Mammoth play. I played a maid named Jane in The Women – a small inconsequential role. Yet my few lines tested me and for some reason speaking onstage while pretending to be another person made me weak at my knees.
I eventually got the crowd to collectively laugh with a solid delivery of a one liner the lead the woman whose housemaid I was confided in me about her distress over her daughter not wanting to be a woman. She said Oh Jane Little Mary just doesnt seem to want to be a woman! to which I responded dryly Who does The crowd roared. In that moment I truly understood the whole acting thing. Its addicting.
Mammoths upcoming Shakespeare in The Woods festival which begins Wednesday June 29 for details see p. 3 is jointly put on by Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre and Sierra Classic Theatre. And it also features some first-time actors. One is 24-year-old Bobby Schuyler. He moved here from New York in January. Like a lot of people who come this way Schuyler did so in order to ski at Mammoth Mountain. Schuyler was convinced to audition for Shakespeares Measure For Measure by Pricilla Toledo a frequent theater performer in Mammoth who also works at the mountain. He hasnt regretted the decision.
I have my ski bum friends but thats a very specific kind of breed. Theater has become kind of my own secret little world full of super interesting people said Schuyler. He plays Claudio in Measure For Measure. Hes sort of an every-man who got himself into a messed up situation. He got his fiancé pregnant and the new Duke is a bit of a Puritan. And so hes cracking down on every minor moral infraction. Because of that Claudio is about to be put to death basically over a technicality explained Schuyler.
*Editors Note First time Ive ever heard pregnancy referred to as a technicality. Schuyler says that bringing a character to life is both the most challenging part of performing as well as the most rewarding. Its one thing to get your lines down and overcome stage fright but its a whole other thing to truly breathe life into a character he said. Its hard especially with Shakespeare because nobody talks like that anymore. But once it clicks its so beautiful. Schuyler describes the experience of community theater in Mammoth as being very Breakfast-Clubby. Its a very eclectic group of people who are very passionate about theater. Its so fun he said. What am I most looking forward to with this performance I wish I had some better words but to tell you the truth its glory said Schuyler.
Also in Measure For Measure first-time performer Ronnell Hill plays four different characters The Gentleman Froth Friar Thomas and Barnadine. Three out of the four characters are all pretty similar The Gentleman Froth and Barnadine are all men who enjoy drinking too much and frequenting whorehouses. Then theres Friar Thomas a priest who sheds moral wisdom onto the Duke. Out of his four characters Hill says that Barnadine is the most challenging to portray. Hes kind of the jester. Hes supposed to own the stage and be completely unbothered by everyone else around him. Theres a certain level of confidence that I need to tap into for that said Hill.
In one scene Barnadine is woken up from a drunken stupor and told that hes about to be beheaded. He basically says to the Duke Nope Im not getting beheaded today. Ive been drinking all day and youre not going to kill me today. I own this place Im the king of this prison. And you know what He gets pardoned said Hill. Hill says that what convinced him to audition for a play was turning 40 years old. Turning 40 made me think a lot about my life. I dont know what Im doing Im still single and I love where I live and things are good dont get me wrong but I want to try something else. I want to live he said.
In his early twenties Hill had done some film projects and appeared in a few short films as an extra. Performing for a camera is one thing but performing in front of a live audience is another thing said Hill. You have eyes staring at you. I think that the hardest part of performing is maintaining authentic emotional connection with the audience said Hill. In one scene he has to switch from revealing his inner self as a sad shameful drunkard right back to the outer persona of being jubilant and care-free. That was a challenging switch but once I hit it right for the first time I realized that it wasnt that hard. All that it required was me not thinking too much about it before I just did it he said. Thats the trick. The Mammoth Shakespeare Festival will run from June 29-July 17 at The Woodsite in Mammoth. Showtime is 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday with two different productions alternating nights.
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