Twelfth Night
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Greg Foro
July 13, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Actor/Producer.
Are there boundaries as to what kind of theatre you will take part in?
There are no boundaries as to what kind of theatre I am interested in. I respond to all styles and forms. With BAMA Theatre Company we do mostly classical work, but my day job is on the production side of things with Blue Man Group Productions, so that offers me a wide variety of opportunities. Aesthetically though, I find myself drawn to minimalism and theatricality.
Have you been part of FringeNYC in the past? If so, how did you particpate? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
I have been a part of FringeNYC for years! My first show was back in 1999 as an actor in a show called "The Job" at Surf Reality. That isn't even a venue anymore! I went on to act in another show called "Dream/Play" in 2000 and direct "The Fantasy Plays" in 2001. Then I went to graduate school in Alabama to study Shakespeare and when I came back I formed a company with some fellow alums. BAMA Theatre Company has performed at FringeNYC for four straight years and I acted in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "As You Like It", I directed "Hamlet" and now I am an actor once again in "Twelfth Night".
How did you meet your fellow artists/collaborators on this show?
BAMA Theatre Company began as an ensemble of actors in graduate school at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. We performed our first show "Midsummer" as a lab project and later produced it in its entirety at FringeNYC 2009. At that point we expanded our resources to include ASF alums from other years as well. But we all have roots in the deep south!
Which famous New Jerseyite would like your show the best: Snooki, Bruce Springsteen, Thomas Edison?
I like to think that we make Shakespeare accessible, understandable and entertaining for everyone. So I am going to go out on a limb here and say Snooki. You didn't see that one coming, did you?
If you had ten million dollars that you had to spend on theatrical endeavors, how would you use the money?
I would invest in a new trunk for BAMA Theatre Company and add a slew of new shows to our rep. Then we would travel around the world opening our trunk to anyone who was interested!
