On the Head of a Pin
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Sofia Lauwers
September 26, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Actor.
What type of theater do you like most to work on?
I guess, I would say, I like to work on theater that’s important. I love theater and I love acting but I don’t want to be a part of a project unless it’s something that I am passionate about. I like theater that sends a relevant message like Free Willey on Ice, Power Rangers the musical or a regional production of the stage adaptation of Armageddon. You know? Stuff that’s profound.
Why do you do theater (as opposed to film, or TV, or something not in the entertainment field)?
It’s too important not to, especially in today’s world where we do everything we can to dull and numb our senses to what is actually happening in front of us. I do theater in hopes to maybe, possibly, reach someone, and get them to remove that protective shell and let something in-If only for 2 hours-then they can put their ear buds back in and check out.
I do it because it demands a sense of humanity that is often rejected in our day-to-day lives and it forces an audience to experience empathy which can so often be lost through the filters involved in film and television.
“The greatest theater reminds us that our responsibilities do not end at the boundaries of our selves, or our nation”-Oskar Eustis
Why did you want to write/direct/produce/act in/work on this show?
When I read the first draft of On the Head of a Pin, It did exactly what a GREAT piece of writing should do. It filled me with the desire to take action and get this story told. I want to talk about it with people, want to share my outrage with people, I want to take this story, give it to an audience and say “HEY!! LOOK WHAT’S GOING ON, LET’S DO SOMETHING!”
Frank Winters (our brilliant playwright and director) has this inspiring ability to tell a crucial and political story in a way that I wish all important journalism stories could be told. His play is smart, funny, quick, highly relevant and undeniably human. I’m just tremendously grateful be a part of a small group of young artists who got together to tell a story about passion, love, fighting for what you believe in, and the sacrifices we are willing to make in the name of integrity.
Which “S” word best describes your show: SMOOTH, SEXY, SMART, SURPRISING?
Well, this is a #supersmoothsmartsexyandsurprising show but to break it down to two “S” words: This play is super sexy (coz our cast is stupidly good looking) and soooooo smart, that you’ll leave the theater feeling like you got tricked into digesting all of the information you could never quite understand about the war in Iraq, journalistic jargon and what in the hell those giant private corporations were doing in middle of the war.
Who are your heroes?
Superman.
