Occupation?
Actor.
How did you come to know about Partial Comfort?
I bedded Chad Beckim. Kidding. Not so. I had heard buzz about Partial Comfort for a few years but, didn’t encounter them until I was cast in PCP’s Fringe production ofRoss Maxwell‘sOpen House. Greg Keller was also in it. I bedded him too.
Is this your first experience as a member of an ensemble?
I was a founding member of the now defunct Mobius Group Productions. We had some early success with some really amazing productions of plays by successful playwrights that, for one reason or another, were deemed uncommercial. We worked our butts off and had a blast doing it for a few years but, ultimately ran out of steam once we were faced with the reality of how much effing work it was to keep a theater company afloat. Like parenthood, running a successful theater company is not for pussies.
What makes PCP unique for you?
From an actor’s standpoint, I never feel that I’m competing with other company members. We’re all very different type-wise and admire and support each other’s unique strengths. From a former producer’s standpoint, I appreciate that Chad Beckim and Molly Pearson never make the same mistake twice. They have the courage to stand behind their artistic choices and charge full steam ahead and then, when all is said and done, the humility required to LEARN from their experiences. And, Sam Marks is hot.
Any highlights from this past year as a member?
Working on Jonathan Caren‘s new play Everything Under the Sun,directed by Mia Rovegno and top notch fellow cast members Zach Evenson, Jo Mei, and Aaron Yoo at this summer’s retreat in CT. A dream day.
Tell us what you’ve been working on this year. Anything we can look forward to in the coming months?
So far this year, I did a remount of Carnival Round the Central Figure, a play by Diana Amsterdam that Karen Kohlhaas directed me in during my second year as a student at the Atlantic Theater Company. Five of the original cast members, including myself, revisited our roles 15 years later (and age appropriate) at IRT. It was bananas. Then, I played a terrific role in Packawallop‘s gorgeous production of Paper Cranes, by Kari Bentley-Quinn, directed by Scott Ebersold. Now, I have a small role in the indie filmTHE GREEN, by Paul Marcarelli (fellow Mobius Group founding member and my BFF) that he co-produced with PCP co-founder, Molly Pearson, that is making the rounds in the festival circuit and will screen at Newfest in NYC on July 24th. I’m also about to shoot a day on David Mamet’s HBO biopic of Phil Spector (starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren, no less ) and then I’m doing a benefit performance of my solo show, BRIDEZILLA STRIKES BACK!, co-written withKenny Finkle and directed by Paul Urcioli, as part of FringeNYC’s 15th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, July 28th at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Yep, next week’s a big week.
What productions/readings/etc have you worked on (within or outside the company) that you are particularly fond of?
Well…I guess the obvious would be my solo show. It’s a very true story about my very naive foray into the world of reality-TV back in 2002. I’m not necessarily proud of myself for having gone against, well…ALL of my artistic values in an attempt to further my career BUT, I’m super proud of taking lemons and turning them into (pink) lemonade by creating & performing BRIDEZILLA STRIKES BACK!. In fact, the reason I met up with Partial Comfort was because director Josh Hecht, saw me in my show and ended up casting me in Open House, which was my first production with PCP. So, without “Bridezillas”, none of this would have happened. But, mark my words, PARTICIPATING IN REALITY-TV IS A VERY BAD IDEA. It’s right up there with the casting couch. Although, the casting couch has the potential to be way more fun. And prolific. At least, that’s what my friends on TV tell me.