The great thing about acting is you get to be somebody else.
When I was rehearsing an unfamiliar role for Prizery Summer Theater, director Chris Jones once told me,“Don’t be Mike Doan.”
Huh? Why not? What’s the matter with Mike Doan?”
Well, as Monica Walter, director of “Guys and Dolls Senior,” told us, “Immerse yourself in your character. Think of who that person would be.” It is a challenge for all of us.
Preston Hubble, whom we know as a mild-oannered gentleman, has to become a scheming underworld gangster, Sky Masterson. Holly Stadtler, an assertive film producer in real life, switches to the role of the bland, shy missionary Sarah. Colleen “Coco” Corrice, a smart lady with a lovely voice, becomes a low-class uneducated dancer in the role of Adelaide.And there is Gary Walter, an experienced actor who claims not to be a singer. Well, he is now!
And me? I get to play music director. Yes, it is quite stressful but mostly fun and good for my aging brain cells.
I’m also portraying an argumentative street-smart gambler who picks horses with his betting buddies. Me? I know nothing about horses. I’m even allergic.
We are having a blast in our pretend roles as we prepare for the musical featuring over-55 actors on Feb. 14 and 15 at 2 p.m. at Clarksville Fine Arts Center. We aren’t even charging admission—donations are welcomed, though.
But then reality occasionally sets in. Something to make you forget your made-up roles for a while. We are all absorbing the recent death of Mike Kimmel, who was going to play the role of Lieutenant Branigan. I barely knew him, yet I am mourning too. We are a family.
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