Rejuvenation

It’s been a long time since I’ve pumped out one of these.  But the pandemic ground my auditioning to a standstill so I haven’t had material with which to work.  But I did have one doozy of a tale at the height of the pandemic.  A story of rejuvenation.

This year marks an anniversary for me.  Mid-July will mark the twentieth anniversary of my audition for The Elephant Man.  For those of you unfamiliar with that saga, click here.

At the end of that tale, I had mentioned my belief that God used the play to pull me out of the depression from which I’d been suffering.  Little did I know He’d use it again to galvanize me.

One of the last theatre tales I wrote was to address the question of when would I be on stage again.  I answered honestly, but I had real time to further analyze that question during the pandemic with the sudden plethora of time I had on my hands.

When I did Leaving Iowa, I finally believed fully in my acting prowess.  Even better, I was now able to audition with a greater sense of freedom since I could enjoy being in the moment instead of worrying about whether or not I’d get cast.

Though I was now enjoying the freedom of the audition, the reality was that my fortunes didn’t change all that much.  Granted, I was auditioning much less, but I was back to giving great auditions, but unable to land parts.  In fact, I’ve only performed twice in the last 9 years and the gap separating those two performances was 5 ½ years. 

I no longer doubted my ability to act, but I did start to doubt my ability to get cast.  An x factor over which no performer has control.

I was starting to wonder, in my heart of hearts, whether or not my storytelling days were done and if my future involvement would solely be dedicated to writing.  I didn’t have any sadness as I could look back on my body of work with a sense of satisfaction, but I did have a sense of melancholy as I felt I had sped through the five stages of acting.

1.  Who’s Chris Elston?
2.  Get me Chris Elston.
3.  Get me a young Chris Elston.
4.  Get me a Chris Elston type.
5.  Who’s Chris Elston?

In my case, I felt I had skipped steps two and three.  And, yet, I also couldn’t say people were asking “Who’s Chris Elston?”  The Corner made me an ever present name in theatre.  It’s just that I was now far better known for my writing than I ever was for my acting.

But in recent times I began to hear that question more and more.  “When are we going to see you on stage again?”

One night I was pondering that question when I was suddenly struck by a powerful desire to break out my copy of The Elephant Man which I hadn’t looked at since the night of the audition back in 2002.

I scooted my coffee table out of the way.  Then, purely for my own enjoyment, I began acting out scenes from the play.  When I finished, I sank into my couch with a deep sense of satisfaction.

My time as a storyteller was not quite finished yet.  Maybe it was just getting started or restarted as the case may be.

This feeling has only continued to grow as theatre has begun to regain some sense of normalcy.  I can feel my creativity surging through my veins again.  I genuinely want to be back on stage again.

So I don’t know when I’m going to be back on stage again, but I firmly believe it will be soon because I know this much.

I am ready.

The Purpose of an Audition

What is the purpose of an audition?

“To get the role,” I hear you say.  But, no.  That’s the hope of an audition.

The purpose of an audition is simply to be memorable.  For if you are memorable, directors will want to see you again and, sooner or later, will want to work with you.

So how is one memorable?  It begins from the moment you enter the audition locale.

• Always be polite.

–Politeness pays.  From the moment you walk in the door you are always under observation.  Believe me, if you’re rude or obnoxious or a bad sport, that word will get to the ears of the casting agents/directors and you will be dead before you start.  Be sure to thank your accompanist and the casting agents/directors.  Be gracious to the other auditioners.  Little things go a long way. 

I earned my second role through politeness.  I knew from the beginning that it certainly wasn’t because of my chops as the audition was lousy.  But the director told me that my genuine interest in the show combined with my friendliness is what made him decide to give me a bit part.

• Always keep in mind that this is a showcase, not a competition.

–I can’t stress this one enough as it was the lesson that took me the longest to learn.  For years I treated auditions as a competition.  For me, it was simple.  If I were the best reader for a part, logically I should get that part.

Boy, was I wrong about that.

When a director casts a show, he or she is piecing together a puzzle and attempting to build something that suits her or his vision of the story.  Your acting is the one and only thing you get to control and that amounts to about 1% in the casting process.  As such, you can be the worst performer in the room as I certainly was in the previous example and somehow get a part.  Or you can be on the opposite side and lap the others several times and still somehow not get cast. 

But, if you’re good, you’ll be remembered.  And if you’re remembered, you’ll get cast eventually.

• Trust your instincts.

–Everybody is going to see a character differently.  The actors, the director, the stage manager, the costume designer, everyone is going to have a different idea about a character.  So just go full steam ahead with your take on the role.  That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ask questions about the character if you need some clarity.  But don’t be worried about trying to match your character to the director’s vision.  When the whole begins to come together, that vision is likely to change many times over before the final result.

The final show I auditioned for in college before I graduated was called Death of a Blind, Old Man, a modernized take on Oedipus at Colonus. At the audition, I noted that everyone reading for Oedipus played him strongly as if he were still the mighty warrior before his life was blasted. My instinct ran completely the other direction and I broke him in two. I read him as a frightened, beaten old man. Without question, it was one of the two best reads I ever had in college and while I didn’t make the cut, I was darn proud of the read. And that’s the feeling you want to have when you finish a read.

• Be bold.

–This goes hand in hand with trusting your instincts.  Time and again I’ve seen actors (not to mention myself) hold back because they’re afraid of making a mistake.  That’s the surest way to destroy your creativity.

This is an audition.  There’s no such thing as a mistake.  I’ll repeat that.  This is an audition.  There’s no such thing as a mistake.

Your view of the character may be completely off the wall and off the mark, but if you’re bold and brave about that choice, the director may very well step in and give you some direction and if you then make that change based off the direction, you will look brilliant.  What the director is more concerned about is your ability to make a strong choice, not necessarily the “correct” choice.

Years ago, I auditioned for The Elephant Man and I was reading a monologue for the character of Dr. Treves.  At this point in the show, he was feeling incredibly guilty and despondent about making the title character a freak again, albeit a high class one.  He’s trying to explain to the bishop his feelings, but doesn’t quite know how to spit it out. 

Now I saw the character as heading towards a breakdown and I attacked the read as such.  I mean I read the monologue with an impassioned desperation. 

Was it the right trek?  No.  But I was so bold about the choice that the director stepped in and had me make a massive adjustment.  So I went from nearly cracking up to quietly shaming myself.  He loved the changes and I looked like a million bucks.

No, I didn’t get in the show, but the director has never forgotten me.

• Keep perspective.

By this I mean, don’t fall apart at the seams if you thought your audition sucked or if you thought it was brilliant and didn’t get in. . .at least not publicly.  Take your moment to be sad privately.  Punch out a pillow.  Scream to the fields.  Do whatever you need to get the feeling out and then let it go.  But remain professional until you can get to that private place.

There’s a lot of rejection in this field and, as clichéd as it sounds, there truly is always another show.  I openly admit that in my early days, rejection gnawed on me like a hungry dog enjoying a tasty bone.  Auditions were almost life and death and it always felt like a shotgun blast to my stomach when I wasn’t cast. 

Even when I got good at the acting side of things, auditions continued to haunt me.  But when I finally realized how little control I had over the casting process, I was finally able to let that burden go.  Then I got to enjoy myself and became more memorable.

So when you audition, keep your head held high.  Be brave.  Be bold.  BE YOU!!  Then you’ll be memorable.  You may not get cast every time, but you will get cast sometimes.

What Makes a Man?

Take a good, long look at the above photo.  Imagine being caged in a body like that.  Hideously ugly.  Virtually crippled.  But inside that tragic figure your heart beats with the sensibilities of an artist, the innocence of a child, and the charming wit of a gentleman.  This was Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, who defied his pitiable circumstances to become the toast of London society.  His life story is the focus of The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance which is currently playing at the Barn Players Community Theatre.

Time for a little full disclosure.  This is my favorite play.  I know it backwards and forwards and am a cornucopia of knowledge in the history of the real Joseph (misnamed John) Merrick.  As you can imagine, I’ve got some pretty high standards for this show.  I’m very pleased to say that The Barn Players met my standards and even exceeded them at some points in a very powerful and poignant piece of storytelling.

Pomerance’s script is an interesting blend of historical fact (though some events are embellished for dramatic effect) and compelling themes such as strength of spirit, egoism, love, friendship, and what really makes us human.  Despite being the title character, Merrick’s presence is more of a force that touches the lives of everyone he meets in some form or another.  Some realize their own humanity while others lose theirs.  Interestingly, many of the other characters project their own qualities onto Merrick and only two actually see Merrick for the beautiful soul that he is.

These ideals make for storytelling at its finest and the cast and crew do a very good job on the whole in telling that story.

Mark Hamilton should be especially proud of his direction.  His staging is excellent and he has coached performances ranging from very good to superior from his actors.  I did note a couple of beats that could be mined for greater dramatic impact, but those moments can still bloom during this show’s run.

I consider the role of Merrick to be one of the most difficult and grueling an actor can undertake.  Not only does the actor playing the role need to be unbelievably versatile to handle the complexities of the character, he must also adopt an awkward and demanding body language to communicate the infirmities of Merrick.  With that being said, Coleman Crenshaw does extreme honor to the role.

Crenshaw certainly did his homework as he understands Merrick right down to the ground.  His physicality was tremendous, though he needs to keep that body language in mind at all times.  He made some movements that would either have been impossible for the real Merrick or done only with excruciating difficulty.  That quibble aside, his interpretation of the dialogue blew me away.

Crenshaw’s delivery is so nuanced it almost staggers the imagination.  With incredible ease, he captures Merrick’s innocence, wit, genius, fears, awkwardness, and goodness.  And he does it with a clogged and slobbering speech that still retains flawless diction.  His evolving of Merrick from frightened creature to bold man over the course of the show is a tour de force and I foresee Crenshaw being in the running for many local acting awards.

David Innis does a fairly good job as Dr. Frederick Treves, the doctor who found Merrick and gave him a home at the London Hospital.  Innis presents Treves as a full of himself young doctor who originally gets involved with Merrick solely because he is a good subject for study. His inherent decency appears when he brings Merrick to live at the London Hospital after he is abandoned by his manager.

From there, Innis does a marvelous job showing Treves’ awakening to his own humanity and ugliness as he comes to know Merrick’s internal beauty.  Treves grows to hate himself as he believes he has turned Merrick into a freak, albeit a high class one, as he introduces him to London society and bitterly regrets seeing him as a mere research subject.

One thing Innis must master during this run is to project.  He was so quiet that, had I not known the dialogue so well, I would not have understood large portions of his speeches.

Stefanie Stevens brings depth and intelligence to the role of Mrs. Kendal, the actress who befriends Merrick.  Originally brought in to visit Merrick because she is trained to hide her true emotions, Mrs. Kendal instantly recognizes the man within the monstrous body and forms a kinship with him.  Ms Stevens plays the role with an elegant sincerity and is especially impressive in the moment when she decides to grant Merrick’s fond desire of seeing a real woman in all of her naturalness.

Special notice also goes out to Jeph Scanlon and Sean Leistico who play the roles of Carr-Gomm and Ross.  As Carr-Gomm, the administrator of the London Hospital, Scanlon manages to be kindly if a little stiff and serious.  And I never thought I would make a critique like this, but he actually needs to enunciate a little less.  He was hitting his syllables so hard that it made his dialogue a little staccato.  Softening his syllables will let his speech have a more natural flow.

Leistico adds a third dimension to Ross with sheer force of acting ability.  The role could be treated as a throwaway, but Leistico is pathetically oily as the manager who robs Merrick of his life savings and is just pathetic when he comes crawling back, sick and dying, in the hopes that Merrick will throw away the life he’s created to be a high class freak.

Holly Daniel’s costumes are gorgeous and a perfect fit for Victorian era London.  Laura Burkhart has developed a wonderful “less is more” set that easily shifts from Merrick’s room to the hospital to Belgium.  I would also be remiss if I did not mention the music of Daniel Yung.  He provides all of the sounds and music of the show with a superior piece of cello playing that he suits to each and every moment of the play.

What ultimately makes the show so compelling is Merrick’s humanity and that teaches a valuable lesson to us all.  Life dealt him the worst possible hand and he did not become embittered by it. He rose above it and taught us all what it means to be human.

The Elephant Man plays at the Barn Players Community Theatre through August 14.  Showtimes are Fri-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  There will be an industry night performance on Monday, August 8.  Tickets cost $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $12 for students (w/ID) and groups of 10 or more.  Industry night tickets are $12 at the door.  To order tickets, visit the Barn Players website at www.thebarnplayers.org or call 913-432-9100.  Parental discretion is advised due to a scene of partial nudity.  The Barn Players Community Theatre is located at 6219 Martway in Mission, KS.

‘The Elephant Man’ Opens at Barn Players on July 29

The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance opens on July 29th! Get your tickets today at www.thebarnplayers.org/tickets

Directed by Mark Hamilton

Stage Managed by Diane Bulan
Set Design by Laura Burkhart & Mark Hamilton
Lighting Design by Phil Leonard
Costume Coordination by Ashley Christopher
Choreography & Movement Coaching by Meghann Deveroux
Assistant Stage Management by Amanda Rhodes
Sound Design by Sean Leistico
Production Intern: Alicia Miro

July 29th – August 14th
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sunday at 2:00pm
(Industry Night: Monday, August 8th)

STARRING
Coleman Crenshaw, David Innis & Stefanie Stevens
FEATURING
Eli Biesemeyer, Richard J. Burt, Meghann Deveroux, Dee Dee Diemer, Sean Leistico, Lindsay Lovejoy, Alicia Miro, Jeph Scanlon, Scott Turner & Daniel Yung

SYNOPSIS:
The Elephant Man is based on the life of John Merrick, who lived in London during the latter part of the nineteenth century. A horribly deformed young man, victim of rare skin and bone diseases, he has become the star freak attraction in traveling side shows. Found abandoned and helpless, he is admitted to London’s prestigious Whitechapel Hospital. Under the care of celebrated young physician Frederick Treves, Merrick is introduced to London society and slowly evolves from an object of pity to an urbane and witty favorite of the aristocracy and literati only to be denied his ultimate dream, to become a man like any other.

All performances are at:
The Barn Players Theatre, 6219 Martway, Mission, KS.

Ticket pricing:
REGULAR – $18.00
SENIORS – $ 15.00
GROUPS (10 OR MORE) – $12.00
STUDENTS (WITH A VALID STUDENT ID) – $12.00

WE ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS!
VISA, MASTERCARD & DISCOVER!
The box office opens one hour before curtain time.
For reservations, please call or call 1-800-838-3006
or visit our website at www.thebarnplayers.org

Production support provided by…
The Mainstreet Credit Union
Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce
St. Pius School
Media partner support provided by…
94.9 KCMO
710 AM / 103.7 KCMO Talk Radio

The Barn Players embraces diversity in all aspects of our organization. Non-traditional and equal-opportunity casting is encouraged.