Three Roles

I've been acting since 1990. (I took a long break from 1991 to 2011.) I've played many, many characters. Here are three of those roles I would jump at, if offered again.

Caden in The Thanksgiving Play (Woodinville Rep., 2024)
I understudied and had two performances on the final weekend. I could see so much more that I could do. This happens with almost every show. You do something new in the final performance then smack yourself in the forehead and think, you should have been doing that all along. In TTP, with just the two shows, and less than normal rehearsal and stage time to grow the character, I really felt that. Plus, so many of the lines and bits were just so fun to do.
Regis in Ghost Party (Dacha, 2018 and 2019)
In this immersive, interactive show, Regis (and all of the other characters) were doomed to relive the same ten minutes of a fateful party over and over again, on a loop. But it never got old and it was never really the same because the guests could intervene and save me. What made it so special were the things they would try and the conversations we would have. It was hard not to laugh sometimes at the antics. It was like they were putting on a show for us. Then there was a powerful part at the end where they could see what they had wrought – or not wrought.
Orlin has two great solo songs, one cringe and sad, that might draw you away from the character, the other powerful and moving that might draw you back in. This was the west-coast premier of a new musical and it would be super fun to develop the role further if the playwright were to continue developing the play (as they have been) and I had the good fortune to be a part of it.
There are more but I wanted to leave it at three. If you're an actor, what are your three? Leave a comment, if you like.

Picture: A publicity photo by As If Theatre of another role I loved playing.

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