4-1-14 Audio Interview

Actor Doug Jones began his life in Costa Rica, where his father was stationed. When he was three years old his father was transferred back to the United States, little Doug spoke only Spanish so to help him learn English his parents enrolled him in a little drama class. He did his first play at the age four and says “he was doomed.” Thus began a life in the theater and the creation of a very thoughtful philosophy of what it means to be an actor. Doug has been a pivotal player in the Asolo Repertory Theatre Company for 28 years. Listen to this introspective man talk about his philosophy of acting and different styles of directing. And come see his extraordinary performances in this year’s productions of Philadelphia Here I Come and The Grapes of Wrath.

2014-03-23 Audio Interviews

These are two interviews I did last year but didn’t get a chance to air. They are with two incredible performers both of whom created remarkable performances in the 2013 season at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota FL

Michael James Leslie fell in love with music and singing very early in his life, for which he credits, among other things, The Supremes. But although he had an extraordinary voice and a passion for performing, he was also a loving son who, like his siblings, honored their mother’s wish to use their brains, and became a lawyer. After passing the bar he took a job which made him feel that the law was not for him (listen to the poignant way he discovered this). He took a break and went to New York City, where as he prepared to take the NY Bar Exam, he fooled around with being a performer. Then in the most ironic way (another fascinating story) Michael found himself on Broadway in the first revival of the musical Hair and “never looked back.” Listen to Michael talk passionately about the importance seeing each other’s similarities instead of differences and the joy of living your life based on something you love – instead of what believes most people are doing which is “living dead.”

David Breitbarth has been a member of the prestigious Asolo Repertory Theatre Company for 17 years and is last year’s winner of the Lunt and Fontanne Ten Chimney’s Acting Fellowship to study with Alan Alda. Ironically David had no interest in acting, or in fact, any idea what he would do with his life until attendance at a “progressive hippy-dippy boarding school, where students were expected to try everything, put him up on a stage.” Listen to this thoughtful, interesting man talk about his career and what it’s like to be a “rep” actor, for whom it is essential to make the others on stage look good, and how that differs from being an actor who must constantly look for the next job. And come to see him in The Grapes of Wrath currently running at the Asolo Repertory Theatre.

3-18-14 Audio Interview

Actor Kevin Earley got his first taste of the joys of being on stage at the age of four when his mother, who would become the artistic director of a Chicago theater, created a singing group with him and his three older brothers. He got roles in a professional acting company when he was ten and then again when he was thirteen, so he knew from the beginning what he wanted to do with his life. But as happens to many people for whom success comes easily, Kevin says he was “lazy about his acting,” depending on his looks (which are terrific) and his “big voice.” Listen to this thoughtful professional talk about the importance recognizing what you are lacking and having the willingness and the discipline to do the work required strengthening your “tools.” Also come out to see the result of his hard work and discipline in the delightful Florida Studio Theater production of Daddy Long Legs.

3-4-14 Audio Interview

Actor Andrew Sellon began his career at the age of 8 by volunteering to play a girl in the play his sister and her friend were putting on. It was an auspicious beginning for an actor who is dedicated to bringing truth to every role he plays. It is honesty in performance which motivates Andrew and in this interview he talks about his commitment to finding the humanity in every role – refusing to play a cartoon, but reaching for the person not the caricature. This, he says, is especially important in comic roles – Listen to the story of when Jason Robards commented on his performance in A Thousand Clowns, a play in which Mr. Robards had starred on Broadway and in the film. Andrew received his MFA in Acting from UNC-Chapel Hill, He is currently bringing his honesty to three roles in the Asolo Repertory Theatre season. In this interview we talk mostly about his portrayal of Vanya in Christopher Durang’s absurdist comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Listen to this articulate man talk seriously about what makes a performance funny. And hear Sharon Leslie’s review of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

2-18 -14 – Audio Interview

Spontaneous and effervescent actor Lucy Lavely is only 25 years old but she has the life experience of a much older person and it shows in her compelling performance as Brooke Wyeth, a woman who is haunted by her family’s secrets, in the Asolo Repertory Theatre Company’s production of Jon Robin Baitz’s riveting play, Other Desert Cities, which was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Condemned to years of frustration by her undiagnosed dyslexia, her inability to read, Lucy compensated by “being social.” Talented, tenacious, outgoing and brave, she took on every challenge; listen to her tell her unusual story including her struggle to get accepted into the University of Notre Dame, and be part of the family which nurtured he father and uncle.

2-11-14 – Interview

Bob Devin Jones seemed to luck into the career to which he has given his life – theater. He followed in his big sister Renee’s footsteps by enrolling in a theater arts program in Jr High School; then he saw his friend on stage in a play and thought “I can do that,” so he auditioned for and got a role as a black Santa in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and the audience’s response to his appearance sealed his fate. He studied at Loyola Marymount University, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. After graduating, he traveled the country as an actor and director. Bob has written more than a dozen plays including Uncle Bend’s: A Home-Cooked Negro Narrative, Manhattan Casino and Further Down the Road. He has made his living acting and directing. Bob and Dave Ellis created Studio@620 a creative space. Currently he has directed a wonderful production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running for the American Stage Theater in St. Petersburg Florida. Listen to this thoughtful men describe his very special approach to directing, and hear Pam Wiley’s review of the play.

Audio Interview

Diane Ladd is an actress, film director, producer and author. She has appeared in over 120 roles on television, in miniseries and feature films; including Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), Rambling Rose (1991), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Touched by an Angel (1997) (TV), Primary Colors (1998), 28 Days (2000), and American Cowslip (2008). She is the mother of actress Laura Dern, by her ex-husband, actor Bruce Dern. Ladd has won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and has been nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has recently published her 2nd book – a series of short stories called A Bad Afternoon for A Piece of Cake. Listen to this extraordinary woman talk about an extraordinary life in which she travelled the countryside with her veterinarian father; convinced her cousin playwright Tennessee Williams to let her do his play (Orpheus Descending), and then convinced the New York reviewers to come out and review it; and experienced the sensation of seeing a “white light” which convinced her that she would be an actress and a writer – which of course she had been.

Author and journalist Candice Russell discovered Haitian Art seemingly by accident, but the minute she saw it, she was captured. And that capturing led her on a journey which would culminate 25 years later in the creation of her beautiful coffee table book – Masterpieces of Haitian Art. Early in life Candice fell in love with books, making the library her second home. She thought her life would be was dedicated to words and, not surprisingly, she worked as a journalist. In her early 30’s, seeing her friend Michele’s ability to create a beautiful environment and saddened by the thought that she had no “visual sense,” Candice prayed to develop an “artistic sensibility.” Remarkably her prayers were answered. Listen to Candice talk about the way she’s pursued what has become her passion – the advocacy of Haitian Art and Artists.

1-21-14 Audio Interview

Howard Millman understood very young that he belonged in the theater, but his first generation immigrant parents couldn’t see how he could make a living in the theater, so to assuage their concern he majored in pre-law in university. A request from a professor that he take a role in a play led to the professor confirming that he “was an actor.” This confirmation gave him the courage to change his major – the very next day – from pre-law to theater, assuring his parents that he could ”always teach.” In some ways it seems as if Howard had a guardian angel sweeping his path; listen to the ironic way he lucked into directing plays for the army and then directing school plays as the Dramatic Consultant Prince Georges County Maryland. But it was a job as Civilian Entertainment Director for the United States Army that showed him his managerial abilities, and he used those skills many times to rescue theaters from the brink of disaster. Now in retirement at 82 years old, he is able to pursue his real passion, which is directing, and to “pick his projects.” His current “pick” is The Whipping Man, which he directed for the Westcoast Black Theater Troupe in Sarasota FL. Listen to Howard talk about this extraordinary play.

12-31-2013 Audio Interview

Actor, writer Montae Russell always knew he had a sensitive, emotional, artistic nature. As a small child he would stand by the radio and listen to the “slow jams” (the ballads) his mother loved. Without knowing what he was doing, little Montae indentified with the singers, understood what they were feeling, and was able to feel it himself; it was perfect training for an actor. His friends teased and harassed him for his sensitivity, but he was a “rebellious sort of fella” and responding to a dare from his civics teacher, he auditioned for the school Xmas play. He was cast as Ebenezer Scrooge and knew that he had found his path. Today he is brilliantly starring in the Florida Studio Theater production of Thurgood by George Stevens; the story of the remarkable life of Thurgood Marshall – the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court. This is second time Montae has played the role and he is the only actor (following Lawrence Fishburn on Broadway) that Mr. Stevens has allowed to play it. . Although he knew he wanted to be an actor, he didn’t know exactly what that meant; listen to how this sensitive young man found his way to the “noble” life he is thankful he discovered at a very early age.

12-24-13 – Audio Interview

Patrick Noonan didn’t come from an artistic family but he and his siblings all went into the arts. Following in his older sister and brother’s footsteps baby brother Patrick auditioned for school shows. A seemingly casual comment made, by of all people his gym teacher, after he’d seen Patrick in a production of West Side Story, changed Patrick’s life and set him on the path he wasn’t aware he wanted and which he has he’s followed ever since. Listen to him tell this remarkable story. Currently Patrick is cutting it on stage at Florida Studio Theater, with a bunch of of talented and hilarious actors in a side=splitting production of Spamalot. If you’ve never seen it – or even if you have – you owe it to yourself to go out and have a great time. Listen to Patrick talk about his life and this production and also hear some of the outrageously funny songs from the show.

12-17-13 – Audio Interview

Larry Alexander is one of the lucky ones. He discovered his “calling” early and has been able to make a life with it. Having fallen in love with the musicals as a boy he auditioned for and was in several plays, but when he was cast as the star of Bye Bye Birdie his fate was sealed. He majored in theater in college and has been a working, professional actor since he was 18 years old. Currently Larry is sharing the stage as one of a quartet of extraordinary actor/singer/ dancer/ musicians in the delightful, engaging American Stage Production of A Marvelous Party, a Noel Coward Celebration. In this show I am not only airing Larry’s Interview, but a taste of his vocal skill – a cut from one of his CD’s and a sample of Noel Coward’s amazing repertoire, which is bound to make you want to see the show.

11-19-13 – Audio Interview

Luckily for him, Richard B. Watson‘s parents were a patient audience for their two year olds replaying of everyday’s Sesame Street. This went on for years as Richard enhanced his performances with lights, sounds, puppets etc. What then could Richard be, but an actor? Having just appeared in the American Stage Theater production of Daphne du Maurier’s thriller The Birds, Richard can next be seen at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater in a production of Nicholas Nickleby, a two play 6 hour tour de force January 22 – March 9, 2014. Listen to the story of how he went from a precocious toddler to a working actor, and hear him tell the story of learning to perform with a peg leg on a stage filled with stairs in his role as Captain Hook in the first production of Treasure Island A New Musical.

11-12-13 Audio Interview Part – 2

In this second part of my interview, Wayne Adams continues to relate his remarkable life. Listen to him describe his delightful meeting with legendary acting teacher Maggie Flannigan; and how his production of Ralph Pape’s Say Goodnight, Gracie directed by Austin Pendleton, resulted in his determination to bring Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company to Broadway; first in the production of True West with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise and then in the Lincoln Center production of And a Nightingale Sang with Joan Allen. Wayne says “I’m interested in being the human being that I am,” and he reminds us that “life is taking chances, not doing what someone else thinks you should do but doing from yourself honestly according to your own instincts.” Listen and be inspired.

11-5-13 – Audio Interview Part 1

Actor, Director, Broadway Producer, Lighting Designer, Art Gallery Owner, waiter, server in an upscale tie store and more, octogenarian Wayne Adams did everything with passion, commitment and panache. Adopted by an extraordinary couple who wanted him to experience everything and encouraged him to “be himself, and to take responsibility for everything he attempted,” Wayne has done just that. A musician, an artist and an actor as a boy, Wayne majored in commercial design and minored in history of architecture at Ohio University, and although he never took a “theater course” he was in 11 productions during his four years at school with the result that when he graduated he knew that after his mandated stint in the Air Force he would go off to NY to pursue a career as an actor. Listen to the remarkable diverse jobs he tackled – all with the same commitment to excellence and hear how he discovered “what it really means to be an actor.”

10-29-13 – Audio Interview

Tom Aposporos still remembers portraying the planet Mercury in his first grade class play. By fifth grade, Tom knew he wanted to be an actor and his parents made it possible for him to take acting lessons. Luckily, for Tom, there were professional actors with whom he could study and he attributes his success in all of his varied careers to that training at a young age. At age 20 Tom was acting professionally but not sure of the stability of such a career. He followed his father’s example and went into the real estate business. Very quickly, he also entered public life, elected to the Poughkeepsie, New York Common Council at age 25, then Mayor of his city two years later. Following four terms as Mayor, the shareholders of Progressive Bank, Inc., a publicly traded bank holding company, elected him to their Board of Directors and he later served as Chairman of the Board. However, Tom never lost his passion for acting and the theater. One of the founders of the Theatre Odyssey, based here on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Tom works steadily as an actor and director, and most recently appeared in Banyan Theater Company’s critically acclaimed production of Time Stands Still. He also writes a weekly column on the life and people of the local barrier islands for the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

10-22-13- Audio Interview

Karyl Lynn Burns says that she was a born producer. Listen to her delightful story about when her mother’s friends came to play bridge, how 4 or 5 year old Karyl Lynn would charge the children who accompanied them their allowance to watch her put on a show. Her childhood was filled with stories, invention and play acting; Karly Lynn says that she always knew her life would be about acting, producing and the telling of stories. But it has been that and more. She was also interested in writing and so she majored in Journalism in College, but she went on to study acting under Tony Nominated director Bill Ball at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) an experience which changed her approach to her work and her life. Also through a series of coincidences she created a major Public Relations firm. But acting and producing remained her passion, listen to this delightful, charming, spontaneous woman describe the circuitous route which led her and her husband Jim O’Neil to the creation of the Rubicon Theater, a remarkable space for all kinds of theater.

10-15-13 – Audio Interview

This is an atypical Lynne Show. A few times I have neglected to hit the right button on my recording device and failed to record an interview. I learned early that if I re-interviewed the person, the spontaneity of the original was inevitably lost so I stopped doing it and resigned myself to losing that person’s story. When I realized that I wasn’t recording the terrific interview I was getting with Jim O’Neil however he surprised me by saying “well, I guess you’ll just have to tell my story” and so, in this show, I am doing just that. Jim O’Neil never intended to be an actor. It was a series of unrelated and seemingly insignificant events which triggered in him a certainty that theater was his destiny. You can hear me describe those incidents and then hear Jim (I finally turned on the recorder) talk about the philosophy which motivated Jim and his wife Karyl Lynn Burns to create the Rubicon Theater, the first professional theater in Ventura CA. Listen to this thoughtful man talk about his passion for creating a space where we humans can tell our stories and cement our humanity.

9-24-13 – Audio Interview

Blake Walton desperately wanted to be an actor, but he believed that actors were “noisy,” while he was shy. He was good at everything; he could draw, play several instruments, run track, sing and dance, but while he enjoyed his success in these things, his desire to be an actor stayed a dream until high school when he was cast in the production of The Sound of Music and knew for sure this was where he wanted to be – this was what he wanted to do. Listen to Blake describe the many obstacles he had to overcome, the many times he re-invented himself. And hear him talk about his current work – a one man show called Leading Men, which he wrote and will be performing at Home Resource in Sarasota Fl, Thurs. 9/26, Fri. 9/27 and Sun at 7:30, and at the United Solo Festival Competition in New York City on Sunday Oct 13th at 7:30 pm at 42nd St Theater Row –Studio Theater Top Floor.

9-17-13 Audio Interview

Roxanne Fay fell in love with words when she was very young and participated in “forensics competitions” – the reading of poetry – in elementary school. Her love of “words that she wanted to say,” never left her and she relentlessly pursued those “nourishing words” as an actor and playwright, but it wasn’t an easy journey. Not accepted in to the BFA program at university and not accepted to the Asolo Conservatory program Roxanne persevered despite a “broken heart.” She attended the Burt Reynolds acting program (which in retrospect was the better choice for her), and has never looked back. Travelling to work in Hawaii, Chicago, New York, and Orlando and finally finding herself back home in St Petersburg Florida where she has been working steadily as an actor, playwright, and stage manager. Listen to her talk about the work she and her Blue Scarf collective partners have done, her extraordinary two part piece called Home Fires Burning, (which if you get a chance to see you shouldn’t miss), the one woman narrative she is writing about Mary Magdalene for which she won a grant, and her upcoming work in The Birds which will open on Oct 2nd at American Stage Theater in St Petersburg FL.

9-10-13 — Audio Interview

Ann Gundersheimer knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an actor; she can still recite a piece she performed in elementary school. Her father, a charismatic lecturer, inadvertently encouraged this impulse by sharing his love of oratory with his daughter. But her parents frowned on the idea of her having a career on the stage so Ann majored in English instead of theater in college, although she “acted all the time,” and then got her Masters Degree in theater. But her life took several other turns so she wasn’t able to purse her passion for acting until she retired. And now she is finally able to act as often as she is cast. Currently she is one of the two characters in a reading of The Guys, a play which will have one performance on 9/11 at The Players Theater, about the impact of the World Trade Center catastrophe on two people who had very different experiences.