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.