As
promised, here is another interview with a cast member of A Thousand Words (opening
February 16th). This time it is actor T. Stacy Hicks, who plays a total of three characters in this
production. Here he offers insight into the experience of working on the show.
What
has it been like for you to perform in the world premiere of a new play?
It's been a very exciting process
originating not one but three new roles. It's required a certain amount
of dexterity and ingenuity to create three distinct characters, each with their
own voice and personality. Working on a new play allows the actor to have
a hand in developing the piece, to make suggestions and to have input on how
the play will finally take shape, not just in this run of the play but in all
subsequent incarnations. The product that the audience ultimately sees is
usually a collaboration between the writer, director, and actors but a new play
is even more so.
What
is it like to have the playwright in the room to watch the development of the
show? How has this process affected your performance?
This is
the second new show in a row on which I've worked and it's been a pleasure to
have the playwright in the room both times. I imagine, if one is a
playwright that it's very easy to get too emotionally attached to the words
you've written: too close and personal to maintain objectivity.
Fortunately that was not the case in either playwright with whom I've
worked. In both cases the author was open to changes and suggestions made
by the cast and the director. I imagine that a strong playwright would
realize that having a group of smart actors work on their play would provide
them with an opportunity to make improvements in the text. Having the
playwright in the room has been helpful in clarifying the intentions of my
characters and allowed me to know the inspirations used in writing the words I
get to perform.
Do
you have any thoughts about the progression of the show as it moves from Madison to Milwaukee?
It's still a working, growing piece which
is very exciting. We continue to make changes so the show the Milwaukee audience sees will be a different one than the Madison audience
saw. We learned things in Madison that
will affect how the show is presented in Milwaukee.
We're also putting the show into a slightly different, somewhat more intimate
space in Milwaukee
so that's going to change how the scenes play and where we'll place our
focus. The Milwaukee
audience will have different tastes and aesthetics so I'm really excited to see
how they might react differently and what resonates for them, how certain ideas
land and are received.
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This
play is very topical in our current socioeconomic climate. What are your
thoughts as an actor as to why this is a positive piece to be pursuing right at
this point in American history?
I was
somewhat taken aback in Madison
by how one of my characters was viewed for that very reason. Our Madison audience was
passionate and often down right defensive when it comes to the subject of
funding for the arts and who gets to profit from the work created by
others. I was heartened by their willingness (though I think it was
somewhat misguided) to circle the wagons around and defend the creative process
from those they saw as exploiters of creativity. This is a very topical
issue as more and more artists and arts organizations are stripped of their
government funding and left to their own devices to supplement their
work. I also think, because of the duel time lines in the show, we really
get to examine the ideas of intellectual property and controlling our image
that have arisen as a result of the social media driven society in which we now
live, issues that weren't even considered at the time in which Walker Evans was
working.
