James Cribbins is playing Christopher in our production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Get to know him before you see him on stage. 

What character do you play and what do you find most challenging and/ exciting about playing them?
I play Medium Alison; something challenging about this role is her body language matching her inner thoughts. I find myself observing the way I sit naturally and little ways I fidget and trying to pinpoint these for Alison. But, this is also so exciting because it’s not everyday you get to change your physicalities into a new person!
 
Now that you have been in rehearsals for a while, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?
These weeks have been incredible! I’ve very much enjoyed working with this amazing cast and artistic team. I love how everyone works together by sharing ideas and “sketching” out scenes to incorporate natural movement.

How does great collaboration function best?
Great collaboration is possible when there is communication and all members are involved. Mutual trust and understanding is also needed, and fortunately, this team and cast are full of these things!
 
What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?
I have worked on more musicals than straight plays, and I love how the music comes at times when speaking the words just isn’t enough. It’s human nature to sing and make music when we feel so much emotion, and musicals, especially Fun Home, combine dialogue and music in a way that is natural and beautiful. Even though conveying a message through song adds to the show, it is also a challenge at times.

What is your favorite moment in this musical?
This story is written so beautifully to capture these moments of Alison’s life. One of my favorite moments is when Joan and Bruce are bonding and Medium Alison has a good time with her dad and her girlfriend in the same room. It’s a small, beautiful moment that is so vital to the story of the relationship of her and her father to show that there were shining moments.

What character do you play and what do you find most challenging and/ exciting about playing them?

I play adult Alison Bechdel. It's a challenging role for me vocally, and I'm leaning on the wise guidance of musical director Randal Pierce and vocal coach Stacy Chadwell. 
 
What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?

I'm not sure I'd call it a challenge, exactly, since I love musicals and working on this one is pretty much pure pleasure, but I am reminded frequently during rehearsal that music is a direct and powerful medium, and part of my job as an actor is to be as direct and powerful. Acting in a well-made musical is all about clearing the high bar that the score sets. And on a purely technical level, singing well performance after performance requires a bit more rest and recovery time between shows. 

Now that you have been in rehearsals for a while, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?

The answer to all three of those questions is the same: I am surprised, scared, and even a bit pleased to find that my biggest task in working on Fun Home is not discovering and accessing the big emotions that the show calls for, but rather keeping my huge, overwhelming emotions in check enough to be able to perform. In twenty years of working, I've never had this experience. 
 
How does great collaboration function?
 
My favorite collaborations have always been between obsessives who play well with others. When a small group of creative folks each have a burning desire to realize their particular vision and the ability to refine and integrate that vision into something larger than themselves? That, in my experience, is when magic can happen. On a less theoretical level, a comfortable room, a shared sense of humor, and snacks go a long way.

What is your favorite moment in this musical?

Working with director Robin Fawcett the other day on the very first moments of the show was a bit of a revelation. I had been thinking about my entrance as nothing much, a bit of dramaturgical throat-clearing before the music began. Was I wrong! As of this writing, it's my favorite moment in the show. Of course, ask me again in a day or two and I'm sure to have a different answer. This show is so rich. 

In your dream scenario how does great collaboration function?
This is my dream scenario!  Robin Fawcett, who is directing the show has gathered an incredible group of artists. Robin has an uncanny way of creating a safe environment in rehearsals where you have permission to explore.

Everyone involved in Fun Home is working towards a common goal.  It's thrilling to be a part of it!

Now that you have been in rehearsals for two weeks, what have you enjoyed most while working on this musical so far? Anything that has surprised you? Scared you?
Fun Home is so beautifully crafted.  Working on this piece has only deepened my love for it.  

When people ask me how rehearsals are going I always say "I'm having the time of my life!".

We just completed our first run-thru of the whole show.  That first run-thru is always terrifying, but I think a healthy dose of fear is good.  It keeps you working to do you best.

What character do you play and what do you find most challenging and/or exciting about playing him?
I play Bruce Bechdel, Alison's Father.  All of the characters in the show are struggling for acceptance.  I remember when I read the script, my first thought was, this could have been my story.  I grew up in a small town in Iowa and if I had never ventured beyond its borders or had the freedom to live an authentic life as a gay man this could have been me.  

It is a challenge to access the darker places of Bruce, but it's exciting to create this multidimensional flawed human being.

There is a universal resonance to this story that I think audiences can't help but identify with.

What do you find most challenging about working on a musical versus a play?
It's a whole other beast.  A musical requires that you take extremely good care of your vocal and physical health.  

In a musical you have the added task of finding the motivation for your character bursting into song.  Those transitions are so well written in Fun Home, it make the actors job much easier. 

This is a vocally demanding show but it has to seem effortless and that takes a lot of work.

What is your favorite moment in this musical (doesn’t have to be in our version... it could simply be a moment in the show itself)?
There are so many it's hard to pick just one moment.  

However, when Small Alison played so beautifully by Lulu Barr-Brandt sings the lyric, "Do you feel my heart saying Hi?" in Ring of Keys.  It gets me every time.  

It's that moment of revelation; simple and true and so incredibly powerful.

Fun Home is playing October 4-29 at FlynnSpace.

How would you describe 'Annie'?

Annie is smart, caring, and imperfect. Throughout the play, we witness her navigating many new circumstances.  I imagine her as a novice hurdler.  She sprints towards each obstacle and makes her best attempt to clear it.  Sometimes she makes the leap with grace but more often she stumbles, scrapes her knees, and hurts innocent bystanders such as her friends and her husband.
 
Are there any connections that you see between you and your character?

I also imagine myself as a novice hurdler whenever I try something new or scary.  And fumbles, skinned knees, and failures remind me I (thankfully) still have much to learn in this life.
 
Annie and I also share a love of cooking.  I think we both show our affection for people by cooking for them.  My husband is fond of saying “Thanks for loving me with food.”
 
What do you like most about this play?

The playwright Tanya Barfield has an ability to capture very realistic dialogue.  Characters stop speaking mid sentence, they finish others’ thoughts, and often use non-sequiturs.  As you can imagine, this makes line memorization a beautiful challenge.  The actors in this cast do an amazing job of breathing life into the dialogue, while deftly moving from dramatic to comedic moments.
 
Rehearsing this play brings me great joy and angst. Layered throughout the script are themes of identity, privilege, racism, and motherhood. Its impact on me extends far beyond the rehearsal room.
 
Do you have a favorite line?

“You want a child from Africa but you do not want Africa.”
 
How would you describe the play to our audience?

The Call is a comedy with dramatic moments (or a drama with comedic moments)  about friendship, marriage, and parenthood.  The Call also offers a feast for your senses.  There is food or drink in nearly every scene!  And even though you might be able to smell the delicious mango coulis, please keep your hands off the actors’ plates.
 
What would you like them to leave thinking or talking about?

I hope audience members talk about any of the play’s themes and events with their friends, families, and neighbors.  I hope this play prompts discussions long after people have left the theater.

How would you describe your character?
Drea is like a ball park frank but with Grey Poupon artisanal cheese on top.

Are there any connections that you see between you and your character?
Absolutely! Drea's an artist. I'm an artist. She likes sophisticated women. I love sophisticated women. Drea also seems to have a natural curiosity about the world and people around her and isn't afraid to ask questions. I value this quality in others as well as myself. What would this world be if we lost our curiosity... our desire to investigate? Pretty boring if you ask me!

What do you like most about this play? Do you have a favorite line?
I like the fact that there are no easy answers in The Call. Tanya Barfield doesn't allow the conflict to be packaged nicely and wrapped up with a pretty bow. The characters are messy, vulnerable and complex. Sometimes contradictory. I also appreciate that the dialogue is written in a way that we actually speak in "real life". In the real world we don't always finish our sentences. Sometimes we use our hands, face or body language in lieu of actual words. We also don't always politely wait for others to stop speaking before we chime in with our own thoughts. The playwright has made a clear point of writing in an overlapping rhythm with regards to the dialogue and it's also very clear in those moments when the dialogue does not overlap. Tanya's like a jazz musician in this way. Guiding our attention with rhythm. This technique, coupled with the unconventional alleyway staging will help create an intimacy that will bring the audience into the milieu of these characters' story in a way that feels real and voyeuristic.

Favorite line is when Alemu says with regards to Africa, "The continent, not the country. (He laughs) Humor: it doesn't translate."

And then again later when Alemu says, "Ah. It's 'for Africa,' the entire continent." These lines are brilliant and Tino delivers them brilliantly!

How would you describe the play to our audience?
The Call is an honest glimpse into a couple's journey through the not so warm and fuzzy process of adoption and what happens when people stop being polite and start confronting their own desires, insecurities and basic need to contribute SOMETHING good to the world.

What would you like them to leave thinking or talking about?
It would just be nice if folks are talking and or thinking. I believe that's the responsibility of storytelling. Not to tell the audience WHAT to think about or how to think about it. Just to get them thinking. Maybe spark new dialogue that they didn't have the desire or even courage to have before. I also hope they leave the theater thinking "Boy, that Jammie Patton was really good!" That is my hope for the entire production. I feel pretty good about my hopes. This team is rocking! 😊