What was your first experience of the play?

I saw the original West End production of ‘Art' with Albert Finney, Tom Courtney and Ken Stott, so years later when I first read the play I was already very familiar with it. I related to how the characters allow attachments to things (friendships, romantic relationships, interests, like art, etc.) cause them to change their behavior, which in turn ends or dramatically changes friendships. 

What do you find interesting about Yvan?

Yvan is affable, infantile, mercurial, easily influenced by others, the "joker" and although he feels things deeply often feels misunderstood and overlooked. I find taking on this role very exciting because Yvan is so full of life and is often on the edge of his emotions, almost like a child, which is challenging and rewarding to explore as an actor. 

What's your favorite part about acting?

My favorite part of acting is the experience of collaborating with the director, the actors, and the production team to allow the written word to come alive on stage. I'm most looking forward to seeing what we create together. Every single person involved in this production inspires me on a daily basis.

What do you hope people leave the theatre thinking about?

I hope they leave thinking about how relationships are the most precious things we have in life.

Is there a line in the play that makes you giggle?

Yes, Marc's line: "Your friends need to be chaperoned, otherwise they'll get away... Look at poor Yvan, whose chaotic behavior used to delight us, we've allowed him to become a timid stationer...Practically married.."  Gets me every time!

What was your experience of 'ART' when you first read it?

My initial impression was that it was quite different from anything I'd read. It's a subtle play, which on the surface is this disagreement over a painting but it grows into much more than that. I think it also will be a play that is better in performance then it is in reading as each actor brings a level of complexity to the roles that doesn't leap off the page. These characters talk about their relationships in a way that can be unusual for American men, but after rehearsing for a week it feels  comfortable. I have to say also that the humor has really revealed itself as we've been rehearsing.

What do you like about taking on the role of Serge?

What I love about Serge and also what is challenging about him is his dual nature. He is a medical doctor, a dermatologist, highly confident and capable in his working life, a take-charge sort of person. Outside of that realm, however, he becomes more tentative and his friendship with Marc and Ivan have always given him a sense of identity outside of work. At the time of the play, he has been cultivating another set of "friends" - people in the art world - and this is part of the betrayal felt by Marc. He is a man of science who has artistic "enthusiasms".

Is there any aspect of this production that you are especially looking forward to?

I love the exploration of characters interacting and searching for ways to make those characters manifest in quiet, less obvious ways. What I have always enjoyed as an audience member of Vermont Stage productions has been the sense of intimacy which allows you to enjoy performances that are subtle and naturalistic. It is more like watching a film. You get close-ups. The difference is that your eyes and your brain are making the choices about where to put the focus.

What do you hope people leave the theatre thinking about?

I hope people are thinking about the nature and importance of friendships, their delicacy at times, and how easy it can be to scuttle them. I think people will be talking about the ending of the play and its significance. I hope they call a good friend they haven't seen in awhile and set up some time to spend together.

Is there any line in the play that makes you giggle?

I giggle pretty much every time Adrian (Ivan) comes on stage. Ivan is this lovely tragi-comic character, the perfect foil/antidote for Serge and Marc, the catalyst for a fair amount of their tussling, and Adrian is just nailing it. Audiences will just love Ivan.

What's your favorite part about acting?

At the end of our first week, the aspect of this career that I love the most strikes me. Strangers can come together, work on an entertaining and beautiful play, and through the work - become "budding" friends. I don't know Adrian or Roy, I have never worked with them before and we find we finish each other's sentences.

What do you find interesting about taking on the role of Marc?

Marc is rabid when it comes to the authenticity of words and deeds. So am I. I am jealous of his ability to state this, and demand this of his friends free from worry that his own actions may damage their relationship. The relationship is paramount. If the relationship ceases to be authentic I admire his ability to cut it free.

What was your experience of the play when you first read it?

When I first read ‘ART' I was struck by the dynamics and semantics of these characters as they grapple with the depths and emotional connections these three men share with each other. I have always found that the love and camaraderie of most men to be a profoundly beautiful and humorous thing - for they are often incapable of talking openly and emotionally about their needs, mired in centuries of sociological judgment as to how men ought to behave.

What do you hope people leave the theatre thinking about?

To think about what they say to those they say they love.

Is there any line in the play that makes you giggle?

I have until October 9th to protect ‘ART' from becoming an episode of The Carol Burnett Show. I dare anyone to keep a straight face, on-stage, with Mr. O'Donnell as Yvan...