Actors React - H.G. Wells | The Ogre

TIME MAGAZINE COVER: 09/29/1926

Source: http://www.time.com/time/covers

/0,16641,19260920,00.html

Part herald and part pessimist, Herbert George Wells, or H.G. Wells, was a prolific author, teacher, historian and journalist.  Not only did he make a name for himself in the science fiction genre, penning such works as The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds, he was also responsible for many other fiction and non-fiction titles, utopian and dystopian short stories, travel sketches, histories and socio-political commentary.  Although his major works featured a bleak future for humanity, Wells was not without his "sardonic and wry wit."

Big Idea company member and actor, Gregory Smith, shares his thoughts on Don Nigro's The Ogre and his portrayal of H.G. Wells.

Photo: Jessica Berkey

Big Idea: What draws you to a play as an actor?

Greg:  I enjoy witty dialogue.

Big Idea: What was your first reaction upon reading The Ogre?

Greg:  My initial reaction was "Wow," but it has since come alive in performance in ways I did not see when I first read it.   

Big Idea: How do you think of Wells?

Greg: Wells was a visionary writer who was extremely ahead of his time, writing classics like The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine.  He was also a complex man who once wrote, "I was never a great amorist," he wrote in Experiment in Autobiography, "though I have loved several people very deeply."

Big Idea: You described Wells as a visionary writer.  Which of those impressive works is your favorite?

Greg: Definitely The War of the Worlds, written in 1898, as it preceded any of the World Wars.  I marvel at his vision - he was truly ahead of his time.

First Edition Cover
Photo: drzeus.best.vhw.net

Big Idea: What is the best advice that he gives to Stephen Crane? 

Greg: As Wells says in the play, "The great thing is to do your work and everything else be damned.  We each make our own twisted journey.  We are just damn lucky to be in the race at all." To him, the work is the most important thing.

Big Idea: Does Wells believe that Brede Place is haunted?

Greg: I would say yes, for everything was possible to Wells.

Big Idea: Can you share a memorable moment from the show?

Greg: My favorite scene is when Wells is seeing Stephen and Cora off to the Black Forrest at the ship. Saying goodbye with out saying goodbye.  Wells is actually saying the opposite to what he feels inside.

Big Idea: How does the role of H.G. Wells differ from previously roles that you have played?

Greg:  I love portraying historical characters.  Wells is more of a subdued role and most of my recent characters have been larger than life, such as King Henry IV (who turned into a Zombie!), Sheriff of 

Nottingham and the Mad Hatter.

Gregory Smith as zombified King Henry IV
in "The Life and Undead of King Henry V" by William Shakespeare,
Adapted by Brian Harrower from the 2012 Big Idea Theatre Season
Photo: Benjamin T. Ismail  

Actors React - Henry James | The Ogre

Photo: Bettman/Corbis  Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/sep/20/number-one-writer

An American ex-pat, author and intellectual, Henry James was the "top dog" in his day.  With over 20 novels, 112 stories, 12 plays and many literary criticisms to his credit, his writings highlighted his numerous talents in literature, psychology and philosophy.



Joining us is Sacramento actor Shawn B O'Neal, sharing his thoughts on Don Nigro's The Ogre and his portrayal of the famous Henry James.

Big Idea: What appealed to you about being a part of The Ogre cast?

Shawn:  This show has an eerie feeling of suspense throughout coupled with humor.

Big Idea: How would you describe James?

Shawn: I believe Henry James is massively self-conscious and ultimately, a pretentious person.  In The Ogre, James is a very lonely person who is not truly able to connect with many people.

Big Idea: What do you feel is most important in his world?

Shawn: His love of the creation of art.  His body of work is enormous and I feel it is what has driven him.  The idea of creation, his creation, living on long past his death. 

Big Idea: Do you have a favorite work of James?

Shawn: I'd have to say that I enjoyed his ghost story "The Turn of the Screw" best.  It is suspenseful without being contrived. 

Source: http://archive.org/details/twomagicsturnofs00jameiala

Big Idea: What is the most challenging part of exploring the world of the play through the eyes of a well-known historical figure?

Shawn:  Accuracy!  As an actor, you a taught to play a character for truth.  This is even more important when playing a historical person.  Accuracy and honesty are key.

Big Idea: In The Ogre, Henry James and Stephen Crane have a genuine friendship.  Why do you feel James befriends Crane?

Shawn: James respects Stephen Crane and enjoys the idea of being looked at as a mentor.  He appreciates Crane's talent and gift of writing, exploring different topics that challenge him.

Big Idea: How does the role of Henry James differ from previously roles that you have played?

Shawn:  Well - in my most recent Big Idea roles, I played a mentally damaged, child serial killer (The Pillowman), and a drag queen in mourning (Twelfth Night, or What You Will)...  so, this role is far more reserved and requires a great deal of restraint, a great deal of subtlety.  It's quite fun!

 "Pretty soon I will have to throw this away so I better try to be calm like Henry James. Did you ever read Henry James? He was a great writer who came to Venice and looked out the window and smoked his cigar and thought."

- Ernest Hemingway

Source: http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofpendenn01thacrich#page/n3/mode/2up

• Liukkonen, Petri and Ari Pesonen.  Kuusankosken kaupunginkkirjasto. www.kirjasto.sci.fi.com/hjames.htm, 2008.
• James's Legacy: The Afterlife of His Figure and Fiction by Adeline Tintner (1998) ISBN 0-8071-2157-6. Ernest Hemingway pp.176–188.

Actors React - Joe Cooper | Killer Joe

Meet Joe Cooper : dangerous, steely, smoldering.  On the surface, he may appear selfish, cocky and downright scary, but there's more to him than meets the eye.  Big Idea sits down with actor Rick Eldredge to discuss Tracy Lett's Killer Joe and the complexities of his character, Joe Cooper.

Big Idea: What was your first reaction upon reading Killer Joe?

Rick: My initial reaction? That is was cheap thrills.  Funny, exciting.  It reminded me of a Tarantino script.  But as with Tarantino, I found myself wondering if the piece had any soul to it.

Big Idea: Joe has quite the unique perspective.  What would you say defines his outlook?

Rick: His occupation as a detective.  I believe the things Joe has seen in his line of work has shaped both his morality as well as his approach to personal relationships.

Big Idea: How does Joe feel about love?

Rick: Ironically, Joe sees love as a rare and special thing.  I believe he has experienced it maybe once before in his life, and had a bad experience with in.  Being a cautious man, I think it took a special person like Dottie to change his mind about love.  Clearly, she is not the sort of girl he runs into every day, in the office, at the bar - that sort of thing.

Big Idea: About death?

Rick: I think Joe lives in a world where life and death are brethren.  He does not hesitate to kill when it suits his personal code of ethics, yet I believe he feels he is sort of the angel of death.  That old-time Baptist religion is ingrained in him.  Joe is fire and brimstone, old testament style.

Big Idea: What did you find most challenging in tackling and exploring this character?

Rick:  Joe has a weight to him - a slow tempo and ease of movement - that I, as a person, don't have.  He is very efficient in his behavior and movements, directed by a sharp intellect and cautious nature.  Finding and keeping that rhythm while remaining natural is difficult.

Big Idea: In Killer Joe, do the characters define their own circumstances or do the circumstances define the characters?

Rick: Though products of their environment, the characters are definitely directors of their fate.

Big Idea: How so?

Rick: The apple of greed is dangled in front of them and they all bite.  All save Dottie.  She is the innocent.  She is a product of her chaotic environment, yet somehow the force and strength of her character pushes through in a powerful way at the end of the play.

Big Idea: What would you say is at the core of Killer Joe?

Rick: Dottie.  She reminds me of mother nature or something.  Man gets cocky and does something to mess with the earth and mother nature sends a tornado, or hurricane, or something badass to humble us.  Dottie is that hurricane: quiet for most of the play, and then... SLAM!

Big Idea: How has this piece changed or enhanced your view of the world?

Rick:  It reminds me that sometimes, even in the most depraved, desperate individuals, there is a longing for love and order.