By Jonathan Burger, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, Inc.
Where are you from and how’d you end up in New Bern?
I first came to the area in the mid 1990s as a student at ECU, where I got my BA in Creative Writing. After graduating, I lived on Ocracoke Island as a beach bum, worked in Carteret County as a sports reporter and editor (which included New Bern Magazine at one point), and played bass in a band called Free Poor. Having just become a new dad in 2009, I started looking for more lucrative job opportunities and accepted a public relations position for Chatsworth Products in 2011. I moved to New Bern that same year and have been in the area ever since, eventually working at Tryon Palace and now at Craven Community College as the Executive Director of Community Engagement.
Do you have any formal training, or are you mostly self-taught?
As far as performing arts goes, my training has been pretty minimal. All the credit for having improv in New Bern goes to Kim and Jody Bledsoe. They offered an 8-week class at the City Laundry (now Tap That) for free that included three founding members of Walk-In Bathtub: Austin Arrington, George Oliver, and myself. That is the only formal training I’ve had. Everything else has been from reading, videos, and playing with fellow performers in scripted and improvised shows. The same could be said for how I learned to play the bass. I had a friend show me some basics while I lived on Ocracoke, but I mostly taught myself how to play.
You are a founding member of Walk in Bathtub, a local improv group. What about improv appeals to you that is different to scripted roles?
There’s definitely a lot more freedom and play in improv when compared to a scripted play. There’s no pressure to remember a line or hit a mark. In its purest form, you are an empty vessel that is reacting on instinct and muscles that you’ve developed through hours and hours of rehearsals. But I also think improv does a great job of improving your abilities as a scripted performer because it teaches you to listen, react, and be fully engaged with your scene partner. I always try to learn my lines as fast as I can so I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Then I can just be in a scene without thinking about what I have to say, and instead, get to just be who I’m supposed to be through listening and reacting naturally, just as I would in an improvised scene.
You’ll be making your debut as a director with Fox in the Fairway. What appeals to you about directing?
It’s easier to play one role where you only have to worry about your scenes, but a director has to see the whole picture, all day, every day. There are lots of moving pieces to keep up with and if everything goes off the rails, you’re the person who has to steer things back on track. But if I’m lucky, things will go the way I hoped and I can step back and look at the completed work with a sense of ownership that only a director can have. It’s scary but also really exciting to face that opportunity. I’m also hoping that this new perspective as a director will help me understand the overall production process in a way that makes me a better performer for directors I may work with in the future.
You have also been a news reporter, including for sports. Do you see a relationship between your work in theatre and your news writing?
One of my favorite parts of working as a sports reporter was photography. I learned on the job how to shoot and develop B&W film for sports reporting specifically. That meant that I had to understand the technical aspects of a film camera–lighting, film speed, apertures–anticipate the action, and capture it at just the right moment. Then, I would have to chase down players and coaches for interviews so I had enough viewpoints to round out the story. In that sense, waiting for the right shot taught me how to be patient and listen. I also wrote a weekly column called the Gray Area. I’m not a big sports guy, but those columns allowed me to bend the rules and find my sense of humor in the written word. I can certainly see some of those perspectives come out of my mouth on stage sometimes.
Is there another artist whose work inspires you or you admire?
Bob Odenkirk is the first name that comes to mind when you talk about a blend of dramatic acting, comedic timing, writing, and improv. His career has included Second City, writing at SNL, cast on the Ben Stiller Show, Mr. Show with Bob and Dave, countless cameos, and Better Call Saul. His ability to be clever and go to crazy town in the same breath is truly an art. Absurdist humor is also one of my guilty pleasures–shows like Eric Andre, I Think You Should Leave, Tim and Eric, and Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun are completely unhinged and I love it. I would go there more if I could do so without terrifying everyone in the theater.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to get involved in theater or just starting out?
Don’t assume that you’re not good enough to do it. We have a strong theater community because so many people are willing to lift you up and make you better. I’m on that stage now because George Oliver asked me to audition for Peter and the Starcatcher. I didn’t think I could do it because I had never acted in anything before, but he talked me into it anyway. And then Willie Sumner, the show’s director, took a gamble on me and cast me in a prominent role as Black Stache. I was terrified, but he got me through it and it was one of the best experiences of my life. We are not paid actors. Some are more experienced than others, but this is not an exclusive club that only admits experienced performers. You should listen, be a sponge, and say “yes” to whatever roles you can get. They will all make you better and provide the framework to be better for your next audition. There are also lots of ways to get involved behind the scenes with stage management, lighting, sound, and props, which are just as critical to a show’s success as the people on stage.
What play, performance, or artistic achievement are you particularly proud of,
and why?
Playing the role of Narrator this spring during Rocky Horror was one of the most rewarding moments I’ve ever had on stage. Typically, I thrive off working with my scene partners, but the Narrator lives outside their world and cannot directly interact with the other characters. Instead, I was able to focus my energy on two big things: figuring out who my character was and ways to use the audience as my scene partner. Great art helps us grow, and discover who we are. That same theme was at the undercurrent of Rocky Horror as all the characters are transitioning and discovering who they are. As the observer, I had to find a way to make the narrator do the same, while still being true to the character. Fortunately, I had a trusting director, Peyton Jenkins, who allowed me to start the character in traditional, professorial clothing, and then slowly, scene by scene, transition my clothing to the high heels and corsets you expect from Rocky Horror. That’s not typically how that show is staged, but this change allowed me to play with the audience as well. That’s particularly important with a show that has so many callouts and shouting from the audience as Rocky. They never saw my change coming, as it happened subtly each time I stepped onto stage. It’s a scary thing to step onto a stage in heels and stockings, but that’s also the loudest and longest applause I’ve ever gotten. I’m proud of it because it’s scary to be different and to try things that might be embarrassing or cause you to fail. And that’s what I love about improv. Every time I step on that stage before a show, there’s a feeling in my stomach that everything could go wrong. Some people might call that anxiety about something terrible, but I’m always telling myself that it’s actually excitement for something great.
Where can people find your work or see you perform next?
I’ll be making my directorial debut on Feb. 9 with Fox on the Fairway at New Bern Civic Theatre, a comedic farce by Ken Ludwig that’s part Marx Brothers and part Caddyshack. You won’t see me on stage, but you’ll definitely see my sense of humor and love for play. Walk-In Bathtub will also have a show on Jan. 20 that I’ll unfortunately miss, but you can catch me on stage doing improv again on May 4.