The Little Theatre of Alexandria

What do you find appealing about your character and this show?  I play several parts, but the two that I connect the most with are the Collector and Strange Man. The Collector is a very young man who Blanche makes an effort to seduce at the beginning of the second act. The scene is brief, but I love every second of it. I have to work to pull an innocence and naivety out of myself to create the proper contrast to both Blanche and, frankly, most of the male characters in the show. It's challenging and satisfying because if I do it right, it helps to provide the audience with a greater understanding of Blanche's true nature and intentions. It leaves the audience pondering just how much you should sympathize with her character, given her current circumstances and how she found herself in them. The Strange Man is just the opposite. His character on the surface is kind and thoughtful. However, his intentions aren't exactly pure, and his actions are most definitely questiona...

What do you find appealing about your character and this show? I have several small character roles, but most notably I play a Poor Woman and a Strange Woman. I grew up in a remote rural area in Michigan, so I can appreciate the economic dichotomy between Poor Woman and Blanche at the top of the show. Strange Woman at the end of the show is cold and emotionless. While that might not make her too appealing as a human, I love contrasting her austerity with Blanche's mania. She has about four or five lines, but each one is fraught with meaning and an intensity that I find fascinating. Streetcar is an all-time favorite of mine, as is Tennessee Williams. There are amazing female characters in this show, beautiful, fragile, hard, complex women. You might not always agree with their words or decisions, but you sure understand them. Williams' text reflects his characters in Streetcar - smart, beautiful, intimate prose that knocks you down and kicks you while you're there....

What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of Stanley? It's really not easy to play such a brute, and it's been much more difficult than I ever imagined. In real life, I consider myself to be a considerate and caring guy, and in the past, I've usually played the protagonist; for this role, I've really had to tap into the deepest and darkest parts of my soul to find that primal personality. But what makes it even more interesting—and challenging—is that, while on the surface Stanley may appear like an ape, deep down he truly is just as fragile as any of us. I suppose we all have two sides to us: the side we put on for the world to see, and the side that hides what we don't want them to see (for reasons good, bad, or otherwise). And then we pick and choose the moments (or sometimes it just happens) where we let our true self be exposed—if you find yourself among the lucky few who witness the veil coming off, be sure to cherish it. What do you wa...

What do you find appealing about your character and this show? Eunice and I are kindred spirits, I think. We’ve both got very keen maternal instincts, loyal to those we care about, and we’re both prone to making a racket if something’s wrong. She’s funny and sarcastic, but at heart she’s incredibly empathetic and she feels very deeply. This show is one of my favorites purely because of Tennessee Williams’ awe-inspiring ability to cut away the veneers we put on every day and show us the raw instincts and emotions that drive us to do certain things. The drama in Streetcar is intense, but it all stems from basic human truths and desires—hey, see what I did there? What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of Eunice? I’ve learned that I can yell a lot louder than I thought I could! Honestly, though, I’ve learned that you can never be too kind, especially to strangers. You never know everything that’s going on in someone’s life, particularly if you’ve never m...