Rumors- meet cast member Joe Dzikiewicz

Joe Dzikiewicz, Officer Welch

What do you find appealing about your character and this show? I come from a police family.  My father was a police officer.  Before I was born, my mother was a police officer.  My godfather was a state police detective.  I have one uncle who was a small city police officer, another who made colonel in a state police force. I grew up hearing a never-ending series of stories about police life, stories that I use in this role.  One of the moments in this show reminds me of one of my father’s stories.  A story that helps me understand exactly why my character reacts to the way he does to some of the shenanigans he faces here.

What have you learned about yourself in playing the role of Officer Welch? It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a play.  I forgot how much I love it.  Especially when working with such a great cast and crew as we have here. Beyond that, this is stretching me out, making me be a little larger in my day-to-day life.  Helping loosen the psychic kinks left in the neck by lockdown.

What do you want the audience to experience/take away from this show? After the year we’ve all lived through, I can’t think of anything better than to sit in a theater laughing one’s head off at primo on-stage antics.  I hope the audience can find catharsis and relief as we all come together in this great comic temple.

How does this show differ from other shows you have worked on? It’s been a while since I’ve been in something that’s so dang funny.  Laughter for laughter’s sake, and don’t we all need some of that right now!

What is it like being back in the theater after the long Covid-19 hiatus? Did you do any theater during the Covid-19 shutdown? I did a couple of Zoom improv shows with my troupe, Party Mix Improv.  And I made a couple of short films – did I mention that I’m also a filmmaker?  But for obvious reasons, they were solo efforts, without my usual cast and crew.  I didn’t do any live performing – and boy, do I miss it!

How long have you been acting and what made you get involved in theatre? How did you get involved with LTA? I did a lot of theater in high school and college, then put it aside while I started my family and career.  A couple decades later I returned to the stage.  Most of my more recent narrative work is in films – you can find some of my movies at http://crimesoftheart.com. A couple years ago, I started taking improv classes at LTA.  It’s a great place to learn.  That led to me being recruited into this show – one of my improv teachers is the assistant producer, Sarah Holt.

What advice would you give others who are interested in working in theatre? Get out there, give it a try!  There’s nothing like live theatre and the people who make it.  You can’t imagine the fun that is waiting for you on the other side of the proscenium arch!