The Natural Returns
Welcome back Chris.
We just wanted to see what’s happening with you since you left back in April.
Terry: Are you finally settled in Chicago and are you calling it "home" yet?
Yeah, my wife and I moved here on May 1st
and it’s really a cool city. I don’t think I’ll
ever call it “home” per se. It’s one helluva big city and I definitely
have the country in my veins. The Mid-Ohio Valley will always be my
home.
Terry: Have you got yourself a new job now and can you tell us a little bit about it?
I
did land myself a nice little gig downtown. It’s about as boring an
office job as you can get but
it gives me time to do the things I like to do while getting paid by
somebody. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the type of cat that if I’m doing
something, I’ll make sure to do it to the absolute best of my ability,
so I’m not slacking off at work. I come from a long
line of blue collar men who could carry the world on their backs if
they had to; luckily that work ethic made its way to me. But I have a
gig with a lot of downtime where I get paid a pretty nice dime to read,
write, and learn about things I’m interested in.
Terry: Does it have something to do with production or acting?
Unfortunately
and fortunately, no. Unfortunately because things that don’t tickle
your creative side
can be a little tough to swallow, fortunately because I get a nice,
steady paycheck and I’m able to take care of my wife and myself
healthwise. I have a lot of friends who limit themselves to strictly
artistic pursuits and, while I appreciate the nobility
in that, I also see how much they suffer financially. Starving artists,
to turn a phrase. I’ll be an artist in some fashion until the day I’m
pushing up daisies but you can rest assured I’ll never starve. I like
food too much.
My wife has done a lot of professional theatre up here. Her wide array of talents amazes me.
Terry: Has "the natural" made his way back on the stage yet?
In some ways, yes I have. By the way, I was exceptionally flattered by your last article when you
referred to me as “The Natural,” very kind.
I
haven’t been cutting the pace that I did back home, that’s for sure.
Back home I basically did
10 shows back to back over the course of about 3 years. That may not
seem like much but you figure each show rehearses for 2 and half,
sometimes 3 months then runs for 3 weekends- that’s a huge amount of
time. Then factor in that the last 4 or so were musicals
where I had a leading role, that’s fairly exhausting. So, truth be
told, I needed to slow down for a minute. I needed a little time to
percolate, if you will.
So
yeah, things are intentionally a little slower paced today. I’ve
studied at the famed Second City
in Chicago, which, as an actor, really opened my eyes emotionally. I
learned some new skills which I’m looking forward to implementing with
my acting process.
I
also was very fortunate to have been cast in a feature film our first
month here. It’ll be out
next year and it’s called “Smoke in the Air.” It’s a great story about
some kid’s lives in that weird time the summer in between high school
and college. I had a wonderful supporting role as the outrageously
dickish camp counselor/personal trainer who happens
to be the boss. It was a great, highly professional experience and I
think people will love this movie. I was blown away by not only the
script, crew, and direction, but the performances these people were
turning in around me. It was written by Max Klausner
and directed by Connor Smith, two greatly talented guys from NYU. I
fell in love with the crew. A total blast, man.
Terry: What's going on as far as your ability on stage? Do you feel its going to take some time to
get your foot in the door, so to speak?
You
know, even before I got here I knew I wanted to take the first 6 months
to a year and dedicate
it to learning. You never stop learning, and performing is the best
classroom there is but I wanted to take a little time and simply focus
on honing this craft of acting. Taking classes, reading plays, studying
acting theory and philosophy, which I am doing.
It has helped me grow and evolve just as a man.
I’ve
met some of the nicest people ever up here and I knew a few great folks
in Chicago before I
even got here. But the nice thing about being new here is that it can
be very isolating. I miss my friends and family back home terribly,
sometimes too much; but the time I have to myself is a gift right now.
Almost like self exile. Not many people get this
opportunity and I’m using it as a chance to find myself. It feels like
that’s exactly what I’m doing.
As
far as the foot in the door thing, that’s the rub, man. I haven’t gone
on a ton of auditions up
here but the ones I’ve been on have fortunately panned out. I did have
one door slammed in my face that stung a little. They were auditioning
for Rocky Horror which is, as you know, my favorite show and arguably
one of the best performances I’ve ever turned
in was as Frank N. Furter in 2011. I read and sang for it and was
called back to further audition for Frank. I found I still knew the
material and the character fit like an old glove, I was optimistic. I
really thought that there was no one they could possibly
bring in (sans Tim Curry or the two wonderful gentlemen from the 2001
Broadway revival) that could wrestle this role from me. But the moment I
got to the callback, I saw the writing on the wall. They knew who they
wanted to see and it damn sure wasn’t me,
it was a bunch regulars from that theatre. The director and staff were
friends with these people and knew what they were capable of. While I’ll
never admit to being out performed that day, I will admit that I didn’t
have whatever it is they wanted, which,
if you ask me, seemed to be familiarity. I look at that as not only a
lesson of humility, but also a firm lesson on how this business works-
most people want to work with their friends. That’s just the truth.
So
yeah, to make a long story longer, getting a foot in the door is tough.
Nowadays I’m known by
the people at and fans of the Actors Guild of Parkersburg as (I hope,
anyway) a solid performer. But I auditioned there plenty of times
without being cast, no one (including me) knew what I could do and I do
not blame them for a second for passing me by. That’s
how it goes. If you got everything you ever wanted, life would be
pretty damn boring. Luckily, my confidence is tough to shake because I
realized early that you have to be your own biggest fan. That goes for
everything. Believe in yourself or no one else will.
Terry: How's your relationship going and are you ready to come home yet?
Great,
man, absolutely great! Natasha and I have been kind of pushed together
through all of this.
We spend a lot of time together and we kind of have to be spouses and
friends, you know. It’s weird, we’re getting to were we say the same
things at the same time and kind of read each other’s minds. It’s
actually pretty cool.
She
hates it here, though. We both miss the people we love and I think it
really hit her when she
found out her sister is having a baby and she’ll be an Aunt. As it
turns out, my youngest sister is having a baby too. It’s tough to be an
Uncle for my 3-year-old niece Mariah from all the way up here. My oldest
sister sent a video of my niece singing to me
that broke my heart. The city life is fast, you know, and I think we
both long for slower days. Don’t be surprised if you see my name in an
Actors Guild program next year.
Terry: Have you and Natasha adapted to life in Chicago?
Yeah,
human beings are funny you know? They can adapt to damn near anything. I
feel like the time
up here has made me a happier person because I realize what’s important
to me. It’s been a good experience and we’ve both grown a lot. I do
feel a little old, haha! I’m not quite 30 yet but trekking around this
damn city puts the years on you!
It’s
been a little inspirational, though, I’ve grown up a lot. I’m actually
putting the final pages
down on the first draft of a movie I’ll make in the next little while.
It’s a comedy but it has a lot of the emotions and ideas I want to get
out in it. If I can’t get someone to do it, I’ll direct the thing
myself. You never know what you’re capable of until
you have to do it. This script just caught on fire, man. I love it.
It’s a story I need to tell.
Terry: We talked a bit about your final performance in Full Monty before you left. What we all want
to know, did you get all the way naked and do you have pictures? (HAHA)
Of
course I have pictures! A wonderful fellow named Jeff Baughn takes
photos for us and does an amazing
job. I do have one complaint however- he got excellent shots of
everyone’s ass but mine! I guess my ass will just have to live on in the
ethos of the mythos of the dreams of the folks who saw it live.
I
wanted to get naked! I was loudly protesting the little flesh colored
g-string gimmicks they made
us wear under our sparkly red gimmicks we took off! But, unfortunately,
they (whoever they are) said nudity was against some zoning law or
something which sounded like something a horses ass would spit out if
you ask me. So, no full monty. I called it ¾ Monty
the whole time.
Terry: How were the reviews and did you have a going away party before you left and how did that
go?
That
show had about the best opening night I’ve ever been a part of, it was
absolutely electric.
The whole run was good! And the party thing, there are always parties
for these things. I’m convinced that some people act simply for the
parties! Just a blast all around.
There is a story about closing night and the show in general though and I only tell it because I
learned a lesson and it has a happy ending:
It
probably isn’t any secret to anyone involved that I didn’t get the role
I was gunning for. I wanted
to play the lead. I’ve never really played a father onstage before and,
to be honest, I’ve very much been in a dramatic place regarding acting
lately. Another comedic character didn’t interest me, so the lead was
perfect in my eyes. After auditioning, I felt
that I was the absolute best choice for the role, just as, I am sure,
the fine fellow and friend who actually got the role felt that he was
the best. I mean, you have to think you are or could the best, even if
only deep down, or else what the hell are you
doing there? Anyway, despite whatever divine visions of grandeur I had,
I was offered a different role, a character role. The director (RJ
Lowe, a truly wonderful man and one of my best friends on Earth) had to
make some tough decisions and shuffle a few people
around based on certain people’s conflicts with certain roles and,
ultimately, a limited number of males to cast. I’m one of those actors
that will accept any role in the cast because, no matter what, I
absolutely love this business and I don’t see any reason
to be sitting on my ass at the house instead of performing if there’s
no good reason for it. But, I was hot about it. Even though I understood
from a practical standpoint, I didn’t like the way things turned out.
So,
because I don’t know any other way, I obviously accepted the role and a
few days later talked
it out with the director, got it off my chest, and felt a lot better. I
know it sounds silly but when acting is your world, little things to
outsiders are very big to us. Anyway, we get through the run and it
turns out that the “character” role I thought I
was being plugged into turned out to be the rawest emotional outlet of
my life and I got a few truly beautiful moments onstage and made some
people cry. My friend who got the role I originally wanted did a fine
job and I actually wound up having what was probably
a better experience than I would have otherwise.
The
lesson I learned was that life doesn’t go the direction you want it to
all of the time because
you don’t know where in the hell you need to go. That’s an important
thing to understand. Looking back, I feel a little stupid for the way I
felt at the time but I needed to go through that, it made me a better
man.
The
icing on the cake is what my friend (the one who played the lead) Josh
Martin did for my wife
and I on the last show. Given that I’m such a heart-on-my-sleeve guy (I
have a heart literally tattooed on my sleeve), Josh new I wasn’t
thrilled in the beginning with the way things turned out. But, because
my wife and I mean something to him and we mean
something to that community, on closing night, unbeknownst to us, he
arranged for a Broadway-style curtain call just for Natasha and me, just
like when performers leave a Broadway run. Josh arranged the whole
thing, said some more nice things and we got to
share a beautiful moment with some of the people we love the most and
with the audience. My parents were there that night. My granny, who’d
never seen me onstage before was there to see me in the role I dedicated
to my recently deceased grandfather who I thought
about every night before curtain. During that tribute to us, I bawled
like a damn baby. Josh didn’t have to do that but he did and I’ll love
him forever for it. I hope he reads this.
Politics
Terry: What are your thoughts on the way the United States is headed right now?
Sometimes I feel like it’s one step forward and two back. We finally make some progress on health
care and then the government gets taken hostage.
Terry: What do you think about this government shutdown?
I’m
embarrassed, completely embarrassed. I’m a registered Independent (like
everyone should be) but
my voting record has been largely Democratic based solely on social
issues- mostly marriage equality. I don’t want to polarize the audience
but I think the shutdown’s blood is on the Right side of the aisle.
Terry: So, tell us a little bit about what’s happening for the natural.
Tons
of reading; I’m way into philosophy. I’m trying to take a few months
and make up for lost time.
When you do show after show after show, and you do it right, you don’t
have much time for book learnin’. I am, however, getting a little itchy
and will inevitably hit the stage somewhere. All of the3 shows I want to
do are in the suburbs, so I’m buying a car
in January. These classes I’m taking are great and I’m learning a TON,
but performing is performing.
Terry: When can we expect a visit from you and your wife?
We can’t make it in for the holidays which is a total bummer. Like I said, all signs point to us
returning to the loving arms of home. In the meantime, I’m taking full advantage of the resources here.
Terry: Anything you would like to say to your friends back home and to the new friendships you are
forming now?
I miss you all more than I can even say and you’re irreplaceable. We’ll see you soon, and we’ll probably
be there to stay.
Years
ago, I asked one of my favorite stage-mates, and a man I highly
respect, Don Geibel how many
shows he’s done. He said “Um, probably 30 or better.” I set my goal
right then to perform in 30 shows. Beyond that, who knows? Maybe direct
or stare at a wall. Right now I’m at 10 shows so the curtain is down on
Act I. We’re patiently waiting for ACT II to
start.
Thanks for this time to catch up Chris, can't wait to meet you sometime.
