PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Live the Blues to Sing the Blues"

Each week, Paden Fallis poses one question to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: “SING THE BLUES TO LIVE THE BLUES” I’m going to give you two quotes here. I take these two quotes to heart as I think about the work that I do and the life that I lead. They might be mutually exclusive…or maybe not. All the same, I’d love your take on what they mean to the work that you do, the life that you lead, and if one speaks to you more than the other. “To sing the blues, you must live the blues.”  “Be boring in your life, so you can be restless in your work.”  Go…

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PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "The Long Run"

Each week, Paden Fallis poses one question to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: “THE LONG RUN” Recently I conducted a Q&A with actor Gary Sloan about how he approaches performing in a long-running production and the challenges inherent in playing the same role night after night for an extended time. As actors on the stage, we are not afforded the opportunity to backslide, but must continually stay sharp, fresh, and inhabit the role every time out—be it performance #2 or performance #222.  How do you approach the long run?  How do you keep it fresh?

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WORD: Author Patrick Wensink, the Humane Absurdist

Author Patrick WensinkWhen I called Patrick Wensink—novelist, essayist, music obsessive—in his bedroom in Louisville, Kentucky, I expected him to speak in an indeterminate Kentuckyian twang. I forgot he’s an Ohioan, born and raised. And how could I? Several characters in his latest novel, Broken Piano for President, are named after towns in the Buckeye State. Perhaps I was distracted by the name of the band Lothario Speedwagon and the crackerjack dialogue throughout. Wensink is a humane absurdist, if that makes sense; he’s cruel and kind in his depiction of American flyovercapes typically regarded with ironic disgust by other fictionists.

We talked about Kenny Rogers, drinking and writing, whether or not to use outlines, and twee book arts. In the second half of the interview, Wensink’s eight-month-old son Walter makes an appearance.

Visit Patrick at patrickwensink.com.

ADVENTURE: Two Strangers Take on the 10,000-Mile Mongol Rally

Charlie Grosso in Istanbul preparing for Mongol Rally[Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of posts by former stated feature artist, Charlie Grosso, as she takes on the 10,000 Mongol Rally.]

Dear Readers of Stated Magazine,

How are you? Please allow me to take a moment of your time and introduce myself and what I am doing this summer. My name is Charlie Grosso, and a 140-character description of me reads something like: Art Gallery Director. Photographer.  Adventurer. Brand Consultant. Rule Breaker. World Traveler. Writer. Possible Spy. Only fitting I Live under an Alias.

I am taking on The Mongol Rally this summer—a 10,000-mile unsupported car rally traveling from London, UK to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. The Mongol Rally is adventure philanthropy at its best. We take on the adventure, roam across 1/3 of the world in a tiny car, and raise money for local charities in Mongolia at the same time. The rally has raised over £3.5 million for charity since 2004.  

I will be tackling The Mongol Rally with Pamela MacNaughtan, a fabulous woman I met on Twitter (yes, I don’t know her in real life, not yet…). We are team SM Stowaway and we are one of the few all-women teams in an 85% male-dominated rally.

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PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Previews"

Each week, Paden Fallis poses one question to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is not to demystify the work of the actor or explore their careers, but to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working process. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: “PREVIEWS” Previews. Sometimes they can last for weeks or months. Sometimes you get one night. The bigger the show, the better chance you have of previewing in different cities before setting foot in the Big City. More often, you get a handful of previews in the theatre between dress rehearsal and opening night.  But what do previews mean to an actor? Is there a distinction from preview to performance, even though an audience is in attendance for both? Is your prep different from preview to performance? So, I ask, how do you approach previews?

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