Interview with Estelle Parsons

Massachusetts native and Academy Award winning actress Estelle Parsons stars in the Bushnell’s production of “August: Osage County,” November 17 – 22, 2009

Q: After appearing in the show for almost a year on Broadway, why were you eager to go on the road with this play?

A: I haven’t had much opportunity to tour, because I was always bringing up kids. But I’ve always loved the idea of touring: I have this old dream of being in vaudeville. And there are all kinds of different audiences out there. I learned that from doing summer stock. Audiences are always a learning opportunity.

Q: Actors say that each audience has a certain personality. Do you find to be true?

A: Absolutely, particularly with this play, where the audience is so dynamic and vocal in every way – moaning, groaning, laughing, crying. The audience is really the third essential part. They’re not just sitting on their hands listening. They’re incredible and they’re always different, and as we go from city to city.

Q: Did you audition?

A: I did. I always prefer to audition, because very often when you’re saying the words out loud, you really can tell whether you want to do a play or not. I thought, “Let me work on this for awhile, and see if this is something I really want to be up there doing.” The more I worked on it, the more I loved it. And then when I auditioned, it just came alive, like whoosh.

Q: What do you think your character?

A: I think she’s a wonderful person who went astray. I have sympathy for her. It’s hard to know what’s underneath all that. I think she is basically a colder person than I am, and it’s been very exciting to work on that. I think she was a very smart, sensitive woman who was deeply abused as a child, and bears the scars. Who knows what would happen to people if they didn’t have the background they have.

Q: How did the role come about in Bonnie and Clyde?

A: In 1966, I was doing Berkshire Theatre Festival. I had seen Arthur Penn’s movies, and I wanted to work for him. I managed to get an interview with him for The Skin of Our Teeth, and he hired me. Working with him, I suddenly knew that I was in the right profession. I was [almost] 40. But I used to think, “Maybe I should have kept on at law school, or maybe I should try something else.” Working for Arthur Penn, I realized that I was in the right place. Then he asked me to do Bonnie and Clyde. I was just about join a rep company. The day after he asked me to read, I got a call telling me that funding for the rep had fallen through. I called Arthur and I read the script, and I thought, “Why is he offering this to me?” But the more I read it; I realized it was an incredible part.

Q: Did the Academy Award affect your career?

A: It did in that I could have had a lot of movie success, which I wasn’t really interested in. Looking back on it, I think that’s kind of too bad. I did a few movies when I was on vacation from a theatre job. I don’t think I ever chose a movie job over a theatre job. I love to entertain people.

www.bushnell.org

Vitek Kruta, International Artist from Holyoke

Paradise City Fair, Northampton
May 23 - 25, 2009

"Doing art is a basic human right. It's my way of life, a force and purpose for being here," says Vitek Kruta. One of the hundreds of professionals showing and selling art at this spring's Paradise City, Kruta is also one of the many talented individuals who does not need a "day job." In Prague, Germany, and now in Holyoke, Kruta has perfected his various art genres for the past 35 years.

A bedroom wall was his first canvas as he sculpted a purposely lopsided molded frame with painting inside. People went to the wall to straighten the picture, and the joke was on them. This Trompe L'oeil 3D art form can be translated "fooling the eye, illusion." This continues to be one of Kruta's styles which have been successful and popular - enough to have made him a "regular" at Paradise City for eight years. This juried show accepts only the best of fine and functional art from throughout the country.

Visionary Landscapes are Kruta's mainstay. From his mind and memory, he almost feels, smells, and hears a scene. "I try to open an esoteric door and invite the viewer to go to these places," he says. His Surrealist Paintings "illustrate reality that is not real." Kruta's explanation of his technique is exploration of the subconscious. Shapes are familiar and resemble what is known - not the tangible, but the essence. "I like to work with materials - wood, clay, mosaics, metal. The enjoyment is in the process of making things. I get an idea and I do it," he says. His home is his workplace with an attic and basement full of materials of all forms, shapes, and sizes.

Exposed to art since he was a youngster, Kruta's own children have followed this career path. Three family members restored the paintings in Northampton's First Churches. In fact, art restoration is a large section on Kruta's resume. One genre which will not be seen at Paradise City is his murals. Needless to say, they are too large, not to mention affixed to walls in hospitals, buildings, and homes. Yet, easy to carry and perhaps place in one's garden are exotic 3' metal flowers. He cuts, bends, and shapes the stems and petals out of sheet metal "to simultaneously become real, yet not real," not unlike his other art.

He made the clear decision as a youngster that he would never separate himself from art. "Whatever I do must be connected to art," continues Kruta. That was his commitment to himself many years ago, and still holds today.

Image by Vitek Kruta

Nathan Klau - "Jersey Boys" he started in Hartford & he's back

One of the performers in the "Jersey Boys" (2/4-2/20), the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, is Nathan Klau. Born at Harford Hospital, brought up in West Simsbury, educated at Yale, he will be featured at one of Connecticut's prestigious performance venues - The Bushnell. The following is a paraphrased interview with Klau.

Your playbill credit is "swing". What does that mean?

Swing is anyone and everyone onstage. I'm a standby for several roles, and never know which part I will perform from night to night. That's what makes this job exciting. Someone calls in sick; I'm there. There are 3 male swings. We are back-up, which means we have to know every aspect of the play. On any given performance, I could easily be doing something different. I am a section of a puzzle. If that piece is gone for some reason, I fill the place.

You've been in several musicals. What's special about "Jersey Boys" (JB)?

Several shows on Broadway closed this month, but not JB. It just keeps going and going on Broadway and on tour. It's a fantastic true story paired with wonderful music that touches the older generation and young people. It's vital, exciting music. Even though it's decades old, it feels new and amaging. JB tells the rags to riches story of the group, which is what most people didn't know. My introduction to JB was seeing an excerpt on the Tony Awards. I became obsessed. I had to see it. It was almost like I discovered the play, just for myself, and I had to be part of it. Frankie Valli was at my rehearsal, which was a little unnerving, and he was very supportive. Since July, 2006, I've been in the cast.

You've been on tour for the past 15 months; what is that like?

I've been in musicals since 1994. In regional theatre or national tours, it's still magical, an adrenelin rush. Being employed is a very nice thing, especially in a job that you like very much. Touring is great because the audience is different for each show. They are like a character in the the musical, especially when they sing along, which is all the time. One common thing is that the music, script, and every exciting moment onstage becomes infectious. Every audience is literally on their feet at the end, clapping and dancing.

How did you make the life journey from Hartford, to NYC, to tour the US, and back to Hartford?

My mother was an actress for many years in Hartford productions. I followed in her footsteps, literally, dancing and singing. I was in just about every musical that teenagers do. I became active in theatre at Yale, sang in the chorus, and New York was next. I majored in history, but this was my dream. My first real role was in "Anything Goes"From then on, musicals have been my bread and butter. When I visit my parents in West Simsbury, my mother and I still sing "Les Miz" as she plays the piano. Of course, I had been to the Bushnell, but February 4th will be my first time on its stage. "Oh, What a Night."

Ben Davis – “Spamalot’s” Sir Galahad – speaks about hair & other issues

One of the featured actors in the Bushnell’s “Spamalot” (starts September 4) is Ben Davis. He’s young, talented, and already a Broadway star. In multi-roles, including the Black Knight and Prince Herbert’s dad, Davis’ primary role is Sir Dennis Galahad. [Bet you didn’t know that he had a first name.] The following is a paraphrased interview with Davis.

How does Monty Python influence you, the play, and the audience?

I wasn’t bathed in Monty Python when I auditioned. The actors and the audience don’t have to be. The musical was produced brilliantly to appeal to Python fans in particular, but more importantly, to fans of all musicals. There are some scenes straight out of “The Holy Grail,” several of its characters, and sometimes people in the house quote lines right along with the actors. Do you have to be a lover of MP to love “Spamalot”? Absolutely not.

It seems as if the performers are having as much fun onstage as the playgoers.

We are, at every show, in every city. We have a great time, and if you can’t have fun doing this show, then you’re in the wrong business. We don’t do the play by rote. Each audience is different and we feed off and respond to them. They are all ages, and everyone laughs. Although we are professionals, cracking up onstage is not unusual. “Spamalot” is on the edge, it’s purposely outrageous and the audience knows it; they expect the unexpected and that’s what adds to the humor.

You’ve starred in dark dramas (“La Boheme” and “Les Miz”) and fluff. What is your background?

I started as a singer, then became an actor, so now I’m 50% each. I’ve been incredibly blessed. I’ve worked fairly consistently. Baz Luhrmann’s “La Boheme” was amazing. He directed the movie “Moulin Rouge.” I’ve also been in Kenneth Branagh’s “The Magic Flute.” I love opera and would like to perform more some day. Javert in “Les Miz” on Broadway was something I’m very proud of. Then, there’s “Spamalot,” and the enjoyment of performing comedy is equal to that of drama.

What’s in your future?

I’ve been in “Spamalot” one year now. Theatre is exciting and you don’t know what the next jobs will be. For the long run, I’d hope for health and happiness. In the immediate future, I’d hope that the safety pins continue to hold my very long Sir Galahad wig in place. It’s fun doing the hair flips.