Look-back: Interview with Estelle Parsons

Estelle Parsons, 2009

This interview was originally published in November, 2009. At that time Estelle Parsons was preparing for her role in “August: Osage County.”  Ms. Parsons is now age 92 and very much with us in 2020.

Massachusetts native and Academy Award winning actress Estelle Parsons starred 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.

Look-back: Allyn Burrows, Artistic Director, Shakespeare & Company

Theatre lovers bemoan the absence of productions at every venue in the Berkshires and are coming to accept the numerous electronic alternatives. But the language, the movement, and the community of actors/crew and audience is just not quite the same. In the meantime, those onstage, backstage, and seated in front of the stage, whether on their couches or at their computers, are filling in the depth and effect of live performance of theatre as best we can.

Below is a reprint of our exclusive interview with Allyn Burrow of Shakespeare & Company, Lenox from May, 2018

INTERVIEW: Allyn Burrows, Artistic Director, Shakespeare & Company

by Shera Cohen

In the Spotlight had the pleasure of interviewing Allyn Burrows, new Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA.

If Allyn Burrows’ face looks familiar to theatre enthusiasts, especially to those who visit the Berkshires in the summer, it is. For many years, Burrows worked as an Artistic Associate and acted in countless Shakespeare & Company (S&Co) productions – comedies, tragedies, and history plays.

Allyn Burrows
Photo by Olivia Winslow

He is particularly remembered for his roles in King John, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Henry IV, Part 1.

Burrows served as Artistic Director of Actors’ Shakespeare Project in Boston where he directed and acted. Burrows’ talents have also been seen on many stages in New England; i.e. Huntington Theatre, Lyric Stage, Merrimack Repertory Theater.

He has been a busy man, performing in prestigious theatres throughout the country. If you haven’t seen Burrows on a stage, he may be familiar from roles on TV or film.

For the company, for audiences, and for me, it is wonderful that Allyn Burrows has returned home.

In the Spotlight (ITS): I had the privilege of watching you perform a few decades ago at Shakespeare & Company. What it is like for you to return many years later, now wearing the “hat” of Executive Director?

Burrows: Well, it's not a lot different from my last job as Artistic Director of Actors' Shakespeare Project in Boston. It's great to be back at Shakespeare & Company, though, and there are a lot of moving parts. Very exciting in that regard.

ITS: In addition to being the man in charge, will you be directing and/or acting? Is it fair to ask which of these three jobs you enjoy best?

Burrows: They all require different types of brainpower, so it's a tossup which I enjoy the best. I won't be acting this summer, just acting and producing.

ITS: What goals do you intend to keep from the troupe’s many years of existence? What about your personal goals?

Burrows: I intend to preserve and honor the legacy of what's been created over these past four decades, and to transform the unique qualities of this amazing company into something that resonates in the community and hearts of people who experience this place. Personally? I'm hoping to be the best father I can be. And I'll strive to be a better artist.

ITS: How is a season formed? Is there conscious effort to balance Shakespeare’s with other playwrights? New writers? New works?

Burrows: Season formation comes out of a lot of discussion, about makes good theatre, what's important for us to be saying, what's fun, what's gratifying, what will draw people here, and what has impact. Contemporary plays are an important part of what we do.

ITS: What would you say to potential audience members who “fear” Shakespeare?

Burrows: Come along for the ride, it really won't hurt, and you'll be surprised how much the material affects you.

ITS: Are there any anecdotes that you would like to tell our readers? While you think about that, I have my own anecdote about you. It was years ago when outdoor performances took place at the Mount. During a particular comedy, you ran down to the stage (which was grass) and snatched my purse, which was on the ground, en route. You proceeded to look through the bag. While laughing, I also hoped, “Please don’t take anything out of the purse to show the audience.” Who knows what was in there?! You were a gentleman, my bag returned intact, and the show went on.

Burrows: Holy smokes, the audacity! Who was that guy? I'm guessing it may have been “Midsummer Night's Dream” and I was playing Oberon (king of the mischievous fairies). Let me apologize these many years later for the intrusion. Can't really top that one. All the kooky antics make up the fabric of what we do.

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