Meet the cast and crew of Seminar: Jeff Berryman

Jeff Berryman makes his Theatre 9/12 debut as Leonard, the acerbic workshop leader upon whose approval the other writers’ futures are hinged. Even though their personalities could not be more different, Jeff and his character do share some similarities. Namely, both are published novelists.

Jeff was asked the same questions as the rest of the cast and his answers might surprise you.

Have you ever written anything that you had published/presented? What was it? How was that experience for you?

In 2001, I managed to have a novel published called Leaving Ruin.   It's the story of a small town Texas pastor and his very human struggle to navigate a time of crisis and transition.  Having the experience of receiving letters and notes from people who've read the novel and been moved by it is one of the great joys of my life.   I also toured a one-man show based on Leaving Ruin for almost a decade, and am currently in the process of remounting that show for run in Calgary this fall.  I have also had several plays produced, including The Carrolls of Queen Anne, Arthur: The Begetting, and Arthur: The Hunt, though none have been published at this time.    One other note related to this play:  I have a completed draft of a second novel that is unpublished.  I've been working on it for over ten years.   (See the play...you'll see why it’s relevant.)

Have you ever taken a workshop/seminar/master class and had it turn into a nightmare? What did you learn?

Fortunately, no.  All my experiences with workshops and seminars have been good. 

Who were/are your favorite writers? Why?

Richard Ford (The Sportswriter, Independence Day and The Lay of the Land), Anne Patchett (Bel Canto, Run and The Patron Saint of Liars), John Updike (Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich, Rabbit At Rest, and Rabbit Remembered), Barbara Brown Taylor (The Preaching Life, Mixed Blessings, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, and Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation), Annie Dillard (Tickets for a Prayer Wheel, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and Holy the Firm), Frederick Buechner (A Long Day's Dying, The Book of Bebb, Brendan, and Telling Secrets), Czeslaw Milosz (The Captive Mind and The World).  I tend to like literary fiction that mingles the toughness and grit of the everyday with the mysterious force we think of as spiritual life.  I am drawn to non-fiction that does the same.   I love language, the pursuit of God, and all the questions surrounding the reality of what it means to be human.   Writers who muck around in all of this attract me, especially the ones who are grounded in a faith in the possibilities for goodness and hope. Milosz is my poet of choice.  

If you could have any career, what would it be?

Next time around, I think I might want to be an orchestra conductor.   To stand in the middle of that kind of dynamic beautiful sound YOUR WHOLE LIFE would be really amazing.  

Dream project?

To direct a well-funded theatrical mounting of Coleridge's "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner."   Why?   I couldn't tell you.  I just think it would be haunting and amazing.

Why might people know who you are? If you are recognized on the street, what is it usually for?

There would be no reason for me to be recognized.  Occasionally, in the Greenwood area, a Taproot subscriber might say hi.   I've been in lots of plays there in the past 18 years. 

Tell me one thing about you that people would find surprising.

I have been serving in Christian ministry one way or another virtually all my life.   The dance between faith and art-making has always wooed me.  Doing this play is a step in that dance, albeit a quirky, offbeat one. 

Meet the cast and crew of Seminar: Samantha A Camp

Samantha plays Kate, the Bennington-educated and defensively prickly aspiring novelist who provides the apartment for the Seminar to take place.

We asked Samantha about some of her own writing experiences.

Have you ever written anything that you had published/presented? What was it? How was that experience for you?

 

I have actually been pretty lucky in that regard albeit on a small scale. I was lucky enough to be a "night life" columnist at a small newspaper in Texas for several years (Abilene Reporter-News). I got to review touring shows, discuss/plug/experience local and national musical artists and even had a year-end "Best of" list that people actually seemed to care about. I also wrote feature stories for the paper. My favorites were a story about a local mom of a boy with Autism who worked very hard with the small school district to get her son the care and education he needed and a story about a local family who adopted a dozen special needs (aka "hard to place") kids. People can be really inspiring if you give them the chance. 

In some ways working for the paper was one of the best experiences of my life. You don't always realize how much of an effect the words you say/write have - both good and bad. In the play, Leonard has a line about how writers tend to be like "feral cats." It was interesting because the more popular my column became (at one point it was the second most read column after the sports section),  the more some of the other reporters complained about my writing. I was accused of "writing like she talks" as if that was a bad thing.  I had totally forgotten about that until we started rehearsals. 

Have you ever taken a workshop/seminar/master class and had it turn into a nightmare? What did you learn?

Luckily, no. I did, however, have an acting teacher in college who scared us so much that the rumor was that he made all of his students cry at least once a semester. I learned a LOT from him. That man knew his stuff. Although, he never made me cry. Not on purpose anyway.

Who were/are your favorite writers? Why?

I am a sucker for the dead Russians - Tolstoy especially. I am also a huge fan of Paula Danziger who wrote the Amber Brown books (Middle Reader books) and Judy Blume. As far as playwrights go, I might be a hair obsessed with Henrik Ibsen (A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler).

Mostly though, I read non-fiction. There is a lot of stuff I don't know yet and I am trying to figure it all out.

If you could have any career, what would it be?

If I wasn't an actor or soap-maker (which is what I do in "real life"), I would want to write children's books. Especially ones aimed at the 8-10 year olds. I have already written one (not published) and NEED to find time to finish the series that is bouncing around in my head.

Dream project?  

I NEED to play Diana in Next to Normal and/or Margaret in Henry VI, Part 3. That and I need to take over the world with my soaps. You know, the usual.

Why might people know who you are? If you are recognized on the street, what is it usually for?

I sometimes get recognized as The Soap Lady. Shockingly, I have been recognized on the street most for having done The Last 5 Years which I did 4 years ago and hardly anyone saw. The ones who DID see it seem to remember it really well though.

Tell me one thing about you that people would find surprising.

I have 5 kids - ages ranging from 6 - 25 and one step-daughter aged 23.

Meet the cast and crew of Seminar: Michael LoSasso

Michael plays Martin, a sullen, intense writer who is very private about his work.

Michael can often be seen assisting at the Wednesday Actor Workshops: laughing out loud, timing audition monologues and helping the other actors with their lines. This time, however, it is Michael's turn in the spotlight.


Michael is really having to dig deep into his acting chops for this role as he is "no writer" as he says.   

A huge fan of the writer Frank Herbert (the Dune series), he is more interested in WHO he works with than he is WHAT he is working on. When asked what his Dream Project would be, Michael simply said "As long as I am working with the right people, it is a dream project." In another lifetime those dream projects might include time spent with the talented crazies in the orchestra pit.

Michael says he has only taken one workshop and it "was when I was working at a Futon store. There were five of us and we had to deal with a 'work guru' who would teach us how to work together." He says the problem was the owner. "He was a nice enough man," Michael says, "but a horrible manager. We wound up having to go through the workshop because our boss did not know how to manage us. We had to 'learn how to work together' when we employees got along just fine and worked well together." Sadly, the boss was so bad at being a manager, he was the one who needed to go to a workshop on how to get along with his employees, Michael continued.

People frequently stop him on the street thinking he is their father/brother/uncle/next door neighbor. It must the way he treats and greets everyone like they are a long lost friend. 

Seminar opens tomorrow (July 11) and runs through August 3. Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. ALL performances are Pay-What-You-Can-Afford.