Author: Jonathan Shipley

Seán Griffin is appearing in the 5th Avenue Theatre’s production, The Secret Garden. He’s playing Ben Weatherstaff, the gardener that helps Mary Lennox settle into her new home. He’s played a lot of roles in Seattle, many at the 5th Avenue. He’s been in Carousel, Elf, Aladdin, Mame, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and more). He’s also been in productions at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and many others. We talked to him briefly about Irish superstitions, Broadway and Seattle’s local talent.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor? When did you realize that you could make a living at it?

I first realized I wanted to be an actor early on in life. I grew up in Ireland and attended many performances of Gilbert and Sullivan and Pantomimes because my uncles were involved as actors and singers. One of my grandfathers was a terrific singer. It wasn’t until college that I decided to pursue it as a career. I realized I could make a living at it in the first few years of my professional life when it seemed that the jobs came alone one after the other. I was lucky and in the right place at the right time and it seemed that I had the talent they were looking for.

What artistic performance are you most excited about seeing? Why?

I am looking forward to seeing Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway because I have heard so many great things about it. I also want to see it because I think it’s in competition with Come From Away, which I loved, for the Tony. 

What do you do to prepare before you hit the stage?

I do some realaxation exercises and like to be by myself. In my mind’s eye I also visualize certain things which I will keep to myself, being Irish and superstitious. Even though I have been doing this professionally for 55 years, I still have nerves.

What piece of art has always inspired you? Why?

Sad to say, many people won’t remember the actress Colleen Dewhurst, but she was one of the best stage actresses of her time. I was lucky enough to appear opposite her on Broadway in The Queen and the Rebels. Watching her work in many Eugene O’Neill plays always inspired me and when I got to work with her and became aware of her generosity on stage, her work ethic and her joy in performing, it has remained with me all these many years. She continues to inspire me. 

What do you like most about Seattle’s artistic community?

Seattle is a city that loves the arts. It is a city that supports the arts, even in times like now when government subsidies are threatened. Seattle knows that the very soul of the city is its arts organizations. Without them, who are we? Without them we would be so much less. Finally, I would like to thank the theatres that hire mostly local talent and, thus, keeping me off the streets and out of trouble.

Janelle Velasquez is in the David Bryne/Fatboy Slim rock musical, Here Lies Love, being staged at Seattle Repertory Theatre. A Seattle-native, she got her BFA from Ithaca College and her MBA from Pepperdine. She has been involved with Here Lies Love since its earliest iterations. She’s also been on a few TV shows (CSI: Miami, 90120).

We sat down to talk to Velasquez for a few minutes about breathing, West Side Story and Seattle’s vibrant arts community. 

What first inspired you to be an actor? When did you realize you could do it for a living?

To be perfectly honest, my acting inspiration was Jodie Foster’s performance in Nell. I was a child and my mother forced me to see that film against my will—I wanted to see My Girl 2—and I’m happy she did. I was dumbfounded that someone could transform in such an extreme and riveting way in order to tell a story.

But my true inspiration came in high school. I actually grew up in Seattle and attended Roosevelt, which has an outstanding theatre program led by the remarkable Ruben Van Kempen, at the time. He encouraged me to explore performance beyond dance—I was a PNB kid—by sending me to a Summer Fine Arts Camp in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was there that I developed a passion for acting and made the decision to pursue performance as a career. 

What performance are you excited about seeing?

I am very excited to see this new production of The Secret Garden at the 5th Avenue Theatre. I’m in love with Lucy Simon’s score and I heard wonderful things about its run at Shakespeare Theatre Company. 

What do you do before you go on stage?

My rituals vary depending on whether I’m doing a musical or a play. But sun salutations are a definite for both.

I do a breathing technique I learned in college where I pinch my noise and breathe in through one nostril for eight slow seconds, hold for eight, and then breathe out the other nostril for eight seconds and hold, repeating that cycle a few times. It sounds weird, but it helps me to get the breath going and the blood flowing.

What piece of art has always inspired you? Why?

West Side Story. I used to watch that film day in and day out as a child. Maria was the first role I ever played at arts camp and the music rouses such excitement and all the nostalgic feelings of being a kid and watching these people sing and dance and saying to myself, “I could do this one day.”

What do you like about Seattle’s artistic community?

First off, Seattle has such a vibrant and eclectic arts community, from music to theatre to dance to glass blowing and so on. It’s a city full of artists who are constantly creating beauty and thought provoking work—something that is so important, especially today.

It’s also a community that takes risks. I have been a part of Here Lies Love from the very first workshop and it was sad to see it come to a half after such successful runs in New York City and London. Seattle is the first city to test a new configuration and breathe life back into this magnificent show. For that reason I am both proud—being a Seattle native—and grateful!

The city is spoiled to have such extraordinary talent and top-notch venues and, in turn, the artists are so fortunate to have such a supportive community.

Paul Caldwell is the Artistic Director of Seattle Men’s and Women’s Choruses and is eager for this coming weekend’s performances of “Born This Way.” The man is still new to Seattle after the retirement of long-time chorus head, Dennis Coleman. Caldwell is nearing the anniversary of a horrific car accident that happened soon after he was given the job here in Seattle. Previously, he was the Artistic Director for Windy City Performing Arts in Chicago. He was also the Artistic Director for the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago. Caldwell’s work with youth garnered him the Chorus American/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

We sat down to talk to Caldwell, briefly, about rural South Carolina, participatory theatre and what Mark Morris has meant to him.

When did you first truly encounter the arts? When did you think it might become your career?

When I was in elementary school in rural South Carolina. Lenore Branham was the music teacher at our school. She taught us to sing Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land while she played a rickety upright piano. It’s just a random memory, but it represents why I think music in the schools is so important. It changed my life. I think maybe I’ll have Seattle Women’s Chorus sing that song in their next concert. I hadn’t thought about it in years, but it’s perfect.

What performance are you excited about seeing?

Here Lies Love, the new musical at Seattle Rep. I love participatory performances. I love when audiences are engaged. Or, maybe, I just like to sing along. 

What are some of your all-time favorite choral pieces?

Currently, I’m absolutely obsessed with a piece called We Can Mend the Sky by a young composer named Jake Runestad. He uses Somali proverbs to create a musical depiction of an immigrant’s journey—an affirmation of hope as we embrace diversity.

What piece of art (fine art, ballet, piece of music) has always inspired you? Why?

Always? I don’t know that anything has always inspired me. Inspiration changes from day to day, week to week. I think the things Mark Morris did had more influence on me than the work of any other single artist. He fused Baroque choral music, and other traditional things, with his own dance vocabulary. He showed me that it’s possible to create new art forms this way. It’s like quilting. A bit of the old with a bit of the new.

Being new to Seattle, what have you discovered that you love the most so far? What are you excited about doing next?

Seattle is one of the great cities of the world, and I’m thrilled to be here every day. The way a gritty, urban center is nestled amid natural wonders—it’s unbelievable. And, coming from Chicago, I love how everything’s close. And there’s not traffic. I love that.

Sonja Parks is in Seattle for a month-long run of the one-woman show, Seedfolks, coming by way of Minneapolis. The show centers around a little girl and a community garden in an immigrant neighborhood.

Parks has performed for such theatres as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Kennedy Center, and has worked alongside such actors as George Clooney and Faye Dunaway. A social activist, she works to improve the lives of all people, particularly those of the African Diaspora and has traveled extensively on their behalf.

She sat down with us recently to talk about diversity in the arts, John Coltrane and her first visit to Seattle.

When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?

I was pretty young. I think I was about 5-years-old when it occurred to me that if I was an actor, I wouldn’t have to decide on what I wanted to be—I could be everything!

What performance are you excited about seeing?

Absolutely ANYTHING at the Intiman Theatre. That company consistently blows my mind with their ingenuity and their commitment to pushing the envelope when it comes to diversity programming. For instance, last year, when they ONLY did plays by Black women. Now many Theatres of Color were already leading that charge, but Intiman taking up the mantle—and doing so successfully—was, in my opinion, when other big houses began to recognize diversity doesn’t just have to mean having an actor of Color or two on your stage. It’s a commitment to those stories and centering the voices of those who are telling them.

What do you do to prepare right before you hit the stage?

I have a bit of an unusual ritual. First, I ask that everyone involved in the production in any way, the audience, and the space itself, is blessed and that we all enjoy one another and have a good time. I thank the Divine for my family and friends and for the opportunity to share what I love. Once I’ve done that—right before I make my entrance—I turn towards the audience, make a face and stick out my tongue. It reminds me to not take anything—including myself—too seriously!

What artwork (a piece of music, a show, whatever) has always inspired you?

Just one?! Uh-uh, no can do! I vibe on John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” Nina Simone’s speech on “an artist’s duty,” and James Baldwin’s The Price of a Ticket. They all take me beyond myself and towards a higher purpose. As Paul Robeson said: “Artists are the gatekeepers of truth.” Being an artist is a joy, but it’s also a responsibility.

What are you most excited about seeing or doing in Seattle?

It’s my first time visiting, so… EVERYTHING!

Skyler Volpe is playing the role of Mimi Marquez in the 20th anniversary national tour of RENT. The show is currently being staged at the Paramount Theatre. From New York City, with a BA in Dance, Sociology and French from Connecticut College, Volpe has been seen in such productions as Devil and the Deep, Daughter of the Waves, and The Hag, the Slag, and the Scarlett Faery. 

She joined us this week to discuss Kapalabhati breathing, Passing Strange and her first visit to Seattle. 

When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?

I think I really realized that I wanted to be an actor as I was graduating from college. I had always been a performer, but I always did well in school, so I thought that academia might be a path for me. In the end, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else; so I moved to New York to give acting professionally a try. It was a big leap, but I’m really glad I went for it.

What performance are you excited about seeing? 

I would really love to see Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812. I don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard the storytelling is gorgeous and the performances are amazing. 

What do you do right before you hit the stage?

At the top of the show I’m usually putting on my costume and makeup, down to the very last second. I always take a moment to sit just offstage and do some spinal twists to get my body warmed up for the number, and I also do a few rounds of Kapalabhati breathing—it’s awesome—to get some of my nervous energy out.

What artwork (a piece of music, theatre, whatever) has always inspired you?

Passing Strange is not a terribly well-known musical but it is always and will forever be one of my favorite pieces of art. The music is beautiful and the story is so well told. It’s the kind of piece that wraps you up—you get totally lost in it. 

What do you like about Seattle?

I’ve never been, but I’m excited to explore! 

Emily Cawley can be seen right now in Village Theatre’s comedy The 39 Steps. Holding a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts, she’s been in productions at Seattle Children’s Theatre, 5th Avenue Theatre, SecondStory Repertory Theatre and many other companies. A practicing yogi and a native of Portland, Oregon, she’s playing three roles in the Village Theatre production—Annabella Schmidt, Pamela, and Margaret. It’s a farcical reworking of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller of the same name. She joined us this week to talk about Peter Pan, Beethoven and tooth brushing.

When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?

I saw a production of Peter Pan when I was 5 or 6 that utterly converted me. I remember watching it and thinking, “Yup. This is the thing.” I had a lot of interests as a kid and, as I recall, I wanted to be president when I grew up (now I don’t think I’m cut out for that vocation, or maybe it’s not cut out for me), but as I got older theatre was the thing that had really made its way into my bloodstream. 

What performance are you excited about seeing?

I’m really excited about King of the Yees at ACT. The script is hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot while I was reading it. It’s also adventurous, witty and has a lot of heart. Desdemona Chiang is directing it and she’s an artist I really admire. 

What do you do to prepare right before you hit the stage?

I brush my teeth! It’s good to feel minty fresh onstage. Plus, the whole practice of brushing teeth is a good warm up for your articulators—lips, teeth, tongue. And the peppermint is energizing and invigorating! Having a little moment of self-care is soothing. At this point I’ve been doing it as a habit for so long, I’ve got a Pavlovian response. Brushing teeth equals time to do a show.

What piece of art (music, theater piece, whatever) has always inspired you?

Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Beethoven was a man who could have given up on joy so easily. To have lost his hearing, his ability to conduct, his livelihood, his health—despair would have been understandable. Instead, he undertook what must have been a humbling and arduous task of sharing his experience of joy with the same people who laughed at him, who gave up on him. When I listen to it, I usually cry. I have changed radio stations and left rooms in which it was playing to avoid crying at inopportune times. It makes me wish I could express my gratitude to him directly. Since I can’t, I work to pay it forward. 

What do you like about Seattle’s arts community?

I like that the Seattle arts community is changing. As social justice and racial equality continue to loom large in the conversation, and rightly so, so, too, does diversity and inclusion in the work of Seattle artists. We see this in Sound Theatre Company curating a season of plays written entirely by women and the genre-blind casting happening at Seattle Shakespeare Company. Seattleites are not known for their comfort with confrontation, but I am proud of Seattle artists who are willing to take on those difficult conversations and to challenge their audience, too.