FPCT Spotlight - May 11, 2011

Greg Guyton

 

How did you get involved in The Seafarer?

Greg:  I was coming out from backstage after a performance of Journey’s End last year when Barry approached with a gleam in his eye and a Seafarer script in his hand.  While the play is brilliant in full production with the whiskey flowing and the Irish lilts falling about, it also reads beautifully.  It seems inevitable that the most appealing script is also at the end of the season, so I held out and waited for the auditions.  I’m thrilled at the opportunity.

 

What are your thoughts on The Seafarer from an actor's point of view?

Greg:  The play is a spirited comedy that clips along until all hell breaks loose, quite literally.  What makes the play unique is that only two of the five characters are involved in the dramatic core; the other three continue in oblivious banter.  Somehow McPherson manages to draw laughter that enriches the drama.  The play presents special challenges; the emotion has to be held in the midst of a very funny boozy evening of cards – not to mention all while speaking in passable Irish.  

 

Why do you think people should come see The Seafarer?

Greg: Put simply:  a drama can enthrall, a comedy can entertain.  The Seafarer weaves both together.  Laughter through tears is a common feature of many of the best works of literature, and is a seeming specialty of the Irish.  Consider it a comedy that leaves you thinking as you drive home, or lingers as you wake up the next day.   Consider it a drama leavened by the well-timed pratfall or wry smile.  Either way it leaves you feeling very much alive.

 

What are the challenges of playing Sharky, and are you anything like him?

Greg:  If you read the play superficially, Sharky is a very thwarted and inward character.  The real joy, though, comes in the arc of his story; he moves in emotion through the play and through the relationship with his brother.  Finding the movement in his character is the challenge.  As to the second question, I've certainly got a healthy measure of introspection, but its been at least a few weeks since my last good bar fight - best I can remember.

 

What has it been like working with Barry Feinstein, the director?

Greg: Barry has a remarkable sensitivity to the characters in the story and an equally remarkable amount of trust in his actors.  He pushes you to explore new emotional corners, whether the book remains in hand or not.  The trust comes in the technical details – the lines, the blocking.  He assumed those would come, and they did.  His vision and the more emotive rehearsal process moved me as an actor and person toward a deeper and, I hope, more sensitive portrayal of the character of Sharky than would have been otherwise possible.  Although he may not agree, I’d suggest he demonstrated remarkable calm through the inevitable final push to the production.  Well, at least I've seen worse . . .

 

What else do you do when you aren't acting?

Greg:  I’m an orthopaedic surgeon at Union Memorial Hospital, and I'm from a whole family of 10 kids, all of whom became doctors.  I’m also the father to three young men and husband to my very witty, charming, and beautiful wife Michele.  Flying and scuba diving are my other passions, and we make our way down to the Outer Banks when given the opportunity.

 

What keeps you coming back to the stage?

Greg: For me it started as a simple outlet; a way to blow off steam and spend some enjoyable hours with new friends.  It grows, though, as a means of feeling new experiences that are outside the workaday pattern, particularly in the more dramatic roles.  Sure, its fantasy, but a good evening in the theater is really life condensed and intensified.

 

Do you have any favorite roles you've played in the past?

Greg:  At opposite ends of the spectrum: Harold Hill in Music Man and Lt. Osbourne in Journey’s End.  The first leaves you in admiration for the craft of a well-designed light musical comedy, and the latter defines by tragic heroism how you hope you yourself would react under unimaginable stress.

 

Who is your acting inspiration?

Greg:  Its cliché, but Brando.  Not so much for the way he delivered lines, but for the way he drew character when the lines weren’t his, simply through gesture and expression.  It’s much the way a good basketball player moves off the ball.  

 

What is the craziest thing you have ever had to do on stage?

Greg:  Just stand there and get hit.  My wife and I did Guys and Dolls together and the slap between us just kept looking awkward.  Finally I told her to really slap me.  After a few weeks I developed a real appreciation for her right hook and an even deeper appreciation for good fight choreography!

design by ksp