THE RIP VAN WINKLE ACTING REBOOT
When I awoke, things had changed. Unlike the 90s, folk were no longer using hard copies of Backstage, and snail-mail was a thing of the past. I’m exaggerating of course, but lately I have been referring to myself as the “Rip Van Winkle” of acting, returning to the fray after discovering a different art form:
All the world loves a clown, and so I did… Become one that is! Actualizing my own beloved character Okey Dokey and opening my own children’s entertainment company some 20 years ago and still going strong!
For my acting purposes, the move was a huge asset and a liability! I was soon acting all the time, making money and entertaining children of all ages with my beloved shows! Still, the move lassoed me away from more conventional acting, both on stage and in film.
AN INTERESTING REFLECTION ON ACTING 101
My initial belief was that my acting prowess would bode well for entertaining children and developing the character of Okey Dokey. And, whereas on some level this was surely the case, I soon realized that it was the reverse which was the more profound truth: My experiences as a clown and with children would create a more open and impressionable version of myself -- kids will really get you out of your own head and “into a scene”!
I found the right profession, and it will always be a part of me. Yet today, I find myself asking the question, “can I simultaneously climb the show business ladder while I keep the kids laughing”? My close friend and compatriot, actress Bettina Skye, lobbies me to move forward! Is it possible to generate intrigue as a lifelong performer attempting to reinvent a career? I’m going to find out!
Along this road less traveled, I did amass some credits worth acknowledging! My teacher and guru, William Hickey, was an inspiration, and I often remembered his wisdom through my stage productions as a writer, actor, and director, including two NYC touring troupes: “SRO Players” and “A Matinee Idol.” My directorial debut was at the Theatre Studio in NYC, directing Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “Petra Van Kant,” and “Bremen Freedom.”
I also appeared in the film, “It Felt Like Love,” by Eliza Hittman. Richard Brody of “The New Yorker” reviewed the film” “Lila’s relationship with her father [Ryan] is one of the wisest I have seen on the screen in a while”!