Steppenwolf Theatre Company Blog – Chicago Theater, World-Class Ensemble

Almost two years ago I received a call from my agent who informed me that a New York casting director wanted me to come to New York to meet with Conor McPherson regarding a role in his Broadway production of The Seafarer. I had the honor of performing in his play The Weir, at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in 2001 with fellow ensemble members Francis Guinan and John Mahoney, directed by ensemble member Randy Arney. We had a grand time. Theater is a collaborative adventure and under Randy’s leadership we had a truly wonderful chemistry. Guiding us all was the beguiling and soulful work of Mr. McPherson. His characters are presented so gracefully and with such nuance that for any actor interested in believing in the truth of given circumstances, his work offers a special opportunity.

I was performing in Betrayal at the time of The Seafarer audition so I had to fly to NYC on my one day off. Thank goodness I did not get the part because it would have excluded me from the extraordinary adventure of August: Osage County, (we leave for London later today). BUT…this play…The Seafarer. It was impossible to read without thinking of our company. Knowing the incredible job Randy had done with The Weir, and knowing how amazing John Mahoney and Francis Guinan were in it, it was a no-brainer to give the play to Martha as a possible work for Steppenwolf. One of the unique aspects of Steppenwolf’s work is the repeated working relationships. The characters in The Seafarer are either family, or have known each other for some time. This fits right into what we do best. Steppenwolf prides itself on actor driven material and Conor McPherson’s work is so rich, so full of character detail, depth, complexity, nuanced relationships and a palpable soul that it truly is a perfect fit. There was some talk of me being in this production and it was very difficult to decide not to be, because I know how special this production will be. (Randy, Fran, John, Al and Tom - that’s a bad ass group!) The haunted past is so alive in this work. Some things we never shed. We just survive as well as we can. This one oughtta be good!

This entry was posted by Ian Barford on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am and is filed under The Seafarer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.