Chapter 7: The Fine Arts Building

The Fine Arts Building at SC4 was built in 19XX. Shockingly, it houses a number of art classes. My tenure at the Fine Arts Building though from 2002-2003 was solely focused on acting and stagecraft.

It was here that I met a number of people who, positively or negatively, would influence me in the years to come.

Arguably the best class I took in the building was the Sketch and Playwriting class in Winter 2003 with Richard Goteri. The class was once a week on Thursdays from 8:30-10:20. While it was a great class in general some of the students weren’t exactly the sharpest. Some of the really great sketches that I had written would be butchered by people trying to read them. Sure it was 8:30 in the morning when class started but the sketches I wrote would end up in the wrong hands. Very eloquent parts I would write ended up becoming butchered because of poor delivery.

During this time I was working under the idea that I would become an actor. Nowadays, I’m casually flirting with the idea of acting again but it is more something to try again and have fun with. But 5 years ago it was an all-consuming idea. I spent a lot of my money on playbooks from David Mamet and was taking Rich’s acting class in Warren.

With the stress of the car accident, the increasing stress of managing the ESG, and a chemistry class I didn’t care for building up like a coral reef I needed something to look forward to. Sketch and Playwriting was one of the two classes on Thursdays in Winter 2003 that always made the long week worth it.

Many great things came from the class. It was a lot of fun. But a miracle came along just when I needed it the most.

SC4 was going to have a production of Moliere’s play Tartuffe. You may recall Moliere as the writer John Bender proclaims in The Breakfast Club that “really pumps my nads.” I decided to try out for it. Personally, I thought my series of auditions went well. I wasn’t excited about the play but I figured I should try my hand at something. At this point I had taken a couple months of lessons with Rich.

The cast list was put up the Thursday after auditions on Monday and Tuesday. My part was going to be that of a policeman that comes in at the end to deliver a monologue. To accept the part I had to sign the cast list.

I didn’t sign it.

Rich came up to me after the cast list was posted. He was excited that I was going to have a part. But when I told him I didn’t want to do it he was more shocked than mad. I told him that I really didn’t have the time for it and I thought it ultimately was a waste of my growing talent. That might sound pretentious but it is worth pointing out that someone who had no acting experience at all whose voice constantly cracked throughout the auditions got a major part in the play. I felt slighted because of that.

Ultimately Rich respected my decision. Really, I wanted something to dive into at that point. I wanted to really have a part that I could own. It would have been worth the sacrifice in work. But I moved on.

A week later I go into Rich’s class. The first words to me that morning weren’t “How are you doing?” or “Good morning.” It was so much better.

“You want to be in a David Mamet play?”

I said yes within nanoseconds. Looking back, I’m not even sure he finished the sentence before I accepted. I didn’t care what character I would play. I didn’t even know what play it was. The fact that I was going to do a play from him was about the equivalent of Indiana Jones finding the location of the Ark.

“Which play?” I asked, secretly hoping he would say “Glengarry Glen Ross, and you’re going to be Richard Roma.”

“Its Edmond. You’re going to be a cardsharp and a guard.”

So not only was I going to be in a Mamet play I was going to have two parts! Forget Glengarry, this was too cool. I had a hard time keeping cool. I had something to work for now. They sound like small parts and they are. But the whole play is made up of small parts and only one character in all the scenes.

Eventually, my participation in the play would involve taking on a third part, creating a soundtrack, printing up tickets, and moving the set pieces around between scenes. But that’s for another chapter someday.

I could wrap this up now with a pithy “there’s light at the end of the tunnel” kind of deal but I can’t since that isn’t even close to the point.

I (sorta) remember in Mamet’s book True and False: Heresay and Common Sense for the Actor he said something like how an actor needs to be picky with the roles that they choose or they invite problems on themselves. By doing just anything an actor will be unable to pursue the really great roles that are out there. This will also make the actor more passive about what they are doing instead of being determined to create the best body of work possible.

I could be making that last bit up. It has been about 5 years since I read it. But he has a point.