When I was a young character actor in New York, I acquired work and an Equity card immediately through a touring children’s theatre company based in Manhattan, called Performing Arts Repertory Theatre of New York. It was quite sophisticated looking on a resume by the way. With a company credit like that on a resume, someone considering me for work just might think I had probably worked with all the great repertory stars of the era. Today this company is called Theatre Works USA and remains a solid employer for character actors, especially those who can sing and dance since they do historical musicals. The list of accomplished character actors who have worked with this group includes Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham. I received a 1995 Tony Award nomination for best leading actor in a play and had planned to thank Performing Arts Repertory Theatre of New York in my acceptance speech had I won the Tony.
I went to New York right after graduation from college. I quickly discovered classes and auditions are the thing for young gypsies. However, I had come not to be a gypsy but to work as an actor. I was lucky and got the part in the children’s theatre tour. My job was playing a snide Englishman in his 50s. I was a character actor in my early 20s playing a role twice my age. A Broadway legend and veteran character actor Lou Gilbert came to see my show on the request of my great uncle who had become friends with Lou over the years. Lou had appeared in film roles and acted with Marlon Brando in Viva Zapata. He was appearing in the Broadway musical The Creation of the World and Other Business at the time he came to one of my matinees in Manhattan.
After the show Lou walked down to the subway with me, giving quick and free character acting advice. He told me I was indeed a very good character actor but there were great character actors in New York and LA, who were already 50 years old. Nobody was going to hire a young actor in his 20s to play someone in his 40s (James Dean had done it in Giant). Lou advised me to return to the regions and study in rep companies and theatre groups. Gain experience where character acting counts; find a Shakespeare festival somewhere.
I took Lou Gilbert’s advice and left New York. Friends thought I could have stayed and studied and done well enough but this was an era when there were more plays on Broadway than musicals. I was not a song and dance trained actor. It was the play I was after and the money to perform in them was in the regions. I spent 10 years doing rep companies and Shakespeare and fine tuned my skills as a character actor. I returned to New York in 1982 and costarred in a show I helped write. It was one of the huge hits off Broadway for a year. I was playing character roles for a living, playing someone older than myself but with 10 years of experience I may never have received in New York had I stayed.
Joe Sears
Co-Author and co-star of Greater Tuna
Joe and his partner Jaston Williams were recently dubbed National Living Treasures by the LA Times
