Latest / The BSB Podcast / Exclusive Interview: Cast of St. Dunstan's 'A Jukebox for the Algonquin'

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Exclusive Interview: Cast of St. Dunstan's 'A Jukebox for the Algonquin' · The BSB Podcast

• 0:00
  Every jukebox carries songs we already love, but it's the people performing them who give these songs new meaning.
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  Today I'm speaking with Sandra Deering, Terie Spencer, and Denise Kallas from
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  St.
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  Dustin's Theater's production of a jukebox for the Algonquin So thank you so much for joining us here today.
• 0:15
  How are you three doing?
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  Good, great.
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  So I know you're currently busy rehearsing for the show.
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  Denise, how has the process been so far?
• 0:23
  Well, this play is fantastic and the actors that are involved in it are also amazing.
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  this is the second time I've done this show and it is every bit as amazing this time.
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  You find something new in it every time you see it.
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  That's such a cool thing that you get to experience the show again being in it twice.
• 0:47
  And it's different because it's a different group of people, so you've got a different dynamic.
• 0:51
  For sure, absolutely.
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  Terie, with this show, what drew you to wanting to audition to be a part of this production?
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  I had seen the previous production that Denise was in and also another local production and it's a show that has been getting a lot of traction in community theaters, well in
• 1:10
  regional theaters everywhere the past several years.
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  So seeing it come up and having that opportunity to audition for it after having seen it twice and loved it was really nice and I was really happy to be able to be a part of it.
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  How do you feel like your journey's kind of changed from like seeing it twice?
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  You said you saw two productions, now being in it.
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  What is that like to actually be in the show?
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  it's so different.
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  think back to watching it and I'm like, I didn't realize that this character, you know, went through this journey and this relationship developed this way.
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  So you just get so much when you're actually working with people and really working with the script.
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  And Sandra, what kind of drew you to the show?
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  um So I look for, you know, theater and theater experiences that inspire people, that lift people up, make them feel good, take them away from their problems for an evening.
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  And this show does that.
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  You know, I also saw it um a couple of years ago and I just found the script to be funny, on point, relevant to what we're going through today.
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  um Lots of humor, lots of relationships.
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  And it really just had a great message that I think we all need to hear today.
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  And so I think people can get away from their problems for a day.
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  And frankly, I wanted to be a part of it.
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  I wanted to be a part of telling this inspirational story.
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  So speaking of the story and kind of the themes that are going with it, Denise, I'll start with you.
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  What is kind of the story of this show?
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  Well, the story is about four residents in an assisted living facility.
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  So it's four older people and one of the gentlemen wants a jukebox and he's trying to take up a collection for it.
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  And they're really struggling because everyone's on a fixed income and they're trying to get the jukebox and trying to get the jukebox and come up with a very unique
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  and illegal way to raise the funds.
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  That's so intriguing because the way you said it, know, it's got everybody's interest piqued of like, what's happening here?
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  Yeah.
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  Yeah.
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  But it sounds like it's quite the feat to maybe get this jukebox.
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  It is, it is.
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  And you know, the story, I think the greatest part of this story is how much life these characters have.
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  The relationship between them, the friendships that are formed, not only among the four older people, but among the staff at the facility as well.
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  And just everything about this play is just absolutely amazing.
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  Terie, you're playing Annie in the show, correct?
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  So who's Annie and what is kind of her narrative throughout this show?
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  Well, Annie is one of the three longer time residents that they named themselves for the Algonquin Roundtable because the room they meet in is called the Algonquin and these three
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  residents hang out there a lot and are close friends.
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  And one of the other characters, Sandra's character calls my character the mayor of the place.
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  So my character is very social and
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  very friendly, and it's interesting to play her because I think that friendliness and outgoingness comes from a very deep need inside of her because she talks about having been
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  lonely as a child.
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  So there's a lot of depth, you know, to these characters and she's very fun.
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  you guys know how fun this character is to play.
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  She's I won't give anything else away, but she's very enthusiastic and she feels everything very deeply.
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  Sometimes it's sad and sometimes it's extremely funny.
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  So what is your process then for developing a character such as Annie?
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  One of the things I like to do is look at what the other characters say about my character and take that into account when I'm building the character and really just memorizing the
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  lines as soon as possible and getting up in rehearsal and interacting with the other people and what's going on just helps you as you progress through rehearsal find the depth
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  to it.
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  I think that's such an interesting process.
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  I've never quite heard about seeing what other people say about her at the show, because that does say a lot about your character, and what an interesting way to kind of develop
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  that.
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  So Sandra, you're playing Peg.
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  So who is Peg?
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  Who is Peg in the show?
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  So Peg is one of the younger residents.
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  um She is in the independent living portion of the retirement community.
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  And she really moves in because she has a need to be surrounded by people and have some community.
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  um I'm the new girl, yep.
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  She didn't do well living on her own.
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  um
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  just because it was too isolating for her.
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  And so she sought out a community like this where she could, you know, pop in and out of the social scene and develop some friendships and some relationships and some sense of
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  community.
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  And so um she kind of comes into the Algonquin Roundtable Group.
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  She's kind of the younger person ah and she doesn't really live in the same portion of the facility that they do, but she finds friendship there and she finds fellowship there and
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  she feels like she belongs.
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  you know, so she joins them in their quest to make this
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  jukebox happen because she sees where this would really improve the quality of their lives and give them something you know to enjoy on a regular basis in their in their retirement
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  years.
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  So where do you begin then developing a character such as Peg?
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  So I try to.
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  read through the script and get a real sense of the purpose.
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  Why is she there?
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  Like we said, we think she's there because she's isolated and the script does lend to that why she left her single family home by herself where she was living alone after getting
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  divorced.
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  um So I think I start from that point and then I ask myself, what would I do?
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  What behaviors would I have?
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  What actions would I take as Sandra if I were in this situation and wanted to develop some new relationships and some new friendships?
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  And then you try to take those feelings and
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  into the details of the character, her age, her background, her history.
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  So it's sort of, in my opinion, it's a melding of sort of how you as a person would behave, melded with what that person's traits were, what that character's traits are.
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  And so you listen for the authenticity.
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  I find when I'm going through my daily non-theater related life, I have to have a pretty dramatic argument with Denise in the play.
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  So I listen to how I sound when I'm having an argument in my real life.
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  because that's going to be the most authentic portrayal on stage.
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  And so I try to remember and hear that voice in my head, the tone, the tenor, where I'm coming from.
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  Is it high pitch, low pitch, what have you?
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  So that when it's delivered on stage, it's as authentic as it can be.
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  So there's a little bit of Sandra in Peg is what I'm hearing.
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  last but not least, are playing Josefina Denise.
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  Who is Josefina?
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  I'm so sorry.
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  You're playing Josefina.
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  uh Who is Josefina within the narrative of the show?
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  Well, Josefina is the director of the long-term care facility that uh the three older characters are in.
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  I think she's got a great relationship with them, but she's what I think the struggle with Josefina is she's trying to balance how much she enjoys these characters and how much of a
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  friendship she has with some of them with still maintaining that level of professionalism.
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  And, you know, I think she's got to distance herself a little bit from.
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  the characters themselves.
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  And it's a struggle to try to straddle that line between friendship um and love with the residents with the professionalism.
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  I feel like anybody in that position would struggle with that, know, being like, you're on the outside looking in at this group of friends and you care about these people and you
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  want them to be okay.
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  Right.
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  And you know, one of the characters, we grew up in the same neighborhood.
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  So we've got a lot in common in that respect.
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  And I think that she feels a lot, she feels a stronger friendship with that character than she might with the other people.
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  So where do you begin with a character like Josefina?
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  No, that's okay.
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  And I said that it was a joke because in the show, one of the characters repeatedly refers to me as Joey or Josephina, and I'm always correcting him.
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  It's Josefina with an H.
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  uh So, yeah, well, and it's funny because sometimes somebody says something and just the lines just start coming out in response to something that's completely not related to the
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  rehearsals.
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  But uh
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  I mean, for rehearsals now, probably for a bit of time.
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  Right.
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  And you know what?
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  And a couple of the people from the first time I did it are in this show as well.
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  So oh it really is.
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  It's just a beautiful story.
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  But I think, you know, with with Josefina, again, I try to find my personal life and where I've got the similarities with her.
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  And, you know, in my my life, my job, my career, I I personally tend to.
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  try to distance myself from emotions to maintain that level of professionalism.
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  oh And I have to for my job.
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  oh So I try to bring that into it also.
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  And my own need to not be emotional, I think when she's fighting that emotion on stage, I think the audience can really relate to that struggle that she's having.
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  And I use my own experience to bring that struggle.
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  You know, I think one of the hardest things in the world is when you see somebody trying to fight their emotions, trying not to be upset or trying to maintain that professionalism
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  and they're really struggling with it.
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  And I think that makes the emotions even stronger for the people that are watching that, if that made sense.
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  No, absolutely.
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  I'm a psychologist during my day job, so I understand that sometimes you have to separate those emotions from the professionalism of that.
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  And so it does take its toll after a while.
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  I'm sure that your character experiences that throughout the show.
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  And I think she's worried about everybody else and making sure they're all okay while she is dealing with what she's dealing with.
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  Sure, absolutely.
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  So, Terie this show is kind of being described as a dramedy.
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  How would you feel that it balances the two tones of both like a drama and a comedy here?
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  Hmm.
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  I personally think that you got to pick one or the other.
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  I'm a director too and I'm like, is it a drama or is it a comedy?
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  But the reason I do that is because it has to do with tone and um style.
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  So I would classify this more of a comedy, but it definitely has serious things happen in it.
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  people take them seriously and the will take them very seriously.
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  There's times when people might cry in the audience.
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  But I would still classify it as a comedy because it moves quickly.
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  There's a lot of funny things that happen.
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  yeah, there's...
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  Dramedy is a really popular kind of a sub-genre that's come into being, I think, in the last several decades.
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  and I'm getting into it.
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  I can see the mix there.
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  I would say it's a little more comedy and you're kind of surprised when it gets a little heavy at the end, but you're still with it.
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  You know, it doesn't change style.
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  You're still with the characters.
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  You're still with the story and it flows into the more dramatic parts really well.
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  That's a beautiful way to put it.
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  so then acting in that, Sandra, if it being more of a comedy with some dramatic elements, how do you balance those tones then?
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  You know what?
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  I lean into all of it because I am an actor's actor and I love...
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  feeling and portraying all of the experiences because I think oftentimes people will see and will resonate with something you are portraying on stage.
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  A moment that you laughed and a moment that you enjoyed and a moment where maybe you were hurting.
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  And so for me, I kind of isolate really like this is what this scene is about Peg's goal in this scene.
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  She's happy.
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  She's in a good mood.
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  She's excited versus in this scene.
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  Is she anxious?
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  Is she scared?
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  So I kind of give it an adjective or verb, so to speak.
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  And that sounds really theatery, but I try to give the different scenes like, what is the goal here?
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  What is the emotion I'm trying to portray?
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  And then I really just isolate and go for that emotion in that scene.
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  And then I go to the next scene and whatever the goal is for that scene.
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  I mean, that makes perfect sense though, finding this, each scene's gonna kind of volley in between different emotions and what you're trying to portray to the audience.
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  Denise, is your process kind of similar for that, for the tones?
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  Well, Josefina has, I think, a different role and a different relationship with the characters.
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  So for most of the play, I am all business.
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  This is I'm trying to keep this facility nice.
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  I'm trying to keep it neat.
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  You know, let's not bring food in here because we don't want ants.
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  Let's, you know, keep it neat.
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  Let's clean the windows.
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  So I'm through most of the play.
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  actually very businesslike.
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  ah And I try to just hint at some of the relationships, ah the personal relationships that she has with some of the other characters.
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  So I don't know that she has as varied of emotions or intentions.
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  ah I think Josefina, at least through the first part of the play, is very businesslike.
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  kind of the steady fast one, keeping everything going.
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  Right, right.
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  Just trying to keep the place running, keep everybody happy and healthy and, you know, taking care of the facility.
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  Sure, absolutely.
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  So Denise, how has this production challenged you as an actor?
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  Well, time of doing it has because I try I what I really don't want to do is give the same performance that I gave last time.
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  Having done it twice, so that's been somewhat challenging.
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  ah You know, getting with the, you know, having a new group and a new dynamic.
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  The beauty of this play is that it really is an ensemble and.
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  when somebody misses a rehearsal or isn't there, the whole group feels it.
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  It's really hard.
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  Even if you're not in a scene with those people, it's hard to to feel the cohesiveness of it if somebody's missing.
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  So, you know, my process when I when I go into a show is I try to find the similarities between the character and me.
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  And I'm lucky because I've already done that with Josefina.
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  ah The challenge in this show is trying to
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  maybe make her better than it was the first time.
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  Look for different insights into her behavior.
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  I think what I've tried to do this time around is maybe soften her a little bit and let a little bit more of the personal relationships show through more than I did the first time
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  around.
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  That's kind cool that you get to look at her through a new lens, you know what mean?
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  Like, you're trying to find the other side of her, which, I mean, is probably not just the challenge, but it's so very rewarding to get to be in that position a second time with
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  this character.
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  It is, it is.
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  it's, you know, and just I love the place so much.
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  And I love this character in particular.
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  oh Just because of the feelings that she gets to have ah towards the end.
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  Or the feeling she tries to suppress towards the end.
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  oh And it's just it.
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  Just Paul Stroili did a marvelous job and an amazing job with his words, his jokes, his relationships.
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  It's just everything about this play is fantastic.
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  So Sandra, how do you feel like you've been challenged by this production as an actor?
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  this has been a huge challenge for me.
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  Just ask the director and assistant director with all my questions about notes.
• 18:11
  I so typically I lean toward um
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  being cast more in the really zany comedic roles like the sidekick, the best friend, the crazy, you know, gypsy who comes in and out and does something really wacky and then
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  leaves.
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  That's sort of been my wheelhouse in theater in general.
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  That's what I've played probably 85, 90 percent of the time.
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  And this role, they offered me what we call a straight role.
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  And what that means is you are not the comic relief in the show.
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  You are.
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  You're the person that helps to move the narrative forward and move the um
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  story forward and you kind set up the jokes for the other people, for the people who are the comic relief.
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  Every role is just as important, but I had to come upon, I had to learn as an actor how to deliver lines that were just basic everyday lines like
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  you know, yes, I would like a cup of coffee.
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  It's a simple line.
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  It means not it, you know, but how do you deliver it?
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  Not be boring, be interesting, but not be so overblown like nobody would say it that way.
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  And so really learning how to embody a part that doesn't have a lot of those extra personality traits and had more of a down to earth tone has been actually very challenging
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  for me in a good way, in a good way.
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  Ahem.
• 19:24
  You had to throw out the entire rulebook of what you knew.
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  did, absolutely.
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  Yup.
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  oh
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  I imagine that has to be difficult as well to just like you said, kind of the mundane lines of like, would you like a cup of coffee?
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  know, like that is so, most people would just not think twice about that, but you have to really think of like, how do you deliver this line to make it engaging while also not
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  being the funny sidekick or the zany person, you know?
• 19:47
  Yeah.
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  You have to be authentic and interesting, but not boring.
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  That's a hard balance.
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  so
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  And Terie, how about for you?
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  How has this production challenged you as an actor?
• 19:57
  Well, I'm the comic relief.
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  You uh
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  relief
• 20:02
  A lot of the time, so and um yeah, and I deliver a lot of the punchy lines of the jokes.
• 20:11
  for me, it's been a challenge to do that and to do that with a comic style and to hit it the way it's supposed to be hit in terms of movement and volume and just hit those jokes
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  the way they're supposed to be hit, but still be a real person.
• 20:26
  Still not have it seem like my character is in a different play.
• 20:30
  Mm-hmm.
• 20:31
  I'm all and nobody else is, well, everybody's got, everybody has a punchline.
• 20:34
  Everybody's got some jokes, but um my character is a little out there sometimes.
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  So the challenge for me has been to embrace that and make it work while still having that character be a real grounded person and not seem uh like a caricature.
• 20:51
  I can imagine that line's really hard and you know don't want to be too over the top but you also need to find the where it hits the mark.
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  and you have to do the technical things to make the jokes land like they're supposed to.
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  But still have that come from a real place and have your character be a real person, which is, think, is the reason why people say comedy is harder than drama.
• 21:10
  And I think that's why.
• 21:12
  It's because there's a lot of technical things involved in getting the laugh, but you don't want to seem like you're not sincere and not real or that you're fake.
• 21:22
  Sure, absolutely.
• 21:23
  Because it's one of those, you comedy, again, I'm not an actor, but like, I assume that's one of those things like, it's really good if you go completely off the wall, you know,
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  and, but like it's hard to have that reality tone to it.
• 21:37
  yeah, absolutely.
• 21:38
  So then just one final question for all of you, and Terie, I'm gonna start with you, just what are you hoping audiences take away from this production?
• 21:48
  I'm hoping that audiences get a sense of warmth from the relationships in the productions and see the struggles of each character and how they're trying to bring something better
• 22:06
  to each of their lives and to the lives of the people around them.
• 22:10
  Sandra, how about for you?
• 22:11
  What do you want audiences to take away from this production?
• 22:14
  I'd like audiences to walk away feeling maybe more connected to the people, to the people around them and probably totally aside from what everybody else would say.
• 22:23
  I have an affinity for older folks and I think that we don't always give them the respect of the lives they've lived in our culture.
• 22:31
  And I really like the fact that this highlights older folks in their 70s and 80s and frankly what they still have to contribute.
• 22:39
  Their intelligence, their humor, their love, their passion is all still there for them.
• 22:44
  And I think we shine a really great light on that, the um lives that they live and the things that they do and feel and the contributions.
• 22:53
  that they still have to make.
• 22:55
  So I think that's definitely something I hope audiences take away.
• 22:59
  I think you're completely right.
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  think that we do tend to write off people as they get older, you know, the value and the respect isn't always there.
• 23:09
  And so it's nice to have a story that really shines a light.
• 23:11
  Cause again, we don't have many stories that tell any kind of story about anybody as they get older or like what it's like to have a community as you age.
• 23:19
  So it's beautiful to have that.
• 23:21
  Denise, you're closing us out.
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  What are you audiences take away?
• 23:25
  Well, I hope that people see friends and family and people that they know in the characters.
• 23:33
  ah To echo what Sandra said, that I hope they realize how much older people still have to offer.
• 23:42
  I think it's really easy as a society and I think sometimes we tend to discount.
• 23:49
  are seniors and they're in a facility and you think they're fine there and nobody comes to visit nobody sends you know they've got little pictures in their rooms and that's how they
• 24:02
  have to remember their loved ones.
• 24:04
  So what I hope is after people see this show everybody who has someone who's in a long-term care facility goes and visits them.
• 24:13
  Absolutely, absolutely.
• 24:15
  Well, thank you so much you three for being here.
• 24:17
  It's been such a pleasure talking with all of you and we're just so excited for the show.
• 24:20
  Great.
• 24:20
  you.
• 24:21
  was great.
• 24:21
  Thank you so much.
• 24:23
  A jukebox for the Algonquin arrives at St.
• 24:25
  Dunstan's January 23rd and runs through February 7th, so get your tickets now and we'll see you at the show.