A Day in the Life of a Surflight Actor

 By Dave Kreines

In 2003, there are few vocations more glamorous and rewarding that that of the professional actor.  Fast cars, mansions, magazine covers, travel around the world – these are just a few of the rewards in store.  For Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep, this might be true.  For most actors, however, the reality is quite different.  This is the story of a typical day for an actor at the Surflight Theatre, a professional theater in Beach Haven, New Jersey .

This year, over 1,000 actors auditioned for about 20 acting positions available at Surflight Theatre.  One of these was Jason Mitchell, who just graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (cum laude) degree from the New World School of the Arts in Miami , Florida .  After performing in the Straw Hat auditions in New York, which is set up to allow actors to be seen by casting directors from dozens of regional theaters, Jason was offered a position in the acting company at Surflight for the 2003 season.  The position included housing as well as a small salary, and Jason accepted immediately.

Unlike most of the 2003 acting company, Jason is a Surflight veteran: he was an acting intern at Surflight for the 2001 season.  He was a member of the ensemble (“Just call me ‘chorus boy’”, he jokes) in most of the shows that year, and played the part of Simon in Jekyll and Hyde. 

This year Jason has already performed a major role: Barnaby in Hello, Dolly.  This role gave him significant exposure and was well suited to Jason’s comedic talents.  He has “ensemble” parts in most of the other shows this year (each show is cast just a few weeks before it plays, but he already knows that he will play Mark in A Chorus Line).

Jason was happy about this opportunity to return to Surflight.  “It is a well-respected theatre”, he explains, and because each show at Surflight runs just one or two weeks, “I have a chance to work with a variety of top-notch directors and choreographers”. 

  8:30 AM   The Surflight acting company is slowly but surely awakening and preparing for a new day.  After preparing some version of breakfast, each gathers their dancing shoes, scripts, and whatever else they need for the day and proceed, most by foot or bicycle, to the theatre, about 8 blocks away.  Most of the actors are feeling relatively rested.  They had spent a grueling several days in final preparation for the opening of Evita on Tuesday night, and since rehearsals for Crazy for You would not begin until today, they were given a “daytime” day off, which means they had time off during the day before performing in Evita last night.  But for Jason and the other seven actors who are performing in the Surflight Children’s Theatre production of The Wizard of Oz, there was no time off – they spent the entire day learning the show and then performing it for the first time at 6:00PM .  Jason has not had a day off for a while now, but he is typically enthusiastic and ready to go.  “You get used to being tired”, he says, “but if you love theatre…”

Most of the company lives in a large converted rooming house referred to as “the Cast House”.  The house has 16 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, but no heat and no air conditioning.  “In 2001 I was in a triple room on the top floor”, explains Jason, “but this year I was promoted downstairs to a double”.  He rooms with fellow actor Geoffrey Mergele. “We really don’t spend much time in the house”, he says.

9:30 AM   The acting company begins to arrive in the theatre and the members proceed to the stage, where several rows of chairs have been set up. 

9:45 AM  Today is the first rehearsal for the next show, Crazy for You.   The cast is assembled and seated on the stage, and Musical Director Beth Burrier-Bradstreet leads them in vocal warm-ups – these are a sort of calisthenics for the vocal chords that are scheduled every rehearsal day at 9:45 .  Since there is no dance rehearsal today, the normal 9:30 dance warmup has been cancelled.  The theatre is filled with more and more complex vocal scales and harmonies as the warmup progresses.

At any given time, the Surflight company is performing one mainstage show and rehearsing the next.  Since many of the group are also involved in Children’s Theatre as well, it is a mental and physical challenge to keep on top of three shows at once.

10:00 AM  It’s time for the real rehearsal to begin.  Steve Steiner , the Surflight Artistic Director, introduces director Steve McCoy and a few new cast members.  The cast is happy because Suzette Whiting, one of the local actresses, is part of the cast because “she always brings food!”.  A few “business” matters (“No open-toed shoes in the theatre”; it’s an insurance thing, according to Steiner).  Then director McCoy spends a few minutes talking about how he plans to prepare the show – “Have fun and then we’ll fix it”.

McCoy asks the cast to arrange their chairs in a large circle on the stage, and then they do an initial read-through of the script, without the musical numbers.  Jason is playing Jimmy, who is one of the minor characters.  The actors are in good form, and if you close your eyes you can imagine that you are sitting in an actual performance – lines are delivered almost flawlessly (of course at this point they are reading from the script) and timing seems good, too.  When the reading is complete, McCoy notes “45 minutes without the music, and it’s a two and one-half hour show”.  There is obviously a lot of musical rehearsal ahead!

Stage Manager Brian Newman announces “It is now 10:54 .  Take a five-minute break and we’ll start again at 10:59”.  Brian runs a tight ship.

11:00 AM   The break went an extra minute, but now the cast is re-assembled on stage and is ready to start rehearsing musical numbers from Crazy for You.  Musical Director Beth Burrier-Bradstreet is at the piano, and begins with the last number of the show: the Curtain Call.  There are several sections with four-part harmony, and so individual cast members are told which lines of harmony to sing.  It is immediately clear that these actors have musical training, and they all sing their parts as written.

While in college, Jason took a combination of traditional liberal arts and performance courses, including acting, singing, and dance.  According to Jason, he usually took 2 or 3 academic courses along with up to 7 theater-related courses.  Since the emphasis at his school was on acting, he feels particularly well trained in that area, but qualified in other aspects of performance as well.  “We also took courses in the history of the theater and the theater business”, so he is well versed in most aspects of today’s professional theater.

11:20 AM  The cast is broken into two groups; the principals go next door to rehearse, while Jason and the rest of the company stay on the main stage to rehearse chorus numbers.  There is a lot of music in this show.  “You’ve got to get it the first time” Burrier-Bradstreet tells the group.  They start with Who Could Ask For Anything More, working on some pronunciations (“It’s OOOH, not EEWH!) and lots of small but significant details, like where to take a breath and which syllable of a word to emphasize.  They spend the balance of the hour working on two numbers – it sounds pretty good for the first day.

12:00 Noon   Lunch break!  Most of the cast returns to the Cast House for lunch and some relaxation before the afternoon matinee performance of Evita, scheduled for 2:00 .  On most days there is only one hour for lunch, but because of the matinee schedule they get an extra 15 minutes.

1:15 PM  The cast of Evita gathers in the theatre for the “Call Meeting”, which takes place before each show and is run by Stage Manager Brian Newman and Artistic Director Steve Steiner .  During this meeting any problems or issues with the last performance are discussed and corrected – things like a late entrance or an adjustment in a set change.  Last night’s performance went smoothly, so there are no real problems to discuss today.

1:30 PM   The cast of Evita now has 30 minutes to get into costumes and makeup for the 2:00 show.  Everyone has an assigned spot in the cramped dressing rooms, and after getting costume changes arranged and a final check of makeup, they each take a few minutes to warm up body and voice for the show that is about to begin.

Makeup is the responsibility of each actor.  During rehearsals, each actor designs his or her own makeup, with the assistance of the Costume Design staff.  Each is then responsible for makeup before each performance.

2:00 PM  Showtime.  Normally, Artistic Director Steve Steiner begins the show with a brief appearance on stage to welcome the audience, acknowledge groups in attendance, and make a few general comments and announcements (“Please remember to turn off cell phones and other noise-making devices”, “The taking of photographs is prohibited”, and “Joe’s Place and the Showplace takeout window will be open at intermission”).  Because Steve is playing Juan Peron in Evita and is already in costume, his remarks are recorded today.

Jason plays several smaller parts in Evita, including a townsperson and a military officer.  He is involved in most of the larger numbers, and has several costume changes.

3:00 PM  Intermission for Evita.   Because there are so many costume changes in the first act, the dressing rooms are a mess and the first task is to get costumes back in place.  Then each cast member relaxes in his or her own way for a few minutes – Jason drinks some water and rests – he still has a lot of dancing left.

3:15 PM  Act II of Evita begins.  Jason is mostly in the background, but is very busy.

3:40 PM   The performance of Evita is finished.  The audience is appreciative and there is good applause.  Immediately following the curtain call, there is a Surflight tradition that the cast greets the audience in costume on the patio outside the theatre.  Since Jason is not playing a major part, he does not participate.  Instead, he returns to the dressing room, removes his costume and makeup, and tidies up for the next performance.  

4:00 PM  Most of the company now has a long dinner break.  Not Jason and the other 7 cast members of The Wizard of Oz.  They have until 5:15 .

Today the company is particularly fortunate.  A large amount of left-over food from a nearby function has been delivered to the theatre, and none goes to waste!

5:15 PM   The Wizard of Oz cast reports to the theatre, where Assistant Stage Manager Jennifer Mesce goes over notes from the previous day’s performance.

5:25 PM   Back to the dressing rooms for Jason and the rest of the Wizard cast.  Jason’s first part is a Munchkin, so he applies his makeup (lots of color on the face) and gets into his costume (vaguely like a clown’s costume).  When he emerges, it is hard to recognize him!

Each Children’s Theatre show runs for a week, from Wednesday through Sunday.  Next is Peter Pan, and Jason is again an important member of the cast:  he is playing both Nana the Dog and Pirate Number 1!

5:30 PM  Stage Manager Mesce announces “30 minutes till show”.  Lighting is adjusted, and the Evita set gives way to a backdrop of Kansas .

While show preparations are underway, the audience is assembling on the patio next to the theatre.  Today there are over 300 tickets sold, and the line crosses the patio area four times.  Surfy the dog (performed by various acting apprentices) entertains the children waiting the 90 degree heat.  The kids love it, but Surfy may need a big bowl of water by showtime!

5:45 PM   The two Munchkins (Jason and Elena Gutierrez) also serve as ticket takers for this show.  They get into position and the theatre doors are swung open to admit hundreds of excited children, parents, and grandparents.  Jason and Elena greet each child individually, and the children seem genuinely excited to meet a real Munchkin!

Surflight actors actually have fewer duties than at many “summer stock” theatres, where the company members not only rehearse and perform, but are also expected to build sets and make costumes.  Surflight has a dedicated staff for these and other “behind the scenes” activities.

6:00 PM   The show begins to cheers from the audience.  The Munchins perform (they make themselves short by walking on their knees!  While Dorothy (played by Megan Rosenblatt) get to know her new friends Scarecrow (Matt Gibson), Woodsman (Gennaro Savastano), and Lion (Tymothy Byers) – each scene ends with the characters singing “Off to See the Wizard” up the aisle and out the door, then running through the lobby to the other side of the theatre where they re-enter and continue the song – it’s a hot day and by the third round they are out of breath! – Jason and Elena are transforming themselves from Munchkins to Monkeys.  Jason and Elena perform their own “rap” version of “The Witch is Dead” which the audience clearly enjoys, and Dorothy finally gets back to Kansas .

6:55 PM   The Wizard of Oz cast meets the children (and more than a few adults) out on the patio.  There is a spot in the program for autographs, and the children are anxious to get their books signed.  Dorothy and Glenda (the good witch, played by Rebekah Sheppard) seem to be the most popular.  Jason in his Monkey costume is stationed near the Wicked  Witch of the West (Pook Pfaffe), and he tries to talk to each child as they approach.  “How did you like the show?” he asks one little girl.  She glances at the Witch and then replies in a soft voice “too scary”.  

7:10 PM   The last child has gotten an autograph, and Jason returns to the dressing room to remove his costume and makeup.

7:15 PM   The cast meets again to go over notes about the last performance of Evita.  Nothing for Jason

7:30 PM   “Thirty minutes until show”, and it’s back to the dressing room for makeup and costume again.

8:00 PM   Jason and the company perform Evita for the second time today.  Adam Tait as Che has a very demanding vocal part, and he is working hard to make sure the strain doesn’t come through.

10:00 PM   The show is over.  Jason and company remove makeup and costumes for the last time today. 

10:15 PM  On the way out, he stops by the Call Board, where tomorrow’s schedule is now posted.  As usual, he is due at the theatre by 9:30 .  After a walk back to the Cast House, Jason and the rest of the company will spend some time learning lines for Crazy for You and catching up on personal business before finally getting some sleep.

The company does get a full day off most weeks.  How do they spend a day off?  According to Jason “we go shopping at the grocery store,Wal Mart… sometimes even the new TJ Max” and maybe, “if there is time, go to the beach”.

So why would a young actor want to put up with the long hours and hard work for almost no pay?  The answer for Jason is easy: “I love theatre and I couldn’t get any better experience”.   

When asked what he would do at the end of the Surflight season, Jason replied “I’m going to move to New York and start looking for bartending jobs!”  Of course, what he will really do is to join the thousands of other actors looking for work in theatre.    While he seems to have a natural flair for comedy, he wants to play serious roles.  “I want to do performances that move people”, he says. 

In his “spare” time, Jason intends to continue working on a one-man show called “The Meaning of Chai”.  Originally written, produced, and performed by Jason as his senior thesis at the New World School of the Arts, this play revolves around a Holocaust survivior who, as an old man, is preparing to be interviewed about his experiences before being captured and while in a concentration camp from ages 15-18.  In time, Jason would like to see the work expanded and produced professionally.

In the meantime, today is finally over.   Tomorrow is another day, and it will be much the same as today.  Such is the life of a Surflight actor.

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