Actor interviews - december 18 performance

Jessica Laskey Interviews Actors
Atim Udoffia & Brennan Villados

Actor Atim Udoffia

Actor Brennan Villados

This month, actors Atim Udoffia and Brennan Villados will join SOSS to read five short stories from Northern California authors, on the theme "2020." Casting director Jessica Laskey caught up with both of them via email to talk about how they prepare to tackle multiple roles, and what they love most about live performance (even if it’s over Zoom).
 
Jessica: How do you usually prepare for a role?

Atim: It all starts with the script. In this case, the scripts are short stories. I spend a lot of time reading and connecting with the characters, the images, the language, the circumstances. Each time I read, different ideas and associations float into my consciousness. I may use some of those ideas in the performance, or I may not. At the end of the day, my preparation is about connecting with what I'm doing so that I can ultimately connect with and affect the audience in some way.
 
Brennan: I find that I end up having a different process with every role. It always starts with sitting with the text and exploring out from there. For me, a lot depends on what the material is, who is directing the piece, and who my cast members are. Everything about preparation for me is contextual. 
 
Jessica: Is there a difference when you have to play more than one character during a performance? How do you prepare to embody multiple people?
 
Atim: I love this question. I will confess that I usually have some fear about creating characters that are distinct from one another. Ultimately, it comes down to confronting that fear and then trusting my own process. I bring a lot of myself to my characters—they all have a piece of me in them, to a greater or lesser extent. It may seem counterintuitive, but the more I use myself in my work, the more specific and distinct it allows my characters to be. My great teacher, Judith Weston, taught me that.
 
Brennan: If I’m playing multiple characters within the same show, my preparation still begins with the text, followed by building or finding different physicality for the various people I am portraying. For me, physicality is the foundation from which I can create multiple characterizations. 

Jessica: What do you love about performing live?
 
Atim: In a live performance, I love that connection with my fellow castmates on stage, and our connection with the audience. I love the sense that anything could happen—on stage, out there in the theatre, with the set, with a prop. At its best, acting is moment-to-moment work. Being totally present, with all senses alive and engaged in what's happening. So much of the magic I have experienced in my life has happened in some sort of rehearsal or live performance setting. It's wonderful!
 
Brennan: I love the energy of live performances. There is incredible energy not only between the actors on stage, but also between the actors and the audience.

Jessica: How is performing live online, different from performing live in person?
 
Atim: Well, I have performed live in person hundreds of times, but I can count my live performances online on one hand. So...I'll get back to you after I do this performance for Stories on Stage!
 
Brennan: It’s hard to say, because so much of this format is still so unknown. As long as performances have to be adapted to a digital format, creators and performers will have to figure out how we can find and harness different energy than we are used to. To a certain extent, we are all still adapting to these circumstances. I think it is too soon to say how that is specifically different from performing live, because everything else has also changed.

Jessica: Who are some of your favorite authors and why?
 
Atim: When I was growing up, I read the entire Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. I've read the series again as an adult, and every aspect of the books lived up to what I had remembered. In addition to unique and memorable characters (whom I wished were real people), there was the beautiful language, a clever sense of humor, and wonderfully vivid descriptions. I love Jane Austen's writing for some of those same reasons. Other authors who've made an indelible impression on me are Chinua Achebe (Things Fall Apart), David Sedaris (his stories—and delivery—make me shake with laughter), Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series), Walter Mosley (Fortunate Son, Devil in a Blue Dress, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned), and Ann Patchett (Bel Canto). Another favorite author is the playwright August Wilson. 
 
Brennan: I am a big fan of Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle) because he has a meticulous command of language and storytelling. His prose is captivating. I also admire the writing style of Brian Jacques (Redwall), who captures whimsy so beautifully with his words.

Register for the December 18 Performance!

Jessica Laskey, SOSS Casting Director

In addition to being a professional actor and casting director for Stories on Stage Sacramento, Jessica Laskey is also a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in Comstock’s, Sacramento and Sactown Magazines, as well as in The Sacramento Bee, Inside Sacramento and OUT North Texas.

More information at jessicalaskey.com.

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