Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Spotlight On...Terence MacSweeny

Name: Terence MacSweeny

Hometown: Tulsa, OK

Education: MFA Columbia

Select Credits: Iago (New York Shakespeare Exchange), MacBeth (Southwest Shakespeare), R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Hudson Theatre Works)

Why theater?: Because I can't decide whether I'd rather spend my energy confronting reality or indulging fantasy. Theatre requires that I do both simultaneously.

Who do you play in Hedda (Gabler)?: Judge Brack

Tell us about Hedda (Gabler): It's a fantastically vibrant, funny, distilled adaptation of Ibsen's masterpiece, featuring a great team of artists having a crack at one of the summits of theatrical literature...!

What is it like being a part of Hedda (Gabler)?: It's incredibly satisfying to work with such talented, well trained and experienced artists on this project. You can actually feel everyone in the room operating at the top of their game. These actors came to PLAY.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Personally, I prefer minimalist theatre. It's certainly more challenging for an audience which is why I think so many companies shy away from it. But I suspect that the more distractions a production has, the more it inhibits the story, and even inhibits true catharsis in the audience...

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Pale in Burn This, Proctor in The Crucible, Richard III

What’s your favorite show tune: Uh..."Nessun Dorma"?

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Ivo Von Hove or Mark Rylance

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: I'd play myself (unconvincingly), and it would be called "In the Parlance of Our Times"

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: Paul Scofield's King Lear

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Hedda (Gabler)!

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Late Night Grilled Cheese sandwiches

What’s up next?: Hedda (Gabler)!