Behind the Curtain with Paxton Whitehead

Full Given Name:
Francis Edward Paxton Whitehead, son of Charles Parkin Whitehead and Louise Hunt, but most importantly, great grandson of Paxton W. Parkin- hence the name. I asked my parents why it was my third name and not the first, since Paxton is what I was always called. They said they thought it could be an embarrassment for me at boarding school or in later life: when I grew up to be an All-in Wrestler, presumably!

Hometown:
East Malling, Kent. I bet you can't find it on the map.

Playhouse Debut:
Crucifer of Blood, 1979 

The thing you do before every first rehearsal:
Wonder why I'm there.

Why you love The Circle:
This is not the only reason and it's not even a good reason but the first time I ever saw the play, my father played Clive. (No, he was not a professional actor, he was a lawyer, nevertheless.....) So it's always had a special place. I missed his Higgins.

Best thing about working at the Playhouse:
Annie Keefe and Bruce Miller.

First time on stage:
No one was alive, but as a professional it was at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne in Kent, England as Alphonse in All for Mary. Then a recent hit from the West End- unlikely to be revived today. Alas. I remember it as being very funny, but sitcoms have taken over the territory. My part was quite small. Well my contract read 'ASM and Small Parts'. In those days we understood that referred to roles not physiognomy. But either way!

Biggest onstage disaster:
Or averted disaster- when the live candles in Charley's Aunt set the 'set' on fire.

Last great movie you saw:
It was so long ago! Can I remember? It's easy to say Laurence of Arabia or E.T. but I was strangely fond of The World of Henry Orient. Yet wait, last month, on cable, I saw Gunga Din! So there!

TV show you can't miss:
Jeopardy

Book on your nightstand:
Nightstand?

Guilty pleasure:
An oxymoron.

 

Speaking the Speech: A Dialect Coach at Work

One of the most essential members of the team who have worked tirelessly on the Playhouse’s upcoming production The Circle is one whose work is so skillful that our audience won’t even realize it’s been done. Veteran dialect coach Louis Colaianni has spent the past month working with the show’s talented cast to perfect the mid-20th Century Standard British dialect that is so critical to the building of both their characters and the world of W. Somerset Maugham’s timeless comedy.

Working both in theater and across the entertainment industry, dialect coaches like The Circle’s Louis Colaianni are charged with the task of teaching performers specific regional or foreign accents specific to the setting of a particular production or the origins of their character. Through the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet, a standardized representation of linguistic sounds, and the training of their speech muscles (both the mouth and the tongue), a dialect coach assists an actor in mastering these new sounds, providing each character and the world of the play with a vital authenticity that helps envelop the audience in the magic of theater.

“Sometimes I think of [my work] as ‘massaging’ the dialect into the character,” said Louis. “Within a given dialect, individuals have their own identifiable rhythms, resonance, and personal style and these must be considered when coaching. No two actors, even when playing members of the same family, will speak a dialect in precisely the same way.”

A veteran of Broadway, regional theater and television, as well as published author on dialects, Louis actually began his career as an actor, studying at the Boston Conservatory where he received strong training in phonetics and dialects, and furthering his training with renowned voice and language specialist Kristin Linklater.

Despite his extensive experience and training in the field, however, Louis has found that he is continually perfecting his craft. “As a dialect coach I am ready for any new assignment and often must learn a new dialect in order to do my work,” he said. “I have found that each new production is a learning process and it is better to make a fresh start, even with dialects I have worked with many times before. It is important to consider the historical context, character and the world of each play when coaching dialects.”

Working with the cast of The Circle, which boasts two native Brits (no, we won’t tell you who), brought with its own particular rewards and challenges. “The flavor of the dialect complements Maugham’s use of language,” said Louis of the mid-20th Century Standard British used in the show.

"When working on any dialect it is great to have native speakers in the room. This brings authenticity,” he explained. “But, because everyone approaches language individually, we have to be careful not to become too imitative of a native speaker’s individual traits. Everyone has to follow the rules of the dialect technically, but, find their own way into the dialect artistically.”

Listen for the wonderful work of Louis Colaianni and enjoy the work of the rest of the fantastic artistic team in the Playhouse’s upcoming production of The Circle, running through June 25.

Kim Furano
Artistic & Management Associate

 

A New Golden Age for Script in Hand

On June 20th, the Playhouse will present the premiere of the newly adapted The Golden Age by A.R. Gurney as part of the 2011 Script in Hand Playreading Series. With programming that traditionally focuses on classic works, Gurney’s revisited script will be one of the first of its kind to appear in a Script in Hand playreading, adding a new and exciting twist to this beloved series.  

Written in 1984, The Golden Age was first presented at the Greenwich Theatre in London and had its American premiere at the prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., featuring Irene Worth, Stockard Channing and Jeff Daniels and directed by John Tillinger, who will be directing this new incarnation of the piece at the Playhouse, and then moved to Broadway. With the rich and long lasting relationship that A.R. Gurney has with the Playhouse, it was a no-brainer to include this premiere in the 2011 Script in Hand Playreading Series.

“Pete and I were speaking recently and he mentioned his fascinating play The Golden Age,” said Anne Keefe, Playhouse Artistic Advisor and curator of the series. “He has recently revisited the script and has done some work on it, thinking to make it more of a reader’s play, like his acclaimed Love Letters and Ancestral Voices.”

No stranger to the Playhouse stage, Mr. Gurney’s work has been produced frequently at the Playhouse, including The Dining Room, The Cocktail Hour, Far East, Ancestral Voices, The Perfect Party, What I Did Last Summer, The Middle Ages, A Cheever Evening, Love Letters and, most recently, Children. In addition to these memorable productions, the world premiere of The Fourth Wall was produced here as well.

An amazing cast of Playhouse alums have signed on for the reading. At the helm is director John Tillinger, with Playhouse directing credits that include How the Other Half Loves, Children, Time of My Life, Relatively Speaking, The Drawer Boy, and Sylvia. Tillinger will be directing Frances Sternhagen as Isabel, who performed at the Playhouse in On Golden Pond and All My Sons. Joining her is Richard Thomas as Tom, who’s Playhouse credits include Critic’s Choice and Whose Life Is It Anyway? And rounding out this stellar trio is Kathleen McNenny as Virginia, who appeared in our recent production of Beyond Therapy.

“It was so exciting to be able to add Franny Sternhagen, Richard Thomas and Kathleen McNenny to the long list of distinguished alums to work on this piece,” said Anne.

This Script in Hand playreading will also serve as one of the Playhouse’s 80th Anniversary Events, where patrons will be offered the opportunity to make an additional donation to attend a meet and greet with the cast and playwright following the performance.

Click here for more information or to purchase your tickets today.

Nikki Rowell
Patron Services Manager