Enjoy this interview with the cast of our June Script in Hand play reading The Shark Is Broken– Seth Andrew Bridges, Ciaran Byrne, and Patrick Halley
PLAYHOUSE: Do you remember the first time you saw Jaws? Alternatively, what was the most memorable time watching it? What kind of impact did it have on you, and did it shape your view of movies or movie stars in any lasting way?
CIARAN: Jaws was the very first film that I ever watched. Or at least that I have a memory of seeing for the first time. It was 1979 in Northern Ireland. I was 7 years young at the time, and Jaws 2 had since been released. Since then I have watched it every single year, and now my wife and daughters do the same. It is unanimously my family’s favorite film. My most memorable? Was summer of 2023, on Nantucket, watching with my wife, as she was watching it for the very first time. Experiencing Jaws with her as she experienced it for the first time was thrilling and magical.
PATRICK: 1. While I’ve seen Jaws many times, my most memorable time watching it was just last summer. Playhouse AD Mark Shanahan and I were fortunate to be on Nantucket for a play reading at the Whaling Museum, with some of our favorite colleagues. My partner Jackie had joined us for the weekend, and Mark learned (much to his dismay) that she hadn’t seen the movie since childhood. So Shanahan called in a couple favors … and later that evening, we found ourselves at a late-night, private screening of Jaws. At the Drive-In. Under the stars. With friends and family. On Nantucket. What could be more Jaws?
SETH: I don’t recall when I first saw the film, but my most memorable viewing was same as Patrick’s. It was last summer on Nantucket, when Mark Shanahan arranged a special screening at the drive-in theatre on the island for a small group of friends. We had that whole place to ourselves, and watching that movie, surrounded by some of my favorite people, on a tiny island in New England in the height of summer was probably as close to perfection as you can get!
PLAYHOUSE: You’re stepping into the shoes of some legendary actors. As you approached these roles, what specific aspects of their personalities or performances did you latch onto? Did you feel a need to rewatch the film as you prepared for our reading?
CIARAN: Jaws is the film that I have watched more than any other, literally dozens of times, and so I did not feel the need to rewatch the film ahead of our reading!
PLAYHOUSE: What struck you about the play itself when you first read it? Why do you think this behind-the-scenes moment in film history makes such compelling theater?
PATRICK: When I first read the play, I was struck by how funny it was. And how I could literally hear Shaw, Scheider, and Dreyfuss in my head. It’s compelling because it’s a glimpse behind the curtain – what happens when the cameras aren’t rolling. Combine that with THE iconic summer blockbuster, a famously-troubled production, three Hollywood legends, exhaustion, isolation, a novice director, motion sickness, and lots of heavy drinking. It’s a perfect storm.
PLAYHOUSE: This play puts actors in the unusual position of portraying other actors—albeit legendary ones. Was there anything recognizable to you in their struggles, their courage, their anxieties or even backstage behavior that felt familiar from your own years of personal experience in the profession?
PATRICK: Dreyfuss has a reputation for being a real character in real life. And the version of him we see in Shark is Broken certainly leans into that. But I think this play does a wonderful job of humanizing these larger-than-life movie stars. We see some of the context that shaped their behavior – the demands of the shoot & production, personal insecurities, childhood trauma, clashing egos, and the inherent uncertainty that comes with a life in arts. The play helps us access and understand these actors’ points of view. Where they’re coming from. And I think there’s at least one aspect to each of these three that we can all connect with.
SETH: I related to so much of what the characters go through in the play! The huge amounts of downtime on a film set, the worries of whether the project you’re committed to will be any good / find an audience / make an impact, the camaraderie, alliances, and annoyances that forms between cast mates when you’re in the thick of it, and finding the inner dedication, passion, commitment, and work ethic to put your all into something, even when you don’t ultimately know how it’s going to turn out.
PLAYHOUSE: If you’ve done Script in Hand readings here at the Playhouse before, what makes this format special to you as an actor? And if this is your first time, what does it mean to bring this particular story to life in such an intimate, immediate way for our audience?
CIARAN: Getting to step into Mr Shaw’s/Quint’s shoes, and onto the Orca, if only for this moment, is nothing short of a dream come true for this Irishman. To do so while making my debut at Westport Country Playhouse, well that’s just theatre magic.
PATRICK: One thing you often hear from Script In Hand audiences is how quickly they forget that it’s a staged reading. That, in their minds, the music stands seem to vanish once the storytelling takes over. I love the intimacy and simplicity of Script in Hand, and the energy that Playhouse audiences bring. One night only – something magical and ephemeral that we all share together. What better way to spend a Monday?
You can read the casts bios by clicking on their graphic or heading to the show page.
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