Mending Fences
Starting
this week, Neptune Theatre in Halifax presents Norm Foster’s touching and witty
drama about the reconciliation between a father and son. Recently we spoke with one of the
production’s principle actors Jack Nicholsen about his role and what audiences
can expect during he run.
What are your own roots?
I
guess my roots as an actor can be traced back to afternoons as a kid playing
house with my sister and her friends in the back yard, or battling enemies with
my friends in the backwoods of Surrey British Columbia. Imagining and
re-enacting the struggles of my parents trying to make ends meet and raise us
kids or the courage and strife of soldiers dragging their injured comrades to
safety under heavy enemy bombardment.
When and why did you first
become interested in theatre?
In
school I was always an active participant in drama and in my oral class
presentations I would almost always take on a persona and make a performance of
it. Anyone, a character from a book we were studying in English class or a
fictitious scientist explaining the properties and processes covered in the
last science lab. After performing in many plays and festivals in high school I
went on to take 2 years post secondary theatre training at Mount Royal College,
in Calgary and 1 year of training at the University of Calgary. After that I
put my last $100 in my pocket and drove to Toronto to see what I could do with
what I had learned. I've been living in Ontario for going on 30 years. A few
years after arriving in Toronto I landed a job with our director Miles Potter
called the Games of Winter. It played across Canada following the Olympic torch
on its journey to the '88 games in Calgary.
How did you get involved
with this production?
Mending
fences marks my third project working with Miles since then, the last of which
was back in 2011 in Neptune Theatre's production of Norm Foster's
"Mrs. Parliament's Night Out". Miles is a fantastic director.
He helps you get underneath every word in the script to discover its purpose, Nothing
in the script is superfluous or there for colour, each word being a clue to
what each character is thinking, feeling, and experiencing. Every word has its
intention. For an actor he's the kind of director who challenges you to shed
old habits and revisit everything you've learned about your craft. He reminds
you of things forgotten and offers new tools to improve upon what's already in
your tool belt. He gives audiences and actors a very detailed, nuanced
experience in the theatre. When he offered this role to me last spring, I
couldn't refuse the chance to work with him again.
What can audiences
expect to experience during the run?
Mending
fences is a wonderful play. It is about family, relationships and overcoming
the obstacles to achieving deep and meaningful connections. It is a play about
love. And of course, because its Norm Foster, its chock full of humour
and great characters. The challenge of this play is that it is a comedy about
people struggling with broken hearts. We have to stay rooted in the reality of
their world and avoid playing broad strokes simply to get the laugh.
What are your thoughts
on the current state of theatre in Atlantic Canada?
I
haven't had the opportunity to catch a lot of theatre in Halifax but from what
I've heard audiences are starting to come out more than ever. Certainly Neptune
is a great place to work as an artist. The theatre is gorgeous, the crew and
staff are friendly and professional, it's located to so many great restaurants
and attractions and they put out great shows utilizing some of Canada's best
talents.
What's next on your
creative agenda?
Currently,
I am working on a play I have in development that should see its first
reading/presentation in Toronto next summer. In the spring 2015 I will be
performing at Theatre Calgary in their production of Ken Cameron's "Dear
Johnny Deere".
Mending Fences
October
21-November 9, 2014
Neptune
Theatre, Halifax
