He is known by a variety of names: Henry Lodge, Clarence, Curley, Arthur de Bourgh. No, he is not an international fugitive wanted by Interpol but our own OLT actor David Coleman.
Dave Coleman
I had the pleasure of working with Dave on the set of Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley and found out he was simultaneously involved in a television production filmed in Toronto. So I thought what an interesting angle for the OLT blog-reading audience!
Once again, like some of the previous interviews, Dave’s answers are so eloquent that I just crumpled up the draft pages of my version, tossed them in the recycling bin, and used Dave’s own words. (More time left for your blogger to enjoy the warmth of Australia which I am currently visiting).
In addition Dave provides a lot of good anecdotes and advice for the aspiring actor. So away we go.
What do you do for a living? Is it acting?
I get a few part-time acting gigs these days which is awesome. It lets me know that my career is finally getting off to a good start. Unfortunately it’s not enough to support myself full time so I supervise in a warehouse right now in order to compensate. The good news though is that my work is insanely supportive and they give me a flexible schedule when I have a gig.
Have you had any formal training as an actor?
I can’t list any schools where I’ve done any acting, aside from high school drama, but I would still say that I have had formal training with every show that I’ve done. Every role that an actor picks up is a manner of training in one way or another, which is why my goal as an actor is to never be type-cast.
Where have you acted?
Not too many places to be honest. I started out in Ottawa’s Youth Infringement Festival, did a turn in Fringe, then did a bunch of one-act shows for the Ottawa U Directors program. It wasn’t until two years ago that I landed a part in Ottawa Little Theatre where I’ve now done four shows [listed on OLT’s fabulous Past Production site which gives details of over 1,000 OLT productions; Dave’s are: Henry Lodge in Move Over Mrs. Markham, Clarence the Angel in It’s a Wonderful Life, Curley in Of Mice and Men, and Arthur de Bourgh in Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley. It’s obvious that Dave prefers plays with longer titles having at least 4 words].
Angelic Dave Coleman (in a promo shot for It’s a Wonderful Life at OLT)
Approximately how many productions have you been in at other theatres?
So far I’ve done the aforementioned four shows at OLT and had a role in Toto Too’s production of The Boys in the Band. Outside of theatre I helped out at the 2019 Ottawa Tulip Festival’s Heritage Pavilion, have done a handful of short films in the Ottawa Community, had a bit part in Vice Productions’ The Dark Side of the Ring and danced with my wonderful dance community PushPULL Ottawa.
What is the process for auditioning for a role at the OLT?
Every production at OLT I’ve auditioned for follows a similar format with some differences; it really depends on the director. Each director has their own unique style of directing and that is not lost on the audition process. Sometimes they post excerpts from the script ahead of time; sometimes it’s completely blind. Sometimes they want to focus on only a few lines and it’s a very quick-fire process and sometimes it’s a very intimate process that takes hours. It’ll never be the same thing twice.
How do you handle rejection when not getting a role you auditioned for?
You just take it in stride. I usually go into an audition completely blind and with barely any idea what I’m doing which can always help with rejection if it happens. One thing to remember is that there’s always another audition, there’s always another role, and if you weren’t right for the one you tried out for then you will be right for one down the line. If you get the part, great. If you don’t, great.
What do you enjoy most about acting?
I think what I love most is the chance to just leave everything out on the stage. In the modern world there’s often little chance to just be as emotional as you can or to let everything go and hang it all out there. The stage welcomes that and encourages it with open arms.
What is your ambition when it comes to acting? Would you prefer theatre, movies or TV?
Screen definitely pays more, there’s no denying that. But theatre will always be better in my mind. There are no retakes with theatre. You have to actually know your lines in theatre. It’s more real, and raw and animated. There’s a lot more pressure for sure, but nothing forces you to become a different person like the immersion of an audience in front of a stage.
You seem to be quite adept with accents. How do you manage to perfect them and maintain them in character.
I was always the kid doing random voices and trying to speak like every Simpsons character when I watched the show. So doing random and different voices is nothing new for me. I guess the best advice I can give for accents is to just trust your instincts and always go big with what you’re doing. It’s always better to give too much than too little.
Staying in character is a whole other game. I pretty much have to dissociate and remind myself that when I’m on stage I’m not me anymore. This situation has nothing to do with how Dave would approach it; it matters what the character is thinking.
What type of show do you prefer to act in? Comedy? Drama? Farce?
I don’t really have a preference for what type of role I’m cast in. Each genre and style of play offers something new to be explored and to have fun with. That being said it’s always most fun to be the bad guy.
You seem to have done several period pieces. Are they your preference?
To be honest I have no preference for or against period pieces. It’s just another role that needs exploring and having fun with.
How difficult is it for you to memorize lines? Any tricks of the trade?
Memorization can be hard. There is no guaranteed way to do it because everybody goes about it differently. Truth is you have to explore ways of doing it and find out what works for you, whether it’s writing down lines, reciting them with other people or screaming them out at the top of your lungs. But there’s one truth that will always hold when it comes to memorization; the only way to make it stick is to just keep saying it, and saying it, and saying it. Plenty of my coworkers can tell you that they’ve heard me muttering to myself over and over at work as I’ve tried to get my lines in my head.
How do you develop a character?
Just be open. Each character is different so each method of transformation is different. It always starts with physicality for me. If you change the way you walk, or stand, or move your arms to fit the character then you’ve already found some way of shedding yourself and stepping into that person’s skin. Everything else from there is just experimentation and play.
Have you ever worked on multiple plays at the same time? How do you manage it?
Ha! That’s pretty much what I do. I’m constantly biting off more than I can chew and doing two or more shows at once. The only real way to manage it is sleep when you can and work on a first come, first served basis. Always let the director know that you want to work with them if you get cast, but they’ll have to know that they’re third in line if there are two other shows going on.
What’s next for you at the OLT?
This season I may only be going out for one more show (not saying which one here). I’ve already loaded up my schedule for 2020 with short films, dance performances, a two-hander in October and an interactive music festival five-day experience (hahaha) so we’ll see how much time I have between all of that.
You recently had a role on a TV series filmed in a Toronto. Please tell me about it.
I did! It was for the show Dark Side of the Ring, a wrestling reenactment show where they look at wrestlers from the past several decades and everything that happened in their lives and careers. My character was a minor role in someone else’s story. He was an amateur wrestler named Hunter Red whose only claim to fame was that he got stabbed in the ring fourteen times during a fight.
How did it go? Where and when can we see it?
The experience was amazing but hectic. I had to be back in time for a rehearsal of Christmas at Pemberley so I packed the whole thing into a weekend and just busted my butt to get to and from Toronto as quickly as possible. As far as I know the show should be airing some time this spring.
Is this the first role you had on television? How does it compare to live theatre?
So far it’s the biggest role I’ve had on television but it can’t really compare to what theatre’s like. I’m really only in the show for about 30 seconds and the process of television is that you hurry up and wait. You have to make your call time, but you might sit around for hours until they’re ready for you; then depending on the amount of time they need you for you may only be on camera for ten minutes and then you get released. It’s a very different process.
What do your friends and family think of your acting career?
They love it. The people in my life are very supportive of what I do and they just want me to keep going with it. At least those are the ones I surround myself with. There’s no good reason to surround yourself with people that would just bring you down.
What was the best piece of advice you got with respect to acting?
Just keep going. The worst thing you could do with acting and performing is to stop if it’s what you want to do with your life. Whatever happens just keep going, and don’t turn down a role because you never know what the experience will lead to.
What is the most humorous or touching story that you have about your acting career?
The best process I’ve ever had was last year at Christmas time. I was primarily involved with It’s a Wonderful Life but was also doing dance choreography, rehearsing for Of Mice and Men and working full time at a very physical job. The whole thing left me burnt out and exhausted because I barely had any time off during it, but I remember having so much fun with the kids in the cast, enjoying everyone’s company and just really breaking out on stage as an actor within the community. Despite the fact that doing so much at once almost killed me, I’d still go back and do it all over again if I had to.
Any advice that you would like to share with the readers?
It’s hard to think of anything without sounding cliche or ridiculous. I guess the best advice is to not be afraid to just go for what you want. Be humble in defeat but don’t accept a loss as a defining quality. I guess above all else trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to do the opposite of what you’re told every now and then. I owe a great deal of credit to the fact that I don’t listen to people.
Hope this helps, Albert.
It sure does Dave. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and we look forward to seeing you in your next production.
-Dave Coleman and Albert Lightstone