L.A. Theatre Works will be west coast premiering Leigh Fondakowski’s SPILL May 17 through May 20, 2018. We had the opportunity to chat with an L.A. Theatre Works’ frequent collaborator, actor James Morrison on his current and past involvement with L.A. Theatre Works.
Thank for agreeing to this interview, James!
Gil, you’re very welcome.
If I did my research correctly, SPILL will be your sixth radio theater production for L.A. Theatre Works after THE TUG OF WAR (2017), JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (2015), IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (2014), THE RAINMAKER (2001) and RUBY McCOLLUM (1997). How did you initially connect with L.A. Theatre Works?
Susan Loewenberg gave me my first job in L.A. In late 1982, when I first arrived in L.A. She hired me to understudy the lead role of Eddy in the L.A. Theatre Works production of GREEK, Steven Berkoff’s retelling of the Oedipus story, at the Matrix Theatre. Ten days later, I stepped into the role for a month. It was a massive part. I had to learn a Cockney accent and everyone else in the cast was British. No pressure, right? It was like learning a role the size of Hamlet in a foreign language. From that point on, whenever Susan needed someone to step in to cover for someone in one of her productions, she would call me. I was honored she felt she could count on me. And I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure RUBY McCOLLUM was the first time she offered me a role outright from the beginning of the production, which we recorded in the studio. THE RAINMAKER was the first live recording I did with her.
What characters do you play in SPILL? Can you give us a brief run-down on them?
Continue reading BWW Interview: Renaissance Man James Morrison SPILLing on Choosing Roles That Feed His Soul
