MEET THE ACTOR: ROY DONNELLY

 

FatMenInSkirts_20150319_0013 

Fat Men in Skirts opens this Friday (March 27th) at Hole in the Wall (HITW) and no one is more ready than Roy Donnelly.  A HITW regular, he plays movie director and misguided father “Howard Hogan.”  Roy describes him as someone “who is caught up in his own success.  He puts up a macho front and has a huge ego.  However, he doesn’t want to face stress, repercussions or consequences.  He faces stress with being married and raising a child.”

Compared to some of the plays other characters (including savage Bishop and porn star Pam), Howard seems like an average guy.  Roy looks at him as the character who creates the problems that lead to the play’s shocking moments.  His way of coping is very human and relatable. “He doesn’t know how to deal with the problems of life,” said Roy. “He gets very awkward and uncomfortable.”

Roy was first introduced to Fat Men by director Scott Stephen Kegler last year. “I had worked with Scott before.  He is a lot of fun to work with.  He is more constructive than destructive.  As a director, he is not overbearing.  He gives us helpful suggestions but doesn’t micro manage.”

Rehearsals have been light for Roy and the other actors despite some of the dark subject matter. “Scott tends to have a humorous approach to lots of things.  He throws in little details that add to the farce of what we are doing.”

Roy encourages audiences to approach this piece with the right frame of mind. “It is a very dark comedy,” he said. “I hope people look at what the shocking moments symbolize.  I hope they understand that everyone has their frailties and fragilities.  However, I hope they see the silver lining as well – nothing is hopeless…Oh, and I hope they don’t see their children as dessert.”

Roy came into theater later in life.  He always wanted to try acting as a kid but never felt qualified to do so.  A friend and active community theater member encouraged him to audition for HITW’s The Detective Story in 2009.  Roy went, auditioned and was cast in a couple of roles.  The acting bug hit him and he hasn’t stopped since.  He has appeared in over fifteen HITW productions include: Life X3, Importance of Being Earnest, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Insignificance and Whacked.

Fat Men in Skirts runs March 27 & 28, April 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 & 18 at HITW on 116 Main Street in New Britain, CT. Tickets are $20.00 (general admission) and $15.00 (students and seniors).  They can be purchased at the door and online at www.hitw.org. The March 3rd show will be our Pay What You Can performance.  In keeping with our tradition of presenting theater to everyone, HITW is offering a reduced ticket price of $12.00 to our patrons for Opening Night. We encourage you to bring a friend and enjoy a great night of theater.