With only two days left in our wait to open the theater again, we’re having a chat with one of the other folks doing some waiting. In part two in our peek behind the curtain, we start chatting with the Waiting for Godot cast! First up is Hole in the Wall board member, as well as director of the upcoming production, Marjorie Prime, George Sebastian-Coleman.
It’s been over a year since staged productions have happened. What are you most looking forward to about returning to the stage after the pandemic?
George: I’m looking forward to interactions with the audience as that is something you don’t get with streamed productions.
What brought you out to audition for Godot? And what role do you have in the production?
George: We’ll start with the easy one, Vladimir. I was here working on one of the other shows we were streaming and Johnny and Stevie cornered me and had me audition on the spot!
How are you most like/unlike your character?
George: I am close to the right age for my character. I’m probably cynically skeptical of the universe, but I’m also much less pessimistic about it.
All of the men in the show wear bowler hats. Is there a part of your wardrobe you always wear?
George: I almost always wear a hat, lately almost always baseball hats. I actually used to wear a bowler hat in college. I’ve been wearing hats since childhood.
What has been your favorite part or the most interesting part of the rehearsal process so far?
George: Most interesting has probably been the fact that we’ve been adapting to a change in the cast. While it presents a challenge, it’s kind of fun to do as well. I don’t know if I necessarily have a favorite thing about rehearsals. Finding the character is the most interesting and enjoyable part, but each character is playing many different pieces which makes it difficult at times.
After rehearsing and putting together this production, who do you think Godot truly is?
George: I think Godot is largely a creation of Vladimir and Estragon’s imagination. While on some level we are led to imagine he truly exists, I think like God, he’s really something that they’ve created to have a reason to come back and wait tomorrow.
If you were waiting for Godot how would you pass the time?
George: Well, if available, I would probably read a book, and if I only had my iPhone, I would probably play solitaire.
Any other thoughts or comments on the show as we prepare to open?
George: I’m looking forward to doing this show. It has been a challenge physically being on stage for the duration of the show.
We’d like to thank George for letting us take a poke at the mind underneath one of those bowler hats as we chug forward to opening night on Friday, July 16th! Get those tickets now, and we’ll see you on the stage.