Company Profiles: Greg Anderson
This is the tenth in a series of posts profiling our performers — get to know the Synetic family of actors.
Today’s profile covers someone new to Synetic: Greg Anderson. As a deaf performer, Greg was accepted into Synetic’s Company Training in the summer of 2009. Othello will be his first experience onstage with Synetic, and the show will run as a part of the 2010 International VSA Festival at the Kennedy Center in the month of June. We decided to interview him on his experiences!
Crazy!! Just crazy! But it is a good crazy. At the beginning of rehearsal weeks, I was completely awkward and did not know what to expect of the Othello show. I was highly challenged and it was hard work. There are a lot of great actors in the show; I enjoy the whole experience.
This experience is very different because this show depends on the music, or should I say the music depends on the show. So I had to work harder to hear some cues from the music to go from A to B. Fortunately, when I was 7 years old I got good training on understanding the music’s rhythms and sounds from one of instructors, plus I have some hearing in my left ear.
3. What is unique about working with Synetic as a deaf actor? What have been the challenges? The rewards?
This isn’t the first time I’ve worked with hearing casts. Every experience is different, and this I can say that this is first show I’ve gone without an official script. The challenges I have were/are understanding the directions/instructions from people like Irina, Paata, and Ben as much as I can and trying to keep up with what’s going on during rehearsals. The rewards: new experience, getting my movements right, and being part of Synetic Theater.
4. Any crazy stories from rehearsals, performance, etc.?
It was a rainy night in the Fall last year that I will NEVER forget, because it was the very first gig that I HAD to miss. During the rush hour, I was driving on my way to Kennedy Center to do a performance for a charity event. As I was entering DC, there was some trouble with my car. I pulled over, and it died on me. At first, I thought it was a car battery, so I called Triple A. They came, charged it up, and left. As soon as my car was okay, I started driving out of parellel parking and passed one parked car, my car died on me again. I knew I had to be at Kennedy Center very soon. So I called Triple A again and had the battery replaced. My car worked again, so I drove, and a few miles away from Kennedy Center my car started dying on me again, and it really died on me, and I was right in the middle of a congested road. I had to push my car to the side, so I could let cars pass by. I had to text my director to tell her that I had to miss the performance. She begged me to come, and I couldn’t. It was impossible leaving my car parking illegally and whatnot. It was the first show I had to miss. It was miserably cold rainy night I will never forget ever.
Until Something Moves 