Actor Eric Sheffer Stevens: His Education, and Modifying to Performing on a Soap Opera

Actor Eric Sheffer Stevens (who played the gay neurosurgeon, Reid Oliver, on the cleaning soap opera, As the World Turns, talks about his performing instruction in college or university. That schooling ongoing with non-public coaching, Off-Off Broadway roles, grad college, and even with his recurring job in the cleaning soap – where by he exercised distinctive acting muscle mass.

Susan Dansby: Had been you fascinated in performing when you were being a child?

Eric Sheffer Stevens: Yeah. I am not sure if it was much more than most people’s desire, but I was really interested. And in substantial college, they did musicals and that was not one thing they would ever ask me to do. Or any one would inquire me to do. So, I by no means pursued it until eventually I was in college, and I auditioned for the theater method at Wheaton and bought in.

But I preserved a literature key. That is what my degree was in. And later on, I moved to New York to go after it. To sort of see where it went. So, I did a bunch of compact stuff here — just by way of the trade papers [i.e., Backstage and Show Business Weekly] that I would audition for, on the decreased East aspect, and down in the Village, and in church basements.

Susan Dansby: The Off-Off- Broadway route?

Eric Sheffer Stevens: Oh yeah. And you will find a large amount of price in that stuff.

Susan Dansby: I absolutely concur.

Eric Sheffer Stevens: But it can travel you mad, also. And I analyzed listed here [in New York City], with Michael Howard, which also sort of altered the way I technique all the things, and altered the way I function. He seriously kicked my butt on a whole lot of different items.

Then I went to grad university in ’98 in Alabama. It is generally classical but they do new operate, and modern plays. It is really not all Shakespeare, inspite of the name.

Susan Dansby: So the Alabama Shakespeare Pageant is not just a theater? It can be a university?

Eric Sheffer Stevens: Perfectly, they’re affiliated with the University of Alabama, which is why I am these a large Crimson Tide supporter. So you might be accredited, and you do your real course operate by means of College of Alabama but you are a resident of the business as a non-Fairness member of the firm.

And so you’re obtaining specialist practical experience, and in rehearsal with people that you really admire a lot. By considerably the additional significant part of the teaching was actually rehearsing, and getting all over folks who knew how to do it.

Susan Dansby: That appears like heaven on earth for an actor.

Eric Sheffer Stevens: You are getting voice, and you were taking movement, and also textual content, and a good deal of background. Specially, theater background. But other than that, it was just remaining immersed in rehearsal, and undertaking shows.

Susan Dansby: And you talked about Michael Howard. He is an performing teacher?

Eric Sheffer Stevens: Yeah, and has been for 50 decades, below in the City. He has a studio below, and is nevertheless teaching. He’s superb, and has been mentor and just a fantastic trainer, to a lot of folks. So, I was fortunate to get in on that for like a few of yrs in the late 90s.

Susan Dansby: Well, that’s one of the points that really impresses me, because soaps are so quickly. They go so speedily. And the writers call it a “initial draft” medium. Whatsoever the performing term would be for that, it’s probably sort of the identical factor. Where by you are much more going with your instincts than owning a good deal of time to delve into the textual content.

So, the classical training, and absolutely performing with an performing teacher, actually serves you effectively — which a whole lot of men and women don’t definitely consider about.

Eric Sheffer Stevens: Yeah, it is funny, way too but it really is its have quite exclusive expertise — which I believed was superb training. It trains a total diverse established of muscular tissues. So, you are unable to be in your head as well significantly. You do as much preparation as you can memorization sensible, then you kind of make instantaneous alternatives.

And for the reason that we will not really rehearse in the soaps, a you you should not have a ton of time with the script — you have only had it for a few of times prior to you go in to truly shoot it — then they just set you down there, on the flooring, in front of the digital camera, and you do it. And so it was — I appreciated undertaking that.

Are you kidding? Alternatively of paying out a ton of time wondering how to technique it, you just sort of do it.

And that is also quite valuable — to balance your pondering aspect or your “background research” aspect.