Ready, Set ... Improv! Or: Getting the DTC's New Acting Company to Act Up.

How do you freak out a serious stage actor? Ask him or her to do some improv. On video.That's what we did with members of the new Dallas Theater Center resident acting company. After we conducted the serious interviews about being ack-tohrs in big-time regional theater, we made them act...

By Elaine Liner

January 9, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

How do you freak out a serious stage actor? Ask him or her to do some improv. On video.

That's what we did with members of the new Dallas Theater Center resident acting company. After we conducted the serious interviews about being ack-tohrs in big-time regional theater, we made them act on command. Such whining. "They made us feel like dancing monkeys!" the thesps complained later to DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty (or so we heard).

Look, even James Lipton gets his subjects to tap-dance on Inside the Actors Studio. So what's wrong with goofing around a little? Seven of the nine actors gave it a go.

Do jump along. --Elaine Liner

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.