DISTANCE LEARNING: SEND-HOME PACKET CAREERS IN THEATRE: BEN NORDSTROM, EQUITY ACTOR INTERVIEWER: Joining me now is Ben Nordstrom, an Equity actor, working out of the St. Louis area and beyond. Ben’s worked as an Equity actor for the last 15 years. Tell us a little bit about that experience. BEN: I used to be based in New York and for the past few years, I’ve been in St. Louis. I’ve worked Off-Broadway. I’ve worked at many regional theaters around the country. I’ve done a lot of musicals and a lot of straight plays. I’ve done chorus roles and small roles and leading roles and here in St. Louis, specifically, I’ve done musicals and Shakespeare at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. I’ve done musicals at Stages, St. Louis and I just had a great opportunity to do a lot of different kinds of things. It’s been good. Terrific. INTERVIEWER: What’s a short description of your job? BEN: I think as an actor my main job is to be a storyteller. It’s my job to serve the playwright or the composer. To serve the writer’s material and to bring that to life. That’s job number one. The best way you can go about doing that is to be as versatile as possible at all times and keep up with your training. You try to be a well-read person, a well-rounded person. You want to keep up with the acting craft and voice lessons and dance classes and things like that so that I’m available to tell as many different kinds of stories in as many different and interesting ways as possible. INTERVIEWER: What’s the most interesting or challenging part of your job? BEN: All of the different people that you get to work with. Acting is a job and you go to work every day but unlike, say, working for Boeing for 30 years, every time I start a new show, it’s a different set of new people every time and that’s exciting. I’m a people person. Each show you get a new director, a new musical director if it’s a musical, new choreographer, a whole new set of actors. Each show is a unique experience because of the different combination of people. That to me is really interesting and always fun. The most challenging thing, I think for me right now, is learning – and I still am learning this – the discipline that it takes once you’re in the run of a show: a long run and a large role. Even though you’re only working 3 or 4 hours a night from when you get to the theater to when you leave the theater, it’s a lot of energy and a lot of focus. The other 20 or 21 hours of the day are all about those 3 or 4 hours. You have to make sure you’re getting enough sleep at night. You have to set your day up around that night’s performance: eating right, watching what you do. That takes a lot of discipline and as I’m getting older I’m learning that more and more. So that’s the challenging thing

3. Ben also mentions that it’s important to serve the ’s material and to bring that

to life.

4. How do you be as versatile as possible as an actor?

Practice in front of your mirror

5. The most interesting part of the job is the different you get to work with.

People

6. Long runs require a lot of and a lot of .

7. Why has Ben chosen not to seek jobs that require travel?

8. Training is the most thing.

9. Are all actor training colleges the same for everyone?

10. Some of the advantages of joining a union, like Actor’s Equity, include pay scales and

insurance, safety at the theatre.

11. Just because you’re in the union doesn’t necessarily speak to your .

12. Does being in the union make you a better actor?

13. If you’re serious about being an actor do you have to join the union?

14. is really the foundation for longevity in the business.

15. If you’re in school, what else can you do?

(I ALREADY HAVE #4)

I WILL COOSE BRAINLIEST