Calling all StageSiders, welcome back to a brand new installment of StageSide Stories, here at StageSideUK. This time around we spoke to Jeremy Kareken, a playwright who has recently completed a run as a performer in The Value of Names. If you are interested in learning more about how to change artistic specialisms, rehearse for a show and how performance can be influenced by different venues and countries. Settle in, make a brew and let’s learn more!
Disclaimer : these questions were written and completed prior to the show closing. Due to technical Challenges, the responses were received following the show closing. Nevertheless, the insights into the show, performing and Jeremy’s acting career will be valuable.
Can you introduce yourself, your role and the play you are performing in?
My name is Jeremy Kareken, and I’ll be playing the role of Benny Silverman in Jeffrey Sweet’s The Value of Names.
What drew you to the role in The Value of Names, and what excites you most about performing in this production?
That’s like asking “what drew you to the role of Hamlet?” It’s the kind of role you want to see someone else play because it’s so complex, difficult, funny, angry – one of those big roles that’s quite intimidating. I wasn’t drawn to the role – I was scared by it. I still am. The character is a force of nature. I’m even more frightened because I’m not usually known as an actor. I’m usually a playwright – I co-wrote a show that premiered and ran rather successfully on Broadway, and I spend most of my time in pursuit of writing opportunities. So when Jeff called me and asked if I’d consider the role, I half thought he was kidding. I wasn’t drawn to it – I was frightened to death by it.
Is there any extra pressure or excitement, when performing in a UK premiere of a show? What do you think UK audiences will find most striking or relevant about The Value of Names?
I love London so much. I live here much of the time these days. I love the way the theatre is part of the culture. This is the dream – to perform theatre here. This is the font from which our English language literature and performance traditions spring. This is like Jerusalem for theatre, so acting here in a play I admire so much, it’s a dream come true.
What is it like working in / making theatre for such an intimate space like The White Bear Theatre? Does it change the way you perform?
It’s so freeing to play a house like this. You get a chance to be intimate with the other actors. Instead of shouting across a stage, you can grumble or whisper – you get more colours to paint with. My training as an actor was from the Actors Studio, and that sort of method relishes intimacy and truth, so this is a chance to dust off some of those skills and really live in the moment.
What have rehearsals been like, and how has the collaboration with the director and cast shaped your performance?
The other members of the cast, Katherine Lyle and Tim Hardy, are brilliant and very collaborative. Like I’ve said before, I kind of live in fear, so it’s really comforting to have such talented and accomplished individuals to catch you when you fall. Tim’s a RADA teacher where he trained, so he knows his onions better than most, and he’s been so generous with his time, and patient with my stumbles. Learn the name Katherine Lyle – she’s got poise, style, she’s a brilliant interpreter of text, and is one of the hardest working and most effective people I’ve ever worked with. Sometimes it’s hard to work with them because half my brain is focused on thinking about roles they could do and plays I could write for them. Jeffrey is a giving and collaborative director. He tells the story of the play clearly so we can get on with our work. He knows the play – he IS the play, and it can be a real gift to have the playwright direct the work.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or techniques that help you get into character or ready to perform in general?
At the moment, I use a particular relaxation technique taught to me by my first acting teacher at drama school. You stand in place, grip the floor with your toes, tense your muscles as an imaginary line travels up your body, and then when your whole body is tense, you throw it away. Does it help? I don’t know!
How do you approach the emotional weight of the performance, ensuring your peace of mind but also the audiences enjoyment?
What’s both challenging and invigorating about the character is that Benny is equal parts humour and bitterness. His humour comes from his anger and vice versa. Pagliacci is a sad clown, meet Benny, the angry clown. You don’t want to make him so bitter that you lose the humour, but you don’t want to make him so funny so that you lose the pain. That’s the hardest part of this character. And the most enjoyable.
If you were to sum the show up in one sentence or phrase, what would it be?
The Value of Names is a play about what matters most in your life: friends and family; or grudges and ideals?
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring performer looking to get into the world of performing, what would it be?
Don’t. But you love it, you need it, you have to do it? Then never stop working. The tedium comes before the magic. It’s like raking leaves. You have to rake the field before you can jump in the pile.
A huge thank you to Jeremy Kareken for answering our questions. Though the tech gods may not have been on our side, we have got the information out there and I hope you have found it interested, and valuable.
Have your say!
Are you thinking of starting a career in performing? Are you currently training to be a performer? How are you finding the process, and do you have any key techniques, tips or skills to hone? Let me know in the comments and lets get a discussion going!
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