As we prepare for our first theater festival, we wanted to spotlight some of the people who will be involved.
In May of this year, Pittsburgh native Bradford Sadler graduated from the theatre program at Florida Atlantic University with an MFA in Acting. He also has a B.A. from Ohio Weslyan University major in Theatre and English. While at FAU, Sadler created a collaboration of theater, music, and dance called The Honesty Project, which was based on answers from questionnaires given to students about their lives. The Honesty Project premiered this Spring at FAU's studio space and will be remounted in a shorter version for ON THE BOARDS this August.
We spoke with Mr. Sadler and asked him to fill out our questionnaire:
How did The Honesty Project come about?
The Honesty Project came about when I was in a seminar about the book "Creating a Life Worth Living." It encouraged you to commit yourself to a project and then work to bring that project to fruition.
The initial idea for The Honesty Project came pretty quickly to my mind. I came up with a questionnaire, distributed it to about 30 people, and got 11 responses back. The responses were submitted without names and were typed, so I wouldn't be able to distinguish whose answers were whose. From the responses I received, I transposed some verbatim into monologues in the script, and adapted other stories into full theatrical scenes. I added in a musical element as well, asking Eric Jaffe (musical director) to form a band, choose some popular music and also write some of his own for the script. After the script was compiled, I auditioned the show and rehearsed it much like a normal theatrical production.
What were people's reactions when they saw their inner thoughts played out on stage?
Well, I made the choice, if anything in a response I received immediately identified a person to me, to not include it the script. So, while I have some thoughts as to whose responses are whose, the majority of the identities of the people involved in the script as still a mystery to me. That's the way I'd like it to remain. Anonymity can oftentimes give people the freedom for total honesty, and that's what I was, and am, most interested in. I got nothing but positive responses from the audiences who came to the show, so I can only assume, if the people who responded to the questionnaires were in those audiences, that they enjoyed it and were moved.
What did you learn about yourself as an actor at FAU?
I learned that I needed to think of myself as a whole instrument rather than a mind, body and voice independent of each other. I learned that movement is much more to acting than I thought before I came here. I learned that emotion rides on the flow of the breath. I learned that all roles are within you somewhere, and I learned that I can play any role that I put my mind to.
What type of theatre fascinates and excites you?
The type of Theatre that fascinates and excites me is Theatre that challenges your preconceptions about people. Theatre is a medium about people. Theatre is dangerous, in the most positive sense of the word. There is no medium between the audience and the performer as there is in a movie. The performers are, you agree to believe for a set period of time, real people undertaking real actions and having real emotional reactions. Theatre is immediate, it's right in front of you and it's universal. Even if you don't understand the language a play is being performed in, you should be able to understand the story that's taking place. Theatre is a genuine opportunity to change ideas and prejudices that we might gave about people around us. This was the goal of The Honesty Project: to showcase how the people we see in our everyday lives have intriguing, moving and truthful stories of triumph and tragedy all there own, stories that deserve attention.
What do you see yourself doing in the next five years?
I'm moving back to Pittsburgh where I have a show lined up and some steady acting-related work. In October I hope to audition for The American Shakespeare Center, a company that has both a resident company and a touring company based in Staunton, Virginia. At this point in my career, that would be my dream job, touring around the country performing Shakespeare. I also loved teaching at FAU, and would like to be a professor of Acting, maybe not within 5 years, but sometime in the near future.
Who are your heroes, your inspirations?
My heroes would be my parents. They've both been incredibly supportive of me trying to make my living doing what I love. The biggest inspirations I've had would be the best teachers I've had. Dawn-Elin Fraser, Dr. Meade Andrews, Desmond Gallant and Kathryn Johnston have all provided me with invaluable and inspiring learning opportunities and experiences.
What pieces of advise would you leave the next graduating theatre majors at FAU as you get ready to go back home?
If you cannot imagine yourself in the future without doing Theatre, commit yourself to it and keep working hard. Never forget that luck is a big part of what we do, and don't get frustrated if someone else has better luck than you. Don't measure yourself by anyone else other than you.
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent. The slogan 'Press on' has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race." -- Calvin Coolidge
While at FAU, Bradford Sadler performed in a production of Neil Simon's Broadway Bound with the Boca Raton Theatre Guild this past January. Other credits include being a touring actor for Bridgework Theater, an understudy for the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota. He was also a member of The Amish Monkeys Improv Comedy group in Pittsburgh. As said previously, Sadler will be going back home to participate in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.
The revival of The Honesty Project will be on opening night of ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival, Wednesday, August 17th. The fest will continue on until Saturday, August 20th. Nights begin 7pm at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, 7143 Pine Island Road in Tamarac. For a detailed performance schedule, please visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net.
In May of this year, Pittsburgh native Bradford Sadler graduated from the theatre program at Florida Atlantic University with an MFA in Acting. He also has a B.A. from Ohio Weslyan University major in Theatre and English. While at FAU, Sadler created a collaboration of theater, music, and dance called The Honesty Project, which was based on answers from questionnaires given to students about their lives. The Honesty Project premiered this Spring at FAU's studio space and will be remounted in a shorter version for ON THE BOARDS this August.
We spoke with Mr. Sadler and asked him to fill out our questionnaire:
How did The Honesty Project come about?
The Honesty Project came about when I was in a seminar about the book "Creating a Life Worth Living." It encouraged you to commit yourself to a project and then work to bring that project to fruition.
The initial idea for The Honesty Project came pretty quickly to my mind. I came up with a questionnaire, distributed it to about 30 people, and got 11 responses back. The responses were submitted without names and were typed, so I wouldn't be able to distinguish whose answers were whose. From the responses I received, I transposed some verbatim into monologues in the script, and adapted other stories into full theatrical scenes. I added in a musical element as well, asking Eric Jaffe (musical director) to form a band, choose some popular music and also write some of his own for the script. After the script was compiled, I auditioned the show and rehearsed it much like a normal theatrical production.
What were people's reactions when they saw their inner thoughts played out on stage?
Well, I made the choice, if anything in a response I received immediately identified a person to me, to not include it the script. So, while I have some thoughts as to whose responses are whose, the majority of the identities of the people involved in the script as still a mystery to me. That's the way I'd like it to remain. Anonymity can oftentimes give people the freedom for total honesty, and that's what I was, and am, most interested in. I got nothing but positive responses from the audiences who came to the show, so I can only assume, if the people who responded to the questionnaires were in those audiences, that they enjoyed it and were moved.
What did you learn about yourself as an actor at FAU?
I learned that I needed to think of myself as a whole instrument rather than a mind, body and voice independent of each other. I learned that movement is much more to acting than I thought before I came here. I learned that emotion rides on the flow of the breath. I learned that all roles are within you somewhere, and I learned that I can play any role that I put my mind to.
What type of theatre fascinates and excites you?
The type of Theatre that fascinates and excites me is Theatre that challenges your preconceptions about people. Theatre is a medium about people. Theatre is dangerous, in the most positive sense of the word. There is no medium between the audience and the performer as there is in a movie. The performers are, you agree to believe for a set period of time, real people undertaking real actions and having real emotional reactions. Theatre is immediate, it's right in front of you and it's universal. Even if you don't understand the language a play is being performed in, you should be able to understand the story that's taking place. Theatre is a genuine opportunity to change ideas and prejudices that we might gave about people around us. This was the goal of The Honesty Project: to showcase how the people we see in our everyday lives have intriguing, moving and truthful stories of triumph and tragedy all there own, stories that deserve attention.
What do you see yourself doing in the next five years?
I'm moving back to Pittsburgh where I have a show lined up and some steady acting-related work. In October I hope to audition for The American Shakespeare Center, a company that has both a resident company and a touring company based in Staunton, Virginia. At this point in my career, that would be my dream job, touring around the country performing Shakespeare. I also loved teaching at FAU, and would like to be a professor of Acting, maybe not within 5 years, but sometime in the near future.
Who are your heroes, your inspirations?
My heroes would be my parents. They've both been incredibly supportive of me trying to make my living doing what I love. The biggest inspirations I've had would be the best teachers I've had. Dawn-Elin Fraser, Dr. Meade Andrews, Desmond Gallant and Kathryn Johnston have all provided me with invaluable and inspiring learning opportunities and experiences.
What pieces of advise would you leave the next graduating theatre majors at FAU as you get ready to go back home?
If you cannot imagine yourself in the future without doing Theatre, commit yourself to it and keep working hard. Never forget that luck is a big part of what we do, and don't get frustrated if someone else has better luck than you. Don't measure yourself by anyone else other than you.
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent. The slogan 'Press on' has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race." -- Calvin Coolidge
While at FAU, Bradford Sadler performed in a production of Neil Simon's Broadway Bound with the Boca Raton Theatre Guild this past January. Other credits include being a touring actor for Bridgework Theater, an understudy for the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota. He was also a member of The Amish Monkeys Improv Comedy group in Pittsburgh. As said previously, Sadler will be going back home to participate in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.
The revival of The Honesty Project will be on opening night of ON THE BOARDS: Our Alternative Theater Festival, Wednesday, August 17th. The fest will continue on until Saturday, August 20th. Nights begin 7pm at the Tamarac Theatre of Performing Arts, 7143 Pine Island Road in Tamarac. For a detailed performance schedule, please visit our website, www.conundrumstages.net.
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