One thing I’ve learned from my time at University of the Arts is that art has a power and that artists are powerful. All of the people around which I surround myself are determined to creating art that is meant to change minds and heal souls. If my contemporaries are a small group representative of a bigger population of artists in the country, then why are there so many uninspired shows out there? Tired productions of Mamma Mia and Legally Blonde continue to tour regional theatres in America filled with great performers and artists that are probably yearning to do something more. Why don’t they do more then? Unfortunately, the people that hold all of the money and choose what projects get funding are primarily interested in productions like these. The life of an artist is incredibly difficult, so we have to go where the money goes. Is it possible to survive as an artist while creating art that fulfills you artistically?
Recently, an actor has come into my life that has shown me that every role you play has the opportunity to be life changing for someone. In my senior year of high school, I had the chance to see Deaf West’s Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. The show shook me to my core and basically introduced me to the effectiveness of good directing, but that’s beside the point. After the show, I stayed for Teen Night, in which lucky high school students like myself, to to have talk back with the cast about the themes present in the show and the ways in which this production handled them. It was here where I met Joshua Castille, a queer, deaf actor born and raised in Louisiana. He played Erns in this production. For being only a year older than me, he spoke with such wisdom and intense curiosity about the bigger questions in life and how that relates to his artistry. After Spring Awakening, Josh went on to be Billy in Tribes at Barrington Stage Company and Quasimodo in Hunchback of Notre Dame at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Every time, I hear about a project on which he’s working, I know that it’ll be something touching and important. As a deaf actor, he has an even harder time finding consistent work, so I wondered how he was able to resist from “selling out,” and doing work in which he didn’t believe. Luckily, we’re friends, so he was happy to oblige my questions.
Since I’m in college, I wondered what effect Castille’s education had on his artistic integrity. Like so many artists, Castille said that his first experience with the power of art was his teacher, Blaine. Unlike most artists, however, Castille’s inspiration came from high school. High school theatre programs are a dying breed, and it is incredibly rare to find a high school that is doing work that can be deemed “innovative.” Castille’s school, however, seems to be the minority. Castille says that Blaine “did some controversial work on a high school stage but they all had a reason, to challenge the system, to make us think.” Blaine also went above and beyond for his students, apparently. After speaking to some of my peers, I learned that for a lot of us, high school could be somewhat stifling. We were all trying to fit into this “image” of what we think colleges would like and the grading systems always made us feel like always had to find the “right” answer in the teacher’s mind rather than finding the right answer for us. However, Blaine lies on the outside of this dilemma. Castille describes learning from Blaine as an educator who really worked to cultivate his students’ individual creativity. “I loved him because he made me feel alive. He managed to make all of the artists in the room feel like their craft was special.” (Castille) Castille’s illustrious career and severely impactful performances are evidence that truly influential teachers can mold and change a young performer for life. He also proves that the most important part of an influential educator in the arts is the cultivation of the student’s individuality instead of imposing an image onto them.
What happens after school, though? Who can help as cultivate our artistic life after we leave the responsibility of the education system? According to Castille’s experiences, the answer is luck and a pretty amazing director. In college, Castille booked Spring Awakening, and his life changed forever after working with acclaimed and now Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden. Michael Arden is most known for his Tony Award nominated direction of Spring Awakening (he was robbed…thanks, Hamilton) and the Tony Award-winning direction of Once on This Island. Both of these performances have impacted me deeply, and I’ve always wanted an inside look of the genius that is Arden. Thank God for Joshua Castille. Castille says that Arden is very specific and very focused on finding the “heart of a story.” They would rehearse and build every scene in Spring Awakening in many different ways until the cast and Arden could understand and see the heart the most clearly and effectively. Here’s a real insider trick for all of you directors out there. I really can’t put it any better than Castille did himself…so story time! “
Michael had us drilling the show for 2 months now. We had designed the show in its entirety and just moving into the theatre. That first day he made us play and connect. We laughed and we had the band playing music while the lighting designer flashed all the lights. We as a cast had a dance party. we just had so much fun and then he stopped us and said… Now I want you to do this show as a team. Don’t think about what we blocked. Don’t think about what looks cool. Just tell the story together and live in the moment. do the show. you know it by now. The performance we made after was one of the most chilling things i’ve ever done. I remember the entire ensemble giving this very avant garde and emotional performance in a way that none of us rehearsed but yet all knew to do. I got to see some brilliant actors develop tricks and blocking to tell the story in different ways. (Castille)
This kinetic understanding of the show can only come from intense and specific understanding of what the story is saying on its deepest and most human levels. I find it very inspiring to think about all of the choices, both physical and emotional, that came from the actors when armed with this improvisational space and the understanding of the play both artistically, dramaturgically, aesthetically, and contextually. After working with Arden, Castille says that his work and how he thinks about his abilities and power to create and change were challenged harshly. He’s grown immensely and now thinks of himself as an entirely new artist with a set of tools that make him more than able to continue to create art that affects audiences. The crazy experience proves that directors can also inspire actors as artists in ways that will affect them forever.
Sure, Josh got incredibly lucky to work with such an acclaimed director so early on in his career, but we can’t work with our favorite directors forever. What’s next? How can you emulate that experience for yourself in order to make your performance evocative no matter the direction? The answer is within us. Every role we get doesn’t have to be the perfect fit for what we want to say. We have to take ownership of the work we do instead of shying away from it. There’s always a seed of a story that resonates with you because all stories are inherently human. “I know that we can always book gigs that may not be the best or really vibe with our voice but, if we find one thing in the story/project that we like/dislike and use that enhance that by making strong character choices then the work with elevate and transform.” It’s possible to make connections that are effective and lasting with your audiences as long as you make strong choices that enhance the story of a piece for you. Castille also talks about his artistic support system that keeps him honest in his work and consistently inspired.
I personally felt a lot more secure after talking to Josh. There wasn’t any secret. I know this sounds cliche, but it really just boils down to being 100% yourself. A cultivated sense of individuality helps leads artists to create characters and give performances that are grounded and touching. Thanks, Joshie! Much love, sis.
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