ANDY DRACHENBERG: Mr. Stewart, how did you first feel about working on “A Life in the Theatre?”
Sir Patrick Stewart: I am an English actor… and always to be in New York and to be working on Broadway is a Thrill! But when the invitation came to work on a David Mamet play in New York, it was irresistible. David Mamet has been one of my heroes- it feels like most of my career (though I guess I’m older than him so it couldn’t have been.) But he is in so many respects the voice of contemporary American drama, and to be adding my voice to his, is deeply satisfying.
AD: Mr. Knight, how were you first introduced to David Mamet’s Play, “A Life in the Theatre?”
T.R. Knight: As a younger Actor there are, uh, it’s rare when you actually get to do roles that you’ve always wanted to do. And this is one of those scripts that has been sitting on my shelf since I was probably in my, I don’t know, late teens.
AD: Have you had a chance yet to meet Mr. Mammet?
Sir Patrick Stewart: we’ve been very lucky to have David with us in the first days of rehearsal. There were days that we called table work, we’d sit around with the scripts in front of us and we’d read through the play and then we’d read it again, and then again. This happens whether you’re doing Shakespeare or Noel Coward, the same process. But of course if you’re doing Shakespeare or Noel coward you can’t turn and say “and what exactly is going on here?” well, that’s what T.R. and Neil Pepe and all of us have been able to do. And one of the great things and a huge sense of relief because you’ve also got to understand that it’s a little intimidating to have the author in the room, but once you got past the intimidation factor (and anyway, it simply didn’t exist in the case of Mr. Mamet) You have someone who is supportive, helpful, funny… anecdotal, and will make the experience as instructed and as enjoyable as possible. And that’s been a huge bonus for us! As an English Actor, it’s one that I will never forget.
AD: You mentioned that you had the script to “A Life in the Theatre” when you were twelve years old. What’s it like now to be doing it on Broadway with an amazing team, opposite a legendary performer?
T.R. Knight: It’s so rare to get the chance to actually do the role that you want to do. Cause A lot of them go by the wayside, you get too old to do them, and I’m glad that this wasn’t the case. So this kind of a… especially to be asked to do a play, because it’s not so common in an actors life where you actually are given the opportunity and it just falls in your lap. So that’s a… can be a very rare occurrence. And then to have it be with David Mamet, with Patrick Stewart, and with Neil Pepe, (whom I’ve known for about 12 years) it’s just a rare experience. And to be in the room with all of them and to be a part of it, to have David there still working on the play, still changing it (for this production specifically) is not only exciting, but you feel very lucky to be a part of it.
AD: What is it like to be an actor playing an actor?
Sir Patrick Stewart: This is one of the most interesting roles that I’ve played because perhaps for the first time, my life and my career very much parallels the character that I am playing (I hope my career is not in decline, as it might seem that Robert’s is) but I have spent decades working in the theatre. I first set foot on stage when I was twelve, and my first professional appearance was at 19 after two years of acting training, the first role that I played was the pirate Morgan in “Treasure Island.” It was an entirely forgettable performance, but it was the beginning. Since then I’ve played a variety of roles and I’ve fallen completely in love with the theatre.
AD: Mr. Knight, when was the start of your career?
T.R. Knight: I started as a kid. I was five years old, and I was in a production of “A Christmas Carol.” I was very short at the time (unlike now) and I played Tiny Tim.
Patrick Stewart last appeared on Broadway in the title role of Rupert Goold’s 2008 modern retelling of Macbeth, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. Since leaving Broadway in May 2008, Stewart starred in a dual role as “Claudius” and “The Ghost” in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet, winning an Olivier Award for his performance; as well as opposite Sir Ian McKellen in a sold-out 2009 West End production of Samuel Beckett’s tragicomedy Waiting for Godot. The pairing of the two actors won the award for Theatre Event of the Year at the 2010 What’s on Stage Awards.
Stewart most recently appeared on stage at The Chichester Festival Theatre in Edward Bond’s Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death, the fictional tale of William Shakespeare’s last days as he finds himself faced with the prospect of losing the land he bought with the money made from his plays.
In addition, Stewart’s award-winning roles in both Hamlet and Macbeth will air as part of PBS’ “Great Performances” television series on April 28 and a to-be-determined fall date, respectively. Both adaptations recreate the tone and atmosphere of the original stage productions in a film-style interpretation shot in HD and on location.
In 2010, Sir Patrick received a knighthood for services to drama in the New Year Honour’s list.
Best known for his SAG Award winning and Emmy nominated role as “Dr. George O’Malley” on the hit ABC drama “Grey’s Anatomy”, T.R. KNIGHT has also appeared on television in the CBS sitcom “Charlie Lawrence”, opposite Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf. A veteran of the stage, Knight has previously appeared on Broadway in the acclaimed 2001 revival of Noises Off!, and the 2003 Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Tartuffe. Off-Broadway, he received a Drama Desk nomination for his performance in the 2003 MCC production of Scattergood, starred in the 2004 production of Julia Jordan’s Boy and This Lime Tree Bower, both at Primary Stages, the 1999 TFNA production of Macbeth at the American Place Theatre, and the Blue Light Theatre Company production of The Hologram Theory, among many others. A native of Minneapolis, MN, he has appeared in numerous productions at the Guthrie Theater, including Amadeus and Ah, Wilderness!