Inside our Actor's Studio:
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For a show with such emotionally demanding characters, many of our performers have specific ways of getting into character.
Below, check out junior theatre performance major Sean Gorman's playlist based on his character in the show
“Recently, I’ve gotten into the habit of creating playlists on Spotify based on music I believe my characters would listen to in real life. I find that it helps me get into the character’s head, and so I’ll play in the background when I’m doing character work or trying to memorize my lines. With ‘Elliott Lewis”, however, I may have accidentally assembled the most depressing thing ever. These are the kind of songs that to me aren’t heavy-handed enough to inspire tears, but instead, leave me with a temporary absence of joy and eventually in a trance-like, melancholic state. I would listen to it on my commute to campus when we were filming and it would center me. Over time this became a habit and I started to feel comfort through the music. Not to go all ‘Werner Herzog’ on you but, numbness became catharsis and I gave into monotony all in the service of trying to understand what a moment in Elliot’s life would be. Elliott is someone who feels like he’s on borrowed time. He’s racked with unspeakable guilt and sobriety has left him hapless and I wanted to try to understand that, even in a synthetic or superficial way. Or . . . maybe this is all over the top and I just wanted a guiltless excuse to listen to Lenard Cohen and Townes van Zandt.