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Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

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#1

Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 12:15am

I usually wait for the actors when they come out of the theater and ask them to sign my Playbills. and the most pleasant actor/actress whom I had the privilege of meeting is the cast of N2N esp. Ms. Alice Ripley. She was simply divine and she took her time signing Playbills and carried a conversation and had a picture taken as well. Also, I like Michael Cerveris and Hugh Jackman, both were just endearing and really care about their fans!
Who's yours?

Updated On: 11/30/09 at 12:15 AM

#4

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered backstage?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 12:35am

In many years of working on shows I have yet to have an unpleasant experience with an actor or actress backstage.

In public, in front of "fans", that's another set of stories.
"It's never too late to have a happy childhood. " - Tom Robbins
#8

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 2:47am

Popular topic:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?page=1&thread=993024&boardid=0

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=916937#2718231

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=923550#2780670

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=928951#2879348

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=981077#3696162

There's some gems in there. There's also a couple threads on worst and rude stage door appearances.

Updated On: 11/30/09 at 02:47 AM

#9

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 3:10am

Of course most of them will be nice at stage door. What's not to be nice about? If it's an experience they don't enjoy (and many do not) they don't have to greet their fans at all.

Just remember: they are actors. How they act in front of you is NO indication to what they truly think of their "fans". It's not like they go home and think, "oh, that fan in the blue shirt was so nice, I must make them a scrapbook." They don't give fans a second thought once they walk past you. Some even compare notes on the creepiest fans at SD. Really.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#10

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 6:08am

...sometimes cruel reality just poisons the soul and destroys a healthy illusion, which makes someone happy. Why, oh why, must some try to make others miserable, instead of choosing to spread happiness? NOT all actors are cut from the same pattern...leave room for hope from the fan, kindness from the actor, and the real possibility that after the fact, only pleasant memories will be gathered.
I, myself, do not like to stage door. I might make exceptions for a special show or actor. Actors are humans, and they all have their ups and downs, good days and days when they just want to be left alone. I respect that, and have enough sense to realize that SD is part of their PR, and treat it accordingly.
#13

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 8:31am

The vast majority of folks we've met at the stage door have been very cordial (I only wait when my kids want an autograph and/or photo). But by far, the best experience was when I took my daughter to see the off-Broadway show Dog Sees God. I didn't know what to expect of the young cast (America Ferrera, Eliza Dushku, etc), but they couldn't have been more gracious. They spent time chatting, posed for plenty of pictures, and seemed very at ease with it all.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg." -- Thomas Jefferson
#14

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 9:03am

I normally don't post in these threads, but after recent events, I just have to throw in some love for Justin Kirk. He's one of my favorite actors ever and someone I had wanted to see on stage for years. I babbled at him pretty incoherently after the show, and he could not have been nicer or more gracious.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
#18

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 10:09am

(I only wait when my kids want an autograph and/or photo). But by far, the best experience was when I took my daughter to see the off-Broadway show Dog Sees God. I didn't know what to expect of the young cast (America Ferrera, Eliza Dushku, etc), but they couldn't have been more gracious. They spent time chatting, posed for plenty of pictures, and seemed very at ease with it all.

You are a step ahead if you have kids with you. The actors don't want to be seen acting nasty to an adult in front of their children.
#22

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 11:55am

Without a doubt, Cherry Jones. Granted she was not mobbed, but she had lengthy interactions with each fan then proceeded to have an even longer conversation with a gaggle of fans, myself included at the stage door about her performance choices, their thoughts on the piece ("Faith Healer") and she could not have been more low-key, calm, grounded or gracious.

I think actors create more hysteria by being aloof. I think if they relax and stay present, the fans calm down and the interactions can be wonderful.

Cherry was a clear example of graciousness and humanity. I'll never forget her authenticity.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal "I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
#24

re: Who is the most pleasant actor you've encountered at the stage door?

Posted: 11/30/09 at 12:02pm

some many, but definitely Greg Jbara.
<--- the set of A Midsummer Night's Dream that I was assistant stage manager for during the 2007 season at the STNJ outdoor stage.

-Dre-
You must remember all the same that at the crux of every game is knowing when it's time to leave the table... And it's important to be artful in your exit. No turning back, you must accept the con is done... It was a ball, it was a blast. And it's a shame it couldn't last. But every chapter has to end, you must agree.
~Dirty Rotten Scoundrels~

There's a special kind of people known as show people. We live in a world full of dreams. Sometimes we're not too certain what's false and what's real. But we're seldom in doubt about what we feel.
~Curtains~

It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to, than I have ever known.
~A Tale of Two Cities ~

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