Interview with a theatre actor

Mr. Dingman is a fellow Swarthmore alum and currently performing in the play, "Kill Me Like You Mean It." He's not only an actor, but also an improv comedian as well. Here's his responses to Chanel's questions about being an actor.

Q1: Did you take any special classes to be an actor/actress?
A1: Yes, I've taken classes in scene study, voice, and movement from a variety of different teachers. A lot of acting classes have similar names, but no two are the same.

Q2: How long does it take to memorize your lines?
A2: HOURS. I think I'm a bit slower at it than most, but I'd say I need about an hour per five pages of script.

Q3: Did you act in school?
A3: Yes, since 2nd grade. I then went on to major in theatre studies in college.

Q4: Do you get calls for different roles or do you send out letters?
A4: A little of both...once you send out enough letters, you hopefully start to get a small trickle of auditions, and then hopefully from there you get cast in something, and from all of this you meet people who sometimes call you. I find I have to try to keep up with both at the same time.

Q5: Do you have any suggestions for a good acting school or a school that can prepare you for acting?
A5: It depends on your interests of course, but I really appreciated the opportunity to study at a liberal arts school while I was majoring in theatre, because it gives you a perspective on your work, and allows you to cultivate interests for those times, which are all too frequent, when you're not getting to act. Once I got to New York, I started taking acting classes at a couple of studios around the city (Upright Citizens Brigade, which I don't really reccommend, and Studio Dante, which has been excellent). There are hundreds of these classes, and I think they're invaluable because they keep you sharp and connect you to other actors and teachers, which is the only really reliable way to know what's going on in the city. The advice you'll get casually in class is more valuable than anything I've ever read in a book.

Q6: What made you want to be an actor or actress?
A6: Watching Jim Carrey in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." I thought, "if this guy doesn't care what people think of him, then I shouldn't either." It's developed from there, of course, but I have to admit that was the thing that gave me the spark.