Spotlight On: Phillip Beard
Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Spotlight On…” series continues with a look into the cast of Sordid Lives. Get to know Phillip Beard who is portraying Odell Owens/Rev. Barnes in our production!
Introduce yourself to our audience.
I’m Phillip Beard. My day job is teaching literature, but I have worked in theaters, largely, for my whole life.
What drew you to your specific character in this “sordid” world?
Odell seemed to be the funniest character in the scene-samples which I saw, and I thought his phrasing and timing were potentially funny.
How are you approaching the balance between playing a cartoonish character and keeping them real/grounded, as the script demands?
I have long thought that, in live, ensemble comedy, humor imitative of real gestures is much funnier than two-dimensional, second-hand “cartoon” humor (though that has its place), so I try as much as possible to base these guys’ gestures, tones, and phrasing on models drawn from life, not from Hanna Barbera, etc.
What is the biggest challenge of taking on this role, particularly with the required West Texas accent?
Making the string tricks dance on a line between utterly ridiculous and believable craft.
Which line are you most excited to deliver?
“Tepee!”
“Sordid Lives” is a massive ensemble piece. How are you collaborating with the cast to create that specific, chaotic family chemistry?
How did you first discover the world of Sordid Lives (the movie, the series, or the play)?
From the casting call.
How do you think your character has evolved—or hasn’t—if you were to imagine them years after the play ends?
Odell has some sadder but wiser reflections on how he and his brother have treated others. He ain’t no nitwit, and has room to grow, as we all do.
“Sordid Lives” opens on March 13th and runs through March 22nd at Connecticut Theatre Company. Tickets on sale now!
“What I really liked about SORDID LIVES was that, despite all of the ridiculousness, it wasn’t just funny. Don’t get me wrong, it was very funny! But it was also moving.” — KRISTA GARVER of BroadwayWorld.com
“Playwright Del Shores is the master of characters: dude-at-the-bar characters, one-Coors-too-many characters, hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-done-wrong characters, and men-who-adore-Tammy Wynette characters.” — LANA SWEETEN-SCHULTS of Times Record News
“Chain smokin’ and fast talkin’ housewives, crazy and eccentric characters, bizarre situations, a ‘coming out’ story, are loosely based on real life stories, as observed by young Shores who grew up in a small Texan town as “a Southern Baptist preacher’s damaged by religion child,” and lived through his own ‘coming out’ later in life. The authenticity of the characters explains the power and popularity of Sordid Lives with both gay and non-gay audiences. “Not only is it (the play) funny, but people really relate to the characters and feel safe to share it outside the gay community” Shores has said.” — ELIZA ANNA FALK of DC Theater Arts
