INTERVIEW: Getting back to the theatrical basics with Cole Doman
Photo: From left, Annie Fang, Cole Doman, Savidu Geevaratne, Hanna Cabell and Mia Pak star in Your Own Personal Exegesis at Lincoln Center Theater. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel / Provided by LCT with permission.
TV and film star Cole Doman is currently making his Lincoln Center Theater debut in the new play Your Own Personal Exegesis, written by Julia May Jonas and directed by Annie Tippe. The show, which threads humor into a serious plot, follows the life and circumstances of young parishioners part of a liberal congregation. Doman plays the central character of Chris, who falls under the inappropriate scrutiny of the youth pastor (played by Hannah Cabell). Performances of the 90-minute play, which is part of the LCT3 initiative, continue through Saturday, Dec. 31.
“I had been looking for an opportunity to get back on stage and was tracking what the different theaters around town were up to, and this appointment came from my agents for the other male role in the play,” Doman said in a recent phone interview. “And I auditioned and got a callback, and then they wanted to see me in person for the role that I’m currently playing, Chris. I loved the play as soon as I read it and knew I really wanted to be a part of it in whatever capacity or role they would have me in.”
Doman said he responded to Jonas’ writing style, in particular how the dialogue feels both approachable and contemporary, filled with humor and yet still tackling difficult and challenging subject matter.
“I just found the balance of humor and the careful consideration of how it’s being talked about was really smart and fresh,” he said. “It wasn’t prescriptive at all. It really left the reader at the time and now the audience who sees the play with questions. Nothing is answered for you, and that’s what I loved about it. … I think that’s the power of art in general. Putting something under your face, whether it’s a painting or a film or theater, it has this way of transcending text alone. It’s this visual medium, bodies on stage, real people, and acting this thing that feels like we’re not allowed to talk about, but when you see people that are alive and breathing and speaking to each other and connecting, it breaks that barrier down. And we’re able to see it in a three-dimensional way, and I think that’s the power of theater.”
Doman is chiefly known for his TV and film work, which includes everything from Gossip Girl to Modern Family to Law & Order: SVU, plus the movies Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party and Uncle Frank. His previous theater work was mostly based in the city of Chicago with Drury Lane Oakbrook, Chicago Shakespeare and Chicago Dramatists. He was also a student at the School at Steppenwolf.
“It’s a different challenge,” Doman said about the differences between theater and TV/film. “I’ve been talking about this a lot with friends who have come to the play. When I’m shooting a film, I know what I’m shooting that day. It’s five pages or whatever, and I know that I’m going to get a couple tries at it. If I’m really into it, we can just roll the cameras and keep it going. This is a 90-page play. I have to get from beginning to end, and so I think what the real difference is the stamina emotionally and trusting the text in a way, getting out of your own way with it, and allowing the text to really serve you, and trusting that you’ve done the emotional preparation in rehearsals and the connectedness with the cast and the director, and letting the text do the work. I think that’s been an amazing challenge for me, and I’m really grateful. It feels like I’m flexing a new muscle, and I’m building on something. It feels like I’m working out, and it’s really exciting. I couldn’t be happier doing it.”
Doman said he returned to theater because he wanted to feel connected to an entire project. He wanted to bring a character to life from the “ground floor” and not be “added in later,” which is often the case with guest spots on TV shows.
“It feels like the work that I get to do here is making me a more confident actor,” he said. “It’s reminding me why I fell in love with acting in the first place. I’m working with unbelievably talented, dedicated artists. We’re all doing this thing not for the big bucks; it’s because we believe in what theater is. We believe in acting as a craft, and it’s just been invigorating. And I think I’m going to leave this experience really amped to get back on set, you know, and be able to know that by doing this play it’s really given me the confidence to jump into anything.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Your Own Personal Exegesis, featuring Cole Doman, continues through Saturday, Dec. 31 at Lincoln Center Theater’s Claire Tow Theater. Click here for more information and tickets.
