INTERVIEW: Jayne Atkinson returns to NY for new stage role
Photo: Still stars Tim Daly and Jayne Atkinson. Photo courtesy of Joey Moro / Provided by press agent with permission.
Jayne Atkinson has built an impressive career on stage, film and TV. The actor has numerous credits to her name, including the TV series Death and Other Details, Criminal Minds, Clarice, House of Cards and 24, among many others. There’s hardly a year that goes by when Atkinson is not appearing in some multi-episode arc on a beloved TV show, and now she’s back in New York City to appear off-Broadway at the DR2 Theatre in Still, a new play by Lia Romeo and directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt. Performances of the show, which also stars Tim Daly, run through May 18.
For Atkinson, the attraction of appearing in this play comes from the connection she has toward her character of Helen, who was once in a relationship with Mark (Daly) more than 30 years ago. They both remember each other when they meet again and start to rekindle the old flame, but politics and secrets get in the way of the reunion.
“Well, her heart, her humor, her creativity and emotional intelligence as well as vulnerability [attracted me],” Atkinson stated in an email interview. “We share the heart of a 65-year-old woman who has spent her life living creatively, living in her imagination. I love her fierceness. I love her!”
Atkinson and Daly actually performed this piece at the Dorset Theatre Festival in 2023. The production went so well that they decided an off-Broadway run would be a lot of fun. Romeo has been there all along the way, fine-tuning the work but not changing the show too much.
“Lia has been there from day one, and I love watching her process her writing,” the actor stated. “She is very receptive, flexible and yet also knows when to say what she wants, which is very reassuring. The play itself is essentially the same as the show we did at the Dorset Theatre. A few lines changed and were added to meet the changing times, so to speak, but the essential emotional journey is the same.”
Atkinson appears to be having a blast with her co-star, who recently appeared off-Broadway in Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana. The two first met on the set of Madam Secretary with Téa Leoni
“We just all hit it off,” she stated. “My husband actor, Michel Gill, and I actually spent some lovely times with them. Then I saw him with Tyne [Daly] in a play at the Cherry Lane Theatre that was also directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt called Downstairs by the wonderful Theresa Rebeck. He was wonderful. They both were — another play that premiered at Dorset. Tim and I share the same lexicon of theatre experience, so the trust was there from the beginning. He listens so beautifully — one of the most important qualities an actor can have, in my opinion. He is always willing to try something new as well, and he respects me deeply. And I am so thankful for that. We are a team.”
This new play, Still, has had Atkinson thinking about relationships and when they are strained due to politics. In the show, Mark is now running for Congress, but Helen has a secret that could derail his campaign.
“However, another reason I wanted to do this play is that in my own experience with people I love that don’t see the world exactly as I do, I have had to learn to listen and find a place for listening and understanding,” she wrote. “There has to be a place to try to find a way to love and hear each other. It is tremendously hard at times. We are so so divided in so many ways, yet I truly believe in the resilience of the human heart and how we can find a way back to loving and caring about each other.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Still, starring Jayne Atkinson and Tim Daly, continues through May 18 at the DR2 Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets. Email responses have been slightly edited for style.
