Robyn started her professional career in Minneapolis with the legendary Dudley Riggs and became a main stage company member at Dudley’s Brave New Workshop. She continued working as an actor with other Twin Cities companies in shows including “Nunsense”, “The Lovely Leibowitz Sisters” and “The Kathy and Mo Show.” She has a 10 year relationship with The Medora Musical in the North Dakota Badlands as Chuckwagon Charlie and later as the writer and script coordinator. Robyn has also toured as an actor and logistical coordinator for Minneapolis’ Troupe America that led to a position as National Tour Company Manager for Big League Theatricals out of Manhattan managing such tours as “Guys and Dolls”, “Five Guys Named Moe”, and “The Who’s Tommy” She has sailed the seas on Disney’s Cruise Lines as an improvisational performer and currently can be seen in “We Gotta Bingo!” in Downtown St Paul, MN.

 

You’ve lived and worked in the Minneapolis/St. Paul theatre scene for over 20 years. What makes the Twin Cities arts scene special?
The Cities have a vast, vibrant art scene. Everything from gallery performance art, puppetry, dance and children’s spectacle to world and area premiers of musicals and straight plays, interactive dinner theatre and everything in between are represented, and for the most part, well attended. There are more theatre seats per capita in the Twin Cities than anywhere else in the country. The liberal (read: common sense) bent of the community sees and values the creation of art. It’s a great place to live and work.

For actors just beginning their careers or seasoned veterans who are new to the area, what are the best ways to get involved?
The main newspaper in Minneapolis is The Star Tribune and every Sunday they have all auditions posted in the 550 section of the classified section. Everyone posts in the 550’s. There are also a couple of good websites (MNTalent.com and TCTheatreandfilm.org) that list not only auditions, but also other resources needed. I have always found these good ways of starting network contacts. I have PA’d for a couple of independent shoots and corporate training videos that have networked into on camera and admin work for production companies. There is also a unified audition where many of the production companies in town audition all at once. This year it’s in March. It’s also listed at TCTheatreandfilm.org. There are lots of classes listed in the 550’s and on the web that serve as great networking opportunities. I mean, I think the best way to get involved is to do just that…get involved. It’s not a very clique’ community, so opportunities abound.

Even as a professional actor, writer and stage manager, you’ve had day jobs to help support yourself over the years. Do you have a sense of how many of the people who work professionally in the Minneapolis theatre, television and film are able to support themselves solely on acting income? And how do you find a balance between working as an actor and working to pay the bills, in a mid-sized city?
It is completely possible to make your living in the Cities as solely a performer. I have many friends that are doing it and have been doing it for years. Show pay is the bread and butter and supplemental income is mainly commercial, voice and industrial work. There are films shot here, but not enough to count on. There is a fair amount of union and non-union commercial work out there and the community has a healthy stable of agencies. Most people eventually go exclusive with one agency for a break in commission, but many “play the field” with whoever sends them on the call. This competition seems to work to the talent’s advantage, here. As with anywhere, production companies tend to go with who they know, so getting established is key I personally haven’t done any commercial work in several years. My type is rarely in demand, and I spent several years out on the road, out-of-town, so I never did get established with my agents. I do get calls, mainly voice, every now and then, but not enough to support me. I do have a day job, now, after 15 years without one. For me, it’s about benefits and steady income with flexibility, with the realization that I am not available for weekday auditions. So I do shows at night, corporate entertainment 3-4 times a month, freelance writing, and my day job. It’s the way I like it, right now.

When did you know you wanted to become involved in theatre?
I started High School in Texas and was in marching band. Band and the Drum Line were my world, but my folks moved us to Northern Minnesota in my sophomore year. The Director of the Theatre Department, Vicki Olsen, really took me in. The band was not very good and I was lost. She convinced me to audition for the fall play and I was hooked. I did all the shows in High School and started volunteering, then working at the local professional summer stock theatre, Paul Bunyan Playhouse. I met and made dozens of friends who were professional actors in the Cities and it became a viable option for me. When I went away to college, after a little cajoling, I decided to make Theatre not only my joy, but my profession as well. It’s great to remember the real life great teachers in our lives.

You’ve done this, that, and the other in the world of show business—from writing shows, to company management. How has it helped you to be involved in so many different aspects of the arts? Has it ever hindered you?
I think it has helped far more than it has hindered. I believe the better rounded you are in the field the more employable you are. I know first hand what it is like to be on the “other side of the table” in an audition and it has made me a better auditioner. I have a big case of “Producer Empathy” in that I understand the ins and outs of Box Office cash flow. It makes me a better cheerleader for the projects with which I am involved. It has allowed me to see and embrace the “Big Picture”, to use a cliché, and I enjoy that a great deal. The only hindrance came when I was a cast member in Tony n’ Tina’s for 2 years then tore the ACL in my knee. I was out for 8 weeks and came back as the Stage Manager. It was great for the company because I KNEW the show and could run it with my head on a swivel. But, for my cast members who had me as a playmate for 2 years, it was a lot to ask of them. Whereas 2 months before, I may have been playing too hard and pulling focus or screwing around with a bit, now I am calling YOU on it and giving you notes to knock it off. We worked it out, but the balance was tricky. All in all, I am pleased that I have dabbled in many diverse aspects of entertainment. I highly recommend it.

The cast of "We Gotta Bingo"

Tell us about “We Gotta Bingo”… what is it, how did it come about, and how did you get involved? WGB is an interactive dinner theatre performance.
The producing company is called Actor’s Theatre of Minnesota and they are a bunch of Tony ’n’ Tina alums. Years ago when we were doing TnT, which was a huge success in Minneapolis, patrons would ask when the next show like this would be around. That got a couple of the guys thinking. They started Actor’s Theatre and started doing shows around town and the region. After several years, they decided to try to write a TnT style show. They assembled a writing core of TnT alums, Brave New Workshop writers/improvisers (The BNW is a renown improvisational comedy company in Minneapolis) and a few others and began outlining the characters. I became involved when the director, Mark Bergren who I worked with at the BNW, called me and asked if I would consent to be an original cast member and help develop the show.. Its story is simple to allow as much play as possible. There are two Catholic parishes being forced to merge ~ one Irish, one Italian. Thus, the conflict and hilarity ensues. We play 5 games of Bingo, give out prizes, have dinner and dessert, and let the drinks flow freely. There is dancing to a accordion led polka band playing everything from “Roll out the barrel” to Outkast’s “Hey Ya”. It’s a blast, folks. It’s as much fun to be in as it is to see. Patrons have a great time. The idea is to franchise the show ala TnT. The first new city is slated for Fall of 2007. So, we keep our fingers crossed.

The show is highly interactive, with food, improv, and cash prizes. Do you have any crazy stories about working with the audience during the show? How do you make sure even the shy and introverted audience members have a good time?
There are plenty of crazy audience stories. Drunk patrons trying to set up a confession time with the actor playing the priest, or the time an all female group of about 20, out on the sidewalk in front of the storefront windows in the lobby, “flashed” the guy playing the Bingo Caller to the delight of everyone else in the theatre. (The “nun’ ran into a chair and threw herself out of the electric wheelchair prop.) The beauty of the set up is, patrons are seated at tables of 8. Very rarely are you alone at a table with only people you know. You are required to introduce yourself (characters help this along) or sit in a room full of energy quietly. So through table talk and connecting individually with the audience, the actor can know who will play at a table and the “shy” patron feels involved and included. People want to play, and as sad as it is, most do not make the opportunity to do so in their real lives. I have the great honor to encourage them to play and reward them when they do.

Because this show was created in part by the cast, you all have a share in future profits. What kind of atmosphere did this establish during the rehearsal process, and how does it affect the enthusiasm of the team to run and promote the show?
The writing and development of the show was an interesting process. We improv’d a lot of the situations because the script we began rehearsing with was just character backgrounds and a show flow outline. Everyone had ideas and opinions, but there was no real ego. The cast has commented on it since the beginning. We really had no “drama” putting it together. One could, and should, expect when creative people are in a room for hours on end trying to “make the funny” that emotions and opinions would run high. That was not the case here, and I suppose you could chalk it up to being part owners. There is a different undertone present when the show you are developing has the potential to bring you passive income. You are not only concerned with the artistic aspects of the show; the commercial aspects also intrigue you. I think it goes back to being well rounded in the theatre. We were allowed the opportunity to be part of the production team, including helping decorate the brand new space. We are committed to making this a profitable show that we enjoy doing. Saying that, the cast has been more than willing to promote the show, and we do so with every opportunity. It’s made a big difference.

You toured with MAD-TV Alum Mo Collins in “The Kathy and Mo Show,” Kathy Najimi and Mo Gaffney’s off-Broadway comedy. What did you learn from that experience?
Well, Mo makes me laugh. I didn’t learn it there, but still it’s VERY true. It wasn’t a tour, really. We produced the show in Minneapolis and did it for a summer. I made $187. TOTAL. I , quite literally, couldn’t give a dime. We then took it to Long Island for 2 weeks that Fall. It was such a challenge distinctively creating all those characters, and the show was well received, but a learning experience, to be sure. It may have been the most fun I ever had doing a show, but it made very little money. So, whatever it was, management, timing, location, material…we found it very difficult to get people to see the show. And yet, I am as proud of those performances as anything I’ve ever done. That may have been my first understanding of the fickle nature of the theatre going public. Mo & I forged a bond made from laughter and poverty. We’re still very close.

You worked for years as a National Tour Company Manager for Big League theatricals out of Manhattan, managing non-union tours like “Guys and Dolls,” “Five Guys Named Moe,” (quite a Mo theme you’ve got going on)—and “The Who’s Tommy.” Did you notice any difference between New York actors and producers, and theatre people from the Twin Cities?
The biggest difference was long-term perception. This is generalized, of course, but actors I had on Minneapolis based tours were in the beginning stages of their careers and were content to get their feet wet on the road. On BL tours, most of the talent saw the tour as a stepping-stone to a bigger career. There is something to be said about the balance of personal and professional lives, but that is an individual juggling act. In general, performers who live here in Minneapolis/St Paul, do so because the quality of life is very high. The perk is we get to make our living with something we love. Again, I am not sure that is a difference, more a different perspective.

You must have had opportunities to move to New York while you were working for Big League. Did you ever consider moving to New York? If you had it to do over again, would you still make the same choice?
I never really thought about moving to NY. I love NYC; don’t get me wrong. But, there is a very different energy there, and it drives me nutty, eventually. There are so many people to see and talk to ~so many opportunities that are fleeting and important ~ so much …so much. It overwhelmed me to I hook in to that energy grid. However, those perceptions were of a younger woman with a full life waiting back in Mpls. I look back every once in a while and wish I would have given NYC a real shot. I fantasize about being a CM or ASM in a B’way house, still to this day. Knowing what I know now , I could have moved to NY. At the time? I wasn’t convinced.

You’ve had a long relationship as both an actor and a writer with the Medora Musical, an outdoor musical in North Dakota. Large-cast outdoor drama is its own unique scene in American theatre today. What can actors expect when working in outdoor summer venues?
What can you expect? Wind, rain, bugs, ridiculous costumes, enormous dance numbers, physical challenges…and an opportunity for a GREAT summer. The Medora Musical is a beautiful venue in the ND Badlands. The majesty of the land and history of the area is awe-inspiring. That is true for most outdoor venues, but it’s a different animal to be sure. There are 3000 patrons a night seeing a show with live horses and fireworks and a re-enactment of the charge up San Juan Hill. You, as a performer, are not the center of the show ~ merely a part of the whole. It’s more like a team game. Also, outdoor dramas have a small window for performing, about 90 days. So, Medora does a show every night. 90 nights in a row. That gives an opportunity to “go to work”. So often in this business we explore a performance or discover things in a role, and after polish, we can get bored. A real test is can you find what you find, lock it in and give it out every night. Can you “go to work” and do a good job? Summer stock and more specifically outdoor summer theatre give you that opportunity. Plus, there is plenty of time for …playing with your cast members. I recommend it highly.

Rosa Dimini (Robyn Hart) and Sister Gigi (Ann Whiting) welcome you to the Brew Ha Ha for the St Dominic Fundraiser.

What do you know about film and TV in the Twin Cities? Are the same actors who are working in theater also auditioning for local on-camera jobs, or are there two different pools of actors? How much work is there for locals?
There is very little traditional TV and Film here in the Cities. Sure, a couple of features and independent films are shot each year in the area and HGTV and DIY are based here. But, a large majority of on camera work is commercials and training industrials. Best Buy, based in Minneapolis, shoots 2 or 3 training videos a month. Target, also based here, shoots 8-10 commercials a year. That just a scratch of the surface. Most full time actors in this town do on camera work. The pool is versatile. There is a good amount of work here for the right actor.

The Guthrie Theatre is one of the most respected regional theatres in America. Can local actors get auditions at the Guthrie, or do they do most or all of their hiring out of larger cities?
Sure, I have a good friend who I worked with at The Brave New Workshop who is in the Guthrie Company and has been for a couple of years. They have local auditions and depending on the need, hire the actor best suited. They are currently moving to the new theatre on the river. It’s lovely, by the way, and will have three stages. Currently, the Guthrie Lab (black box-ish) produces in the warehouse district but it will be moving to the big house along with the main stage and experimental theatre. So, the theory is that more work will be done which should mean more opportunity for local actor.

Finally—a lot of actors choose to move to a larger market because of the stimulation they perceive in the creative scene available to them—“There’s so much going on!” How do you stay inspired and stimulated in a smaller city like Minneapolis-St. Paul?
There is a lot going on here. There is a lot of work being done that inspires. I just saw a show last night called “The trial of Osama bin Ladin”. It was intriguing and ambitious. Weird example, but Minneapolis/St Paul has a large arts scene and anyone can find a creative outlet here. The trick is to take the creative stimulation and DO something with it. Create, inspire, embody. If you like lakes and trees and neighborhoods, Minneapolis/ St Paul offers a great place to live and work.

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