|
|
Alec has won praise from critics and audiences for work ranging from the twentieth-century foolery of NOISES OFF and THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER to two classically different roles in two very different productions of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. But for him, the emphasis is on future growth, new experience and continually challenging study and learning.
Where many actors live in fear of aging, Alec Head can’t wait to grow older. "There are so many fantastic roles out there waiting for somebody older than I am now to play them! Anything that Peter O’Toole has done, like the king in THE LION IN WINTER . . . any role in the Eugene O’Neill canon - particularly Jamie Tyrone . . . and Iago - that’s probably the best role in all of Shakespeare."
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - MPC Theatre Company
photo by Gary Bolen
Several walk-on parts in PRT’s recent OTHELLO were an eye-opener and a turning point. "I watched the incredible actors I was working with - people like Michael Jacobs and, of course, Jonathan Petch, who played Othello. I thought, ‘My God! Look at all this training I can see!’ At one time my plan was just to go to New York and take my chances. . . Being in OTHELLO showed me there was no way I wouldn’t get eaten alive by New York if I didn’t have the necessary training. I was really impressed with the way Ken Kelleher of the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival directed OTHELLO. He made it seem like I was doing really important work even when I just had two or three lines to deliver."
 JUST LOVELY - Unicorn Theatre photo by Rob Foster |
With New York theatre training in the offing, Alec was glad to remember recent successes in shows like THE DAY THEY SHOT JOHN LENNON at MPC and JUST LOVELY at the Carl Cherry. But he was more interested in talking about the acting skills and techniques the future holds out to him. "What I need at this stage is the kind of training that really beats me into the ground. I need to learn certain things - mainly physical movement and diction - basically standard tools of the trade. I want not only to have a working knowledge, but to be good at them."
When I asked how he went about preparing a role, he admitted he did it by instinct, not by technical method. . . "If I’m moved by the script I say it the way I would say it most effectively. But I can’t tell you how I do it - and that’s part of what I need in the way of training. I want to arrive at a point where I can explain what I do and why I do it in preparing a role. What I do now is almost a crap shoot. I mean, it could be really good or very bad depending on what my instincts tell me." He won’t be idle while waiting to start work in New York. "URINETOWN in May at MPC will be my first musical. I can sing and play guitar, but I’m taking a dance class to rectify my footwork."
Alec comes naturally by his enthusiasm for and commitment to acting. His father, Tim Head, was an actor in London, working with major talents like Vanessa and Corin Redgrave at the Mount View Repertory Theatre Academy. "Both parents have been great. They know it’s what I want to do, and they’re willing to support it in any way possible if it’s academic."
Another major influence on Alec's work has been his lifelong passion for movies. Having a job at Monster Video in Carmel has allowed him to explore cinema well beyond the predictable boundaries of Hollywood standards. It's led Alec into the world of international cinema, with stars like Klaus Kinski. "Very instable - a real psychopath. Werner Herzog was the only director he could work with, but his intensity paid off in his acting. . . You couldn't imagine him ever playing romantic comedy!
"Ingmar Bergman is my favorite director. . . Kurosawa. . .Toshiro Mifune. . . Daniel Day Lewis . . . Olivier . . . Brando. . . . In 'Limelight,' Buster and Charlie do this brilliant scene, and they’re not saying a word to each other They make it seem like the easiest thing in the world. That awakened the whole idea of being able to tell a story with only your body! These people have all been really important to me, because of my love for the world of movies."
Alec thinks the Monterey Peninsula is an ideal training ground for theatre when you’re just beginning or just ending your career. "There are so many talented people and so many good theatres around Monterey. So it’s good for starting out - and a very good place end in - but probably not a good place to stay. If you’re going to grow, you’ve got to go out into the world. Keep working with the same directors and actors and you aren’t really going to grow. If I do that on a wider scale out there in places I’m not familiar with, it’s going to be the kind of humbling experience I really need."
|
|
|
|
|