Interview w/ G DeCandia

G DeCandia holds a BFA in Acting from Emerson College. He is the Artistic Director of BCKSEET Productions and also one of its founding members. Currently, DeCandia plays as Prior Walter in BCKSEET’s production of “Angels in America” at Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia. For a full list of DeCandia’s directing and acting credits, visit BCKSEET’s homepage.

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Q: When did you first know that you wanted to be an actor and as a result, when and where did you get your first feel for acting? What was you first amateur and/or professional role?

A: My first dive into the craft was on a dare… I proclaimed, while watching TV, that acting was easy and I could do it and a friend said, “I dare you” and the rest as they say is history. I immediately enrolled in a summer acting program at Salem State College and that fall joined an acting class and the Middle School Drama Club.

My first show was called “The Three Sillies” and I played Throcmorton. My first paying gig was as a summer stck actor at Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, NH and my first professional gig was with the First National Touring Company of Rent, understudying the role of Mark and Roger.

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Q: Where did you first get your acting training from? How was that and what did you get out of it the most? Were there any specific teachers or lessons that have affected your acting ability today?

A: As I mentioned above, my first training was at Salem State and oddly enough, my teacher there told me I had a natural talent and not to give up. I took her word and she ended up being my first college professor at Emerson College where I received a BFA in acting.

I have had been blessed with many inspirational teachers. My high school

G DeCandia (Prior) ans James Ijames (Belize)photo by Dan Plehal

drama coach actually brought me to all of my college auditions and the director of ““Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes” (Andrew Borthwick-Leslie) was a professor of mine at Emerson, as well.

When I began acting, it was a means of escape, to leave myself and become someone else, but the most valuable lesson I learned was that you can be yourself. True acting is how you would react to a given set of circumstances.

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Q: When you enter an audition, what goes through your mind? Are you usually calm or nervous? Do you know what you’re going to say and do?

G DeCandia (Prior) ans James Ijames (Belize)photo by Dan Plehal

A: Having sat on the other side of the table (meaning casting shows with out casting director for BCKSEET I have come to realize how arbitrary casting is. Little has to do with your personal audition.

A casting director is responsible for the whole picture. You may have nailed the part of the male lead but you are two feet shorter than the female lead. There are just so many factors that need to be considered that I am usually calm. My goal at an audition is to showcase my talent and personality to the best of my ability in a very short amount of time.

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Q: When you look for roles, what types of roles do you go for or is it pretty diverse?

A: I like “meaty” roles, something I can sink my teeth into, that is a challenge. I prefer social provocative work, shows that make people think as well as feel.

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G DeCandia (Prior) and Kate Brennan (Harper)Photo by Dan Pleha

Q: What has been you most favorite role that you have ever played and why?

A: I was Alan Strang in Equus, which I played in high school. This is the part that made me want to act and was the first step in realizing I needed to be onstage.

I also had a blast playing the series of characters in Eric Bogosian’s “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” last season with BCKSEET.

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Q: What has always been your dream role to play and why?

A: Hedwig in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch“. I have been up for the part twice and made it to the final round each time. This is a dream role of mine because I love to act and sing but there are very few musicals I like. This one, I love.

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Q: Who would you say have been your influences when it comes to acting and why?

A: Steppenwolf Theatre Company has always been a personal inspiration for creating BCKSEET and I have always had an admiration of one of its founders, Gary Sinise, who has transcended many genre: theatre, TV, film. I would be remise not to mention other actor/directors such as Sean Penn, Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford.

Catherine Palfenier (The Angel) & G DeCandia (Prior)Photo by Dan Plehal

Q:You character in “Angels in America,” Prior was so believable and so heartfelt. What do you usually do to prepare for a role? How do you find a way to be able to emulate your character in such an effortless manner?

A: It is all about breath and listening. In this particularly, we have such a strong ensemble, that simply listening to what they have to say (and how they say it) allows me to fully realize the character. A strong connection to breath enables me to ride the emotion roller coaster that is Prior.

G DeCandia as Prior photo by Dan Plehal

Q: What was your favorite part, as a whole, of being a part of and working/acting in “Angels in America”?

A: It is the quintessential modern American play and we have with a truly gifted cast which makes it an honor to take the stage each night. So, I guess what I’m saying is that saying these words with these people has been a thrill.

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Q: How, when and where did BCKSEET Productions first get started and how did you end up becoming one of the founding members in addition to their artistic director? And as artistic director, what exactly are you in charge of?

(L to R) Brendan Norton (Louis), G DeCandia (Prior), Kate Brennan (Harper), Paul Felder (Joe). Photo by Dan Plehal

A: BCKSEET originated at Emerson College in 2000 out of the frustration of the college not choosing plays that truly inspired creatively and intellectually. We were theatre students by day and theatre artists by night, who were instructed  to focus on training and so we placed the company, like a precious cargo, in the “backseat.” Every hour outside of class was given to BCKSEET and as we graduated classes became the “day job.”

I have been BCKSEET’s only Artistic Director, but I have shared the responsibility with a Co-Artistic Director these last two years, which is currently Kate Brennan. Being a small company my responsibility is to make sure the company works. I, along with the other BCKSEET Company members, decide the programing each season, I obtain the performance rights, create the production budget, and both raise and contribute funds. I oversee casting, marketing, outreach and development as well as perform, direct and design.

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Q: You mentioned earlier that BCKSEET Productions started out in Boston, Massachusetts; went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire; then Brooklyn, New York; then Guatemala and now they’ve been in Philadelphia, PA  for the past five years. How has that been? How are the varying sites and environments been for you and as a result, why have you decided to stay in the Philadelphia area for the time being?

A: Each city has had its positive and negative qualities but the most invaluable

(LtoR) James Iajmes (Belize), Catherine Palfenier (the Angel) & G DeCandia (Prior) Photo by Dan Plehal

lesson learned is that of versatility. The ability to take the resources available and create a theatrical presentation can certainly be a feat. Over the years I have had the privilege to work with artists that have been able to make something out of nothing.

As we have grown, so has our budgets and funding, so it is not as extreme, but we still have a modest means and have been able to offer a strong end product. The main factor of our five years in Philly (the longest stop in our ten year history) has been our residency at the Society Hill Playhouse.