As Saint Heaven gears up for opening night in Everett this Friday, actor Mark Carr took some time out to share with Village Theatre blog readers some of his thoughts and experiences working on the new musical Saint Heaven. Check it out below.
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Saint Heaven is my first venture into “new musical” territory, but I truly feel at home in this setting. The prospect of inventing a character that has little precedent actually seems less daunting to me than re-inventing a character that people have loved for decades, and it remains more rewarding. The character is only limited by the imagination! Creating an arc and nurturing a reason for audience members to empathize with my character is the foremost thing on my mind as the play develops and continues its run into Everett.
Even though we are six weeks into the schedule, I still find myself asking questions like: am I believably creating a father/son relationship with a child that the audience never sees but MUST care about in order to drive the plot? Am I painting an accurate portrait of a Kentucky native? These sorts of questions keep my character developing and my art form alive. The work is never done, and because I enjoy this sort of development, it just feels natural for me to sail the uncharted waters of a new musical. I am thankful to the theatre for allowing me an opportunity to hone my craft whilst gleaning insights from professionals who kick serious coattails, like: Martin Casella and Keith Gordon. Maybe within the next year I will get the chance to work on a new musical again 
… Well, I am off to the store to buy a non-white dress shirt for a Microsoft Studios gig that shoots today (our only Wednesday off). It is a fun gig that will maintain my solvency, and keep me available for interesting theatre auditions and personal projects. This is my life.
-Mark
