Know something about lighting design, about set design, about stage management, about writing. The actors get most of the praise—but there are all these other artists. Acting is important and you have to work hard at it, but you’re not working any harder than anyone else. — Alan Mandell
On the show today is Alan Mandell, an actor and director, and he’s also been a general manager of multiple theatres. He’s considered one of the leading interpreters of Samuel Beckett’s work, and he even collaborated directly with the playwright several times!
His career has spanned over seven decades, which is just unbelievable, and has taken him all over the globe. We could have easily called this episode A Life In the Theatre, because that’s truly what Alan has done! And as a bonus, he’s the second nonagenarian on the show (along with episode 17’s Robert Goldsby). Plus, Alan continues to work from time to time in his 90s! Way to go!
Now, I first became aware of Alan’s work when he played the servant Firs in a production of The Cherry Orchard in LA. But it was when he soon after did the play Trying, directed by Cameron Watson and with Rebecca Mozo, that I was just blown away by his work. We talk a bit about that show, as it absolutely left an impression on me!
Because of Alan’s long history of work, his collaborations with Samuel Beckett, teaching acting to prisoners, and so much more, I am truly honored that he could be a part of this podcast.
It was really fascinating to hear all about Alan’s career—his story is a combination of being in the right place at the right time, and being willing to do whatever it took to make theatre happen, which is such a great attitude!
Just a bit of what we cover in this episode:
- Growing up in Canada during the Depression
- Doing radio drama and theatre in Toronto
- How he got involved with The Actor’s Workshop through volunteer office work
- His initial reaction and confusion when he first read Waiting for Godot
- Teaching acting classes and helping out with the San Quentin Drama Workshop
- Being involved in the early days of Hedwig and the Angry Inch
- What success has meant to him and mentoring young actors in the theatre
Plus a whole lot more, and Alan also shares some direct acting notes from Samuel Beckett himself on Waiting for Godot, so don’t miss that!
About the guest
Alan Mandell was born in Toronto, Ontario, and became involved with all kinds of roles in radio and theatre in Canada. Through a series of fortunate events, he became part of The Actor’s Workshop in the 50s in San Francisco, which really helped launch his career in the US, and introduced him to the works of (and person!) Samuel Beckett.
He was co-founder of the San Quentin Drama Workshop at the prison with the inmates. He toured Europe with the original stage productions of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Endgame and recreated Beckett’s direction for the filming of Endgame in which he played the role of Nagg (you can see a clip below!).
He was general manager for both the Actor’s Workshop and the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center, working with dozens of fantastic actors and directors over the years, including several times with Philip Bosco, whom we paid tribute to earlier this season. He was also the Consulting Director for the Los Angeles Actors’ Theatre and the Los Angeles Theater Center.
Alan appeared in the Broadway revival of Twelve Angry Men and the subsequent national tour. Showing no signs of slowing down in his 80s, he acted in Pinter’s The Price, Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and then directed and acted in Beckett’s Endgame—all at the Mark Taper Forum in LA.
Alan was the recipient of LA Weekly’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. He has won four LA Ovation Awards, for Trying, Pinter’s The Price and No Man’s Land and Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and he was nominated for directing Endgame. Alan also won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for his performances in Trying and Waiting for Godot.
He has over 30 film and TV credits over the last 45 years, including John Cameron Mitchell’s films Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus, and appearing in The Coen Brothers’ film, A Serious Man. He was even in the 2019 Netflix film Velvet Buzzsaw with Jake Gyllenhaal, as the painter whose work fuels the story—he’s still working in his 90s!
Alan has had truly a remarkable career and it’s wonderful to see him still so involved with theatre and acting—something we can all hope for after so many decades!
Please enjoy my chat with Alan Mandell!
Total Running Time: 1:23:26
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Want to hear from another actor/director who worked in the Bay Area? Check out my talk with director Robert Goldsby!
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let us know in the comments.
Scroll below for links mentioned in today’s episode and additional show notes…
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Here are a few recommendations:
- The Actors Life by Jenna Fischer (from The Office), read by the author and others, including our guest Reed Birney
- Secrets of Screen Acting by Patrick Tucker (a TV and film director), read by David Lawrence XVII
- Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen, read by Angele Masters
Get one of these or anything else at workingactorsjourney.com/audible.
Show Notes
Alan Mandell around the web
Wikipedia | Film/TV | Broadway | Off-Broadway | Additional Theatre
- American Theatre: Nothing But Time: When ‘Godot’ Came to San Quentin
- American Theatre: Alan Mandell: Uncluttering Desks, Interpreting Beckett
Highlights
- Growing up in Toronto during the US Depression
- His first experiences with theatre and acting
- Receiving his training through radio dramas and doing theatre
- What took him to San Francisco, a move that changed his life
- How he got involved with The Actor’s Workshop through volunteer office work
- How his 10-day visit turned into 9 months!
- Doing anything and everything he needed to do to keep a theatre running
- Being involved with the American premiere of Brecht’s Mother Courage
- His initial reaction and confusion when he first read Waiting for Godot
- Why he is so hesitant to see productions of Beckett’s work
- How he got involved with Waiting for Godot at the San Quentin Prison
- The reception of the play with the prisoners, and the nicknames they took from it
- Teaching acting classes and helping out with the San Quentin Drama Workshop
- Working on Lucky’s speech with handwritten notes by Beckett
- Why Alan started to focus more on acting
- The phone call that brought him out to LA to do television
- Looking for theatres to do work in LA
- The production of Trying as Francis Biddle with Cameron Watson and Rebecca Mozo
- Being involved in the early days of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, all the way to being in the film
- Knowing all the other artists in the theatre, not just the other actors
- What success has meant to him
- Mentoring young actors in the theatre
Selected People and Items Mentioned
- Gerrard Street in Toronto, where Alan’s family lived
- CKEY radio station, with Lorne Greene as newscaster before he was an actor
- Journey to Jerusalem, a Maxwell Anderson play, in which Alan played a Roman Centurion
- The Actor’s Workshop on Wikipedia and fuller history
- Jules Irving, co-founder of The Actor’s Workshop
- Herbert Blau, co-founder of The Actor’s Workshop
- Marines’ Memorial Theatre in San Francisco
- Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
- Katharine Ross, actress, and who worked as Alan’s secretary
- Roger Godeau—perhaps the inspiration for Godot? 😉
- Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape with John Hurt
- Hume Cronyn in Krapp’s Last Tape, that Alan worked on
- San Quentin Drama Workshop
- Robin Wagner, scenic designer
- Rick Cluchey, inmate and co-founder of San Quentin Drama Workshop
- Barry McGovern, actor
- Endgame with CTG
- Joe Papp, The Public Theatre
- M. Charles Cohen, screenwriter
- Dark Victory TV production with Elizabeth Montgomery and Anthony Hopkins
- Los Angeles Theatre Center (originally the Los Angeles Actors’ Theatre)
- Gordon Davidson, founding artistic director of CTG
- Trying at the Colony Theatre, directed by Cameron Watson and with Rebecca Mozo
- Constance’s speech about grief from King John
- John Cameron Mitchell, director/creator of Hedwig and Shortbus
- Jon Robin Baitz, playwright
- John Iacovelli, scenic designer
- Ann Roth, costume designer
Alan as Lucky in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
Alan as Nagg in Beckett’s Endgame
Alan and Barry McGovern trailer for the 2016 Endgame, directed by Alan
Alan’s Acting Demo, including scenes from the 2012 Waiting for Godot, A Serious Man, the 2009 No Man’s Land, and the 2007 Trying.
Lucky’s Speech in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
[accordion clicktoclose=”true”][accordion-item title=”+ click to view/close the monologue” id=lucky state=closed]LUCKY
Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast heaven to hell so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labours left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt all other doubt than that which clings to the labours of men that as a result of the labours unfinished of Testew and Cunard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattmann it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labours of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation is seen to waste and pine waste and pine and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicilline and succedanea in a word I resume and concurrently simultaneously for reasons unknown to shrink and dwindle in spite of the tennis I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell to shrink and dwindle I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labours lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light the light the light of the labours lost of Steinweg and Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas by the rivers running water running fire the air is the same and than the earth namely the air and then the earth in the great cold the great dark the air and the earth abode of stones in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but not so fast I resume the skull to shrink and waste and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labours abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard (mêlée, final vociferations) tennis… the stones… so calm… Cunard… unfinished…
[/accordion-item] [/accordion]
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photos: as Estragon (Craig Schwartz); headshot: Daniel Reichert
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