One of my favourite movies Mainly MarthaMartina Gedeck's title character tells her therapist that the mark of a chef's skill is their ability to make a simple dish. “Take salmon in a light basil sauce, for example,” she says. “Most people put it on the menu thinking it's no big deal, but it's difficult to fry or steam it just right, and get the right amount of salt and spices in the sauce. This recipe has no distractions, no design, no exotic ingredients. It's just fish and sauce. Fish and sauce.”
My earliest memories are filled with recipes, cooking, and being in the kitchen with my mother. I was happy on a sweltering summer Sunday, watching my mother, young and beautiful, clad only in a bra and slip, circle the stove like a graceful Tasmanian devil. She recites her steps to teach me how to fry a chicken so it doesn't burn or get too pink inside. It's as masterful, plain and simple as Martha's salmon. I am naturally fascinated by how she does it all so effortlessly. “Be in the kitchen, no distractions. That's how you feed people with love,” she says. she The ingredients are her love and dedication.
A few years later, in California, I was 22 and skinny, dangling on a rope and gazing at a tiny face looking up at me. I was an aerial web artist in a political circus, touring up and down the coast, playing an evil salamander monster who thrives on lies but is ultimately defeated. In our story, good tramples evil. I was having the time of my life. I answered an industry ad seeking fearless performers. “We will train you,” it said. Master Lu Yi told me I had the key ingredients. Moochie – My mother taught me to be brave. She taught me that openness is what it takes to fly. In six weeks of training, I learned to juggle five pins, walk on stilts up to five feet high, do gymnastics and tumbling. I put all my effort into it and, as my mother said, try not to get distracted.
Three years later, I'm playing Antonio. Twelfth Night At the Rhinoceros. Director Danny Chaillet is a genius, standing in the middle of the room. As he introduces the play to the cast, he tells them that the character of Malvolio has been cut from the script. “He's just one of the subplots,” Danny says. “I'm more interested in the love story.” He treats the play like a master chef, knowing what flavors to bring out, what to cut and discard. The result is exhilarating. I've learned that even Shakespeare can push the envelope if you know what you're trying to make. It's exhilarating to know that you're exactly where you should be. San Francisco feels like home. My friends are family.
I work part time as a waiter at Zuni Cafe, I'm still crazy about Shakespeare and I'm currently playing Oberon. A Midsummer Night's DreamIt's a very stressful environment, but I stay focused and immersed. Through long shifts and too many Judy Rogers roast chickens, I settle in and relax, and I start to observe the chefs and ask questions. I'm intrigued by the way salmon is roasted pink and flaky without burning, with a brown crust on the outside. I observe and I learn. I learn about cheese, oysters, Northern Italian cuisine, wine. I find joy in cooking for a large group of friends, in the evenings when time stands still and there's nothing else going on.
A few years later, I moved to New York. I attended Lincoln Center Theater's Director's Lab and now also hold the title of emerging director. New York is bigger, louder, and has a different vibe than San Francisco. I walked the streets with my headshot and resume. I got a job bartending at the West Bank Cafe, a theater hangout. Suddenly, my life was all about precision. A little sweet vermouth, whiskey, bitters. Cognac, orange liqueur, lemon juice. I got an agent. I auditioned for everything. I worked in and out of town for regional theater jobs. I cooked on the road. My whole life was one big workshop. I was balancing art and life.
A few years later, I'm starring in a film in London. The Scottsboro BoysThe West End has eight exhaustingly exciting shows a week. Every week, I have a traditional Sunday roast. Hawksmoor Spitalfields is my go-to. Beef pot roast, Yorkshire pudding, roasted vegetables, gravy, roasted garlic and onions. Watching the grey clouds and listening to the light rain makes me feel like I'm in heaven.
Fast forward to the present day and I was working in film adaptation in Pittsburgh. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. My solace here is finding Cutler's character. I had a great laugh with the brilliant George C. Wolf, our intrepid leader, and he focused my process as an actor in this moment: “Colman, allow yourself to be surprised by things and remain in the unknown. You've grown as such a good director, as a creator, that you see the big picture. You know the end result. Now I have to bring you back. To be surprised by what you're making. Go through the moment-to-moment.” That's exactly what I wanted to hear.
I'm currently rehearsing a play at the People's Right Theatre in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Dot. This is my first time directing this play. The morning is full of laughs and deep insight into the script and scenes. I introduce the cast to the world of theatre today: sets, lighting, costumes, sound. I have the cast tell the audience who will be performing. teethNot just as actors, assistant directors, playwrights, stage managers, but very personal. Who they are and how they got here. We want the ingredients for what we are going to create, which only they can provide. We hear the thunder, followed by the rain beating on the flat roof. We are in it. In the kitchen, putting all our love into it.
