An interview conducted with a friend of mine: Lisa Gavaletz (freelance stage manager who has recently worked at institutions such as NYU in their graduate acting program and The Julliard School). She has twenty-three years of professional experience. This interview was conducted in the Paul Walker Theatre where Lisa is currently working on a production of Tennessee William’s Vieux Carre.
RS: How did you get your start in the theatre?
LG: I thought I wanted to be an actor and I very quickly realized I was a terrible actor. Then, when I was in college, I had auditioned for something and I didn’t get cast and I was upset cause I didn’t get cast cause I thought I wanted to be an actor and the director said to me “Well, why don’t you assist our stage manger cause I’d like for you to be part of the show so why don’t you assist our stage manager and you can learn how things work backstage.” and I said “okay” and I found out that I really enjoyed it and I really liked being backstage—I could be in control. And after that first show, I still auditioned and I still never got cast so I kept stage managing. Then, when I finally did get cast in something, I was terrible and I hated it and I didn’t enjoy being onstage because by that time I really liked the backstage stuff and then I was lucky enough when I graduated college–I went to college in Trenton, New Jersey. When I finished college, I was lucky enough to be accepted to an internship at The Julliard School. So, I did an academic year internship and I got to assist a lot of different stage managers, I got to work with a lot of different really great actors cause a program like that is going to have talented people. And then, I started freelancing and that was in my internship—I don’t know if I want you to know how old I am—my internship was 1990 to 1991. So, but that is how I got started I wanted to be in the theatre and I thought I wanted to be an actor but I wasn’t.
RS: How long has this been an interest of yours?
LG: I have been a freelance stage manager for that entire time. I have been freelancing for twenty-three years now. Um, and there have been times where all I’ve done the entire year is stage-manage and there have been times where I’ve said, “I can’t do this anymore. I need to stop.” I’ve had other jobs, but I always come back. I always come back to theatre. My kind of “philosophy” is that as long as I can make—I’m never gonna get rich by being in the theatre. Very few people can do theatre and y’know, unless you get on a Broadway show that runs forever. But, my philosophy is that as long as I can make enough money to pay the bills—and go to Cyclones games.
RS: Of course (laughs)
LG: As long as I can do that, then I’m fine. But, yeah, it’s always, ever since I started, this is what I’ve wanted to do and I’ve been lucky enough that and I’m lucky enough to work—I mean, this is New York University graduate acting and design program. This and Julliard and Yale are considered the three top in the country. Not just on the east coast, but the three top in the country and I work at two of them, so it is really what I—and there are times that I go through phases. There are times that I’ve been unhappy and been like “I don’t want to do this anymore.” And then I’ll do a show that’s really really amazing. So, twenty-three years now–twenty-three years professionally.
RS: It was good, because you said that you had those productions that brought you back when you were—So, what would you say is your favorite production that you worked on and why? Hate to put you on the spot there (laughs).
LG: Well, different shows are memorable for different reasons, but if I were forced to choose something, it would be a show called “Nine Parts of Desire”. It was a one-woman show and it was the woman who wrote the play—It was autobiographical. It was about her and it was a very powerful show and it had to do with—Her background is her father was born in Iraq and moved here to the states in his twenties and she was born here and she does not look the traditional way you assume most Middle Eastern people look. She’s blonde haired and the play was about after September 11th of 2001—Her family in Iraq and all of a sudden the way that things changed. She and I became very good friends. That was probably the most fulfilling because it was her and me and the lighting board operator. We ran for eight months. Another really memorable one was right after my internship, so the summer of ’91. I was a production assistant, who is a very low man on the totem pole, for Othello: Shakespeare in Central Park. Raul Julia—the late Raul Julia—played Othello. Christopher Walken played Iago. But, because that was my first professional job after my internship, that was really really special to me as well. And then there have just been several shows over the years that I thought “Wow, I’ve had a really great time on this one.” But, if I had to choose, it would be “Nine Parts” because the actor and I were so close and it ran for eight months. It was one of those experiences that you’re like, “This is why I do theatre.”
RS: You said that that was very fulfilling. What aspect of your job do you find that you love the most—that is most fulfilling?
LG: That’s a good question. That is actually a good question cause it’s hard to answer. Most times, it is the relationship that I have with the actors. Although, sometimes when the play itself is really good, it’s exciting to work on something that you know people are gonna like. Although, there have been times when I’ve worked on a show and we’re like “This is great; everybody’s gonna love this” and then the critics hate it. I’ve worked in academic theatre a lot lately. For the past five years, I’ve worked pretty much only at Julliard and NYU and the most fulfilling aspect of that is working with actors who first of all everybody knows is talented and seeing them have success professionally. And, I think that is the most fulfilling. Just the relationship and being able to bring my experience of having worked for so long in the theatre to kind of help young actors—to give them advice sometimes. I had one actor fairly recently at Julliard who was always a little bit late to rehearsal and I took him aside and had a serious conversation with him. I said “You’ll get a reputation.” And, I’m not yelling at you. He actually really appreciated it because he was one of those guys that’s always late. And he said, “For the past three years at Julliard, all anybody did was yell and scream at him.” And he was on time then for a little while. So, me hoping to teach somebody something and then then them going out into the real world—when I’m working in academic theatre, that’s pretty amazing.
RS: Any advice for me?
LG: Advice to anybody who wants to–Is listen to everybody. I think it’s a great idea for anybody who wants to be an actor to learn what has to happen backstage. Here at NYU, it’s a three year graduate acting program. In their first year. They have to crew the third year show. I personally, as a stage manager, I think that’s invaluable.
RS: Could you see yourself doing anything else besides this?
LG: In all honesty, after all this time, not really. After you’ve done something for twenty years that involves meeting new people— But, in terms of “do I want to be a doctor?” Oh god, no. I say to anyone interested in anything in the arts. If it works for you, wonderful, but if it doesn’t, at least you can say you tried it. I didn’t want to be one of those people who said “Wow, I really wish you could have tried.
RS: Great, thank you for your time.
