By THIRSTY
Robin Morse made her
Broadway debut at the age of 17 starring opposite Chita Rivera and Donald O’Connor
in the musical Bring Back Birdie.
During her career she has appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway productions,
including the original company of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation, the World Premiere of Lee
Blessing’s Patient A and the
award-winning Arena Stage production of Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa! (for which she was
nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress) and in film and on
television. Over the past twenty years, she has been teaching and coaching actors
and singers, and in 2011, she founded The Robin Morse Studio in New York City
to provide “an artistic environment built upon collaboration and support” for students
of all levels of accomplishment. In addition, she is on the Musical Theatre
faculty at Manhattan School of Music where she teaches acting.
Stay
Thirsty Magazine was very pleased to have the opportunity
to visit with Robin Morse at her studio in Manhattan for this Conversation.
STAY
THIRSTY: You made your Broadway debut at the age of 17 playing
opposite Chita Rivera and Donald O’Connor in the musical Bring Back Birdie. How did appearing in that production influence
your views of the theater? As you look back on those days, what advice do you
have for young actors when they encounter their first big break?
ROBIN
MORSE: Coming from a family of theater artists, I’d been
exposed to the theater my whole life, not only as the child of working
professionals, but also as an avid theatergoer and from years of my own
experience acting in school plays.
Bring
Back Birdie was my first professional theater
experience and influenced my views of the theater rather dramatically. Being
thrown into the big leagues at the age of 17, and working alongside a team of
theater veterans, I immediately developed a deeper appreciation and respect for
the hard work that the job requires.
The advice I would give to
young actors encountering their first big break would be… Enjoy it! Every single
moment of it. Stay humble and open to learning, from everyone around you. And refrain
from complaining. There’s that old expression, “If you want to hear an actor
complain, give him a job.” Count your blessings and remain grateful for the
opportunity. Make something of it, and come to rehearsals each day with the
attitude, “what can I contribute today.”
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| Robin Morse |
STAY
THIRSTY: Apart from being on Broadway and off-Broadway, you
have also appeared in film (First Wives
Club and A Woman Named Jackie)
and on television (Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
and As The World Turns). Does your
work as an actor change depending on the medium? Are you more comfortable
before a live audience or before the camera?
ROBIN
MORSE: I am for sure more comfortable in front of a live
audience, and I enjoy that process more, with weeks of rehearsal and the chance
to grow in a role. Also, there’s nothing like a live audience to work off of.
That being said, I can say that I grew more and more comfortable working on camera,
as I matured in my career. At first, I was so uncomfortable with the intimacy of
the camera, and all the crew being there, working sometimes 1-2 feet from you.
In addition, I disliked the fact that there were most times no rehearsals, so
you’d show up, wait around for hours sometimes and then you’d get a couple of
takes and that was that. As I said before, as I got older, I allowed myself to
approach it more as an opportunity to learn a new way of working, accepted it
as a different medium and embraced the challenge of it.
STAY
THIRSTY: You have studied and taught the Meisner Technique of
acting. How does it work and how has it helped you and your students?
ROBIN
MORSE: The technique’s foundation is based upon a series of
exercises called repetition, which teaches one how to truly listen and respond,
moment to moment. Through repetition, you begin to let go of the thinking mind
and begin to work off your impulses. As in life, we aren’t only listening and responding
to the “words” people say, but “how” they are saying it, so it’s really about
getting back to the basics, like when we were children, before we developed so
many of our defensive habits which defend us from truly listening and letting
things affect us. There’s a lot more to the technique beyond these exercises,
but it’s what’s at the heart of it. I had the great good fortune of studying
with William Esper and he, along with the training, changed my life. After two
years of study, I not only became a better actor, I became more awake, alive and
engaged as a human being.
In a nutshell, these
tools are used to help the actor become more engaged in what they’re “doing” in
the scene and helps focus their attention on something other than themselves,
forcing them to act from their heart and guts, rather than their head.
STAY
THIRSTY: You come from a famous acting family. [Her father is the Broadway, film and
television star Robert Morse and her mother, Carole D’Andrea, appeared on
Broadway and in film as a dancer.] Has it helped or hindered your career?
ROBIN
MORSE: I don’t think it’s hindered it at all, at least not
that I’m aware of. Has it helped my career…? I’m sure it hasn’t hurt at times,
maybe it gave me that extra edge when casting directors and directors knew
where I’d come from; however, as we all know, you’re not going to get hired on
the basis of your lineage when it really counts. It’s going to come down to
your talent. Period.
I was really driven from
a young age, took all kinds of classes and worked really hard. I never, for a moment,
depended upon my family’s history to get a job. I’m really proud of the success
I’ve had, as an actress, and can take pride in how hard I worked to get where I
did.
STAY
THIRSTY: Your mother eventually became an acting and singing
teacher and coach. You have followed in her footsteps with your own studio for
actors and singers. Has your mother influenced you in this work? What are the
differences between your methods and hers?
ROBIN
MORSE: My mother is a gifted teacher, and an equally generous
and gifted human being. She was originally a dancer, so she comes from a very
disciplined work ethic. She also studied with Stella Adler, so she has this
great combination of respect for language and text as well as experience with
storytelling through movement and song.
We are similar in that we
both teach with our hearts and are rigorous and passionate about teaching in
general. I believe the differences lie in how we approach the work, and what
tools we use based on our own individual training.
STAY
THIRSTY: How do you approach a student who has very little
talent but lots of ambition versus one with enormous talent but not much
discipline?
ROBIN
MORSE: I love working with students who are willing to grow, who
have a lot of drive and are interested in the process of hard work. I am not
very interested in working with students who are in the business to become a
star, with a sense of entitlement, no matter how talented they are. Most of my
favorite actors talk about how they always show up for the next job, no matter
how many awards they have acquired, open to learning and with a beginner’s mind.
I like actors who are scared and unafraid to admit it, because that’s where the
work can begin, when you’re just outside your comfort zone.
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| Robin Morse in Class |
STAY
THIRSTY: In addition to your private studio, you teach acting
at Manhattan School of Music’s Musical Theatre Program. How important is it for
students to be exposed to Broadway veterans early in their careers? What are
the benefits?
ROBIN
MORSE: I think it’s tremendously important and inspiring,
especially to hear from the ones who’ve worked hard to get where they are and
have experienced the highs and lows. I was a bit spoiled early on, working
rather consistently for several years into my mid- to late-twenties. It was
humbling for me, especially after being on Broadway so early on, to experience
a lull in my career. My ego was not too happy about it, but there was rent to
pay, so I had to humbly find a job other than acting for the first time since
I’d graduated high school, and it taught me humility. I’m very grateful for it.
STAY
THIRSTY: What three pieces of advice do you have for aspiring
musical theatre students?
ROBIN
MORSE: I have more than three, but I’ll try and whittle it
down.
The first one, of course,
is practice daily. Take classes and stay in shape, so you’re ready when the
opportunities present themselves.
Apart from that, I suggest
the following to all my students: Slow down, go to museums, read books, wander
around in nature and daydream, hang out with people other than actors, read
poetry, find a hobby, meditate, become a volunteer.
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