Oeuvre Interview with Actor Scott Mallace and Director - Renegade ...

A STEADY RAIN
Backstage: “A Steady Rain” Interviews, Perspectives. Part One.
Dennis Kempton – Oeuvre Magazine – 04/16/2012
Renegade Theater Company opened A Steady Rain last Thursday at Teatro Zuccone.
The play, put on stage in 2007 and written by Keith Huff, is about two Chicago patrol
officers, lifetime friends, whose relationship is pushed to its limits by a shared
episode of violence. The play runs through next Saturday night. Below, questions
and answers with actor Scott Mallace and director Nick Violante, about the show,
about themselves and their craft, offering inside views into why they chose this
show and what went in to making it happen.
SCOTT MALLACE
Dennis Kempton: I think the danger zone of a play like A Steady Rain is the pitfall of
becoming the cliched good cop/bad cop story. But, this is a decidedly different
animal. What attracted you to the script and how did it come about that you got
involved with the show?
Scott Mallace: That it’s two guys, two friends on stage telling a story. It breaks
theater back down to the bare bones. And I love it. There is no bullshit with a show
like this, just realism acting, that’s all. Katy and Andy told me at the cast get together
for The Lieutenant of Inishmore that they were thinking of doing it this year. So I got
my hands on the script as soon as I could. Read it, loved it, and hoped it would work
out that I could be cast.
DK: How do you go about selecting the shows in which you are cast? What material
are you definitely NOT interested in?
SM: I do plays that, when I get done reading them, it affects me in some way. I have a
pretty thick skin so it takes a real gritty play to catch my attention. What material
am I definitely not interested in? Anything fluff.
DK: Should an actor try on everything or should they get feedback and narrow down
what they’re good at doing and stick with that, even if it means they spend less time
on stage?
SM: An actor should always be looking to try new things and play new roles–always!
But, the sad truth is that nine times out of 10 you are going to be cast as your type,
so I suggest you find what you’re good at, do it over and over again until it catches
someone’s eye and then use that confidence people have in you to try new things.

DK: You’ve played dark and abrasive characters on stage and you excel with that
theatrical identity. Is that a choice of material or does Scott Mallace inhabit that
state of mind natively?
SM: A little of both to be honest. Like I said before, the type of material I’m attracted
to is gritty and dark; nothing fluff. So since I’m drawn to that stuff, I think that it lives
in me a little.
DK: What was it like working with a first time director on such an intense show?
How much were you and Zach involved in the blocking and character development
of the show?
SM: I really believe that this show needs an actor to direct it, or at the very least, an
actor’s director. Nick was an actor before he started this show, and now he is an
actor’s director. Every moment of this play has been discussed by the three of us
over countless hours of rehearsal and even more beers after rehearsal. Nick made it
his job to make Zach and I feel as comfortable as possible and held us accountable
for everything we did with our characters. It truly has been a collaboration between
the three of us to make these characters come to life.
DK: Did you have any doubts about the format and subject matter of the show going
in? What’s your bullshit meter like for plays?
SM: Not one doubt. I loved it from day one and still do today. My “bullshit meter” has
had its use over the years, to say the least.
DK: What’s your process for inhabiting a character? Are you at all, as they say,
“method” and broody moody about “becoming” Joey, or is it something less or more
for you?
SM: I’ve learned all different styles of acting in college, but I was most drawn to the
Meisner way of acting, which I learned by being a teaching aid to Kelly Grussendorf,
which in its simplest terms, means ‘say the fucking words.’ I feel that many actors
put too much pressure on themselves and try wacky shit that gets in their way. If
you are on stage and put all your attention to the scene and the other actors on
stage, I find it happens without any thought. Acting is being and doing, not trying
and thinking.
NICK VIOLANTE
DK: First, and obviously…What attracted you to the script?
NV: What attracted me to the script was the writing. Scott came over to my place
one morning and we talked and bullshitted for about an hour. He then gave me the
script and said, “Read it!” I said I would and then he replied, “No, read it now!” I did

and I couldn’t put it down after the first few pages. After a couple hours. I finished
and sent a text to Scott saying that it was an amazing story. I love harsh, gritty,
pieces like this. Imperfect heroes. Life long friends now at a crossroads in their
relationship. Taking for granted what you once had until it’s too late. All that stuff.
He said they were looking for a director and I should ask about the position. I did
and got it. Red Letter Day.
DK: Tell me some about the casting choices. What were the things you were
specifically looking for and what did you definitely look out against when casting
your actors?
NV: The casting really came down to who could play opposite Scott. No way was I
going to do this without him. I needed someone who looked older and could match
that kind of talent. At first I had a few ideas, but it was Scott who told me about Zach
Stofer. After seeing Zach in The Sound of Music, I knew we had our guy. I had seen
him in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and enjoyed him in that very much. The first
scene Scott and Zach did together during the audition sold me completely. I was
really just looking for the physical presence and acting capability–people who I
could see in the part and work with.
DK: What are you finding is your directing “style”? Are you more table talk and
collaboration or do you have a vision in your head that you’d just like people to get
on board with?
NV: Im finding my directing style actually revolves very heavily around the table
work. With such a dialogue heavy show like this, it occurred to me that the actors
won’t truly be free to be able to “play” until they are off book. We spent a lot of time
getting to know each other’s acting styles and takes on the characters. Many nights
were spent learning lines and trying to get the top speed of those interactions. The
second half of the rehearsal was me trying to give another perspective on the
character that maybe they hadn’t thought of. I like collaboration very much because
then it feels like a whole vision, not just mine. I had some specific visions, but not
many. The vision that I really pressed for was the scene on the overpass when their
backs are to the audience and the red tail lights are fading in and out silhouetting
them. That was about it. Mostly I just kept pressing the actors to take the air out of
the performance and just say the line. Other than that, there was a lot of changing
my mind on things because of what other people brought to the table. And I don’t
feel like those were weak decisions, just that I was able to recognize the best idea in
the room.
DK: What were some of your challenges in realizing the show on stage?
NV: The challenges in realizing the show were figuring out exactly what to do in
terms of technical stuff. We had all these ideas in the beginning, but after a while,
they all faded away. We recognized what NEEDED to be on stage and trust the script

and the acting. It’s that old saying that goes something like, “There’s what I want to
accomplish, and what I can accomplish. God grant me the insight to know the
difference” The hardest part of the show was really the beginning and figuring ou
how to tackle this beast.
DK: What’s your favorite scene or exchange on stage between the characters?
NV: My favorite exchange is in the first act between Denny and Joey when they’re in
the car. The way they fight and makeup says a lot about the characters. It was one of
the first things we tackled as a team. It was the first moment I realized how we could
tackle this thing. It was one of the first moments we came together. All that
friendship and camaraderie really comes across on stage–moreso than I expected.
It’s become a key moment for me personally and within the play.
A Steady Rain is on stage at Teatro Zuccone, 222 East Superior Street next Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday with an 8 p.m. curtain.
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