ENTERTAINMENT

‘Then Came Each Actor’ comes to Centenary Stage

BILL NUTT
CORRESPONDENT

Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso are in love, and not just with each other.

The two performers, husband and wife in real life and professional collaborators for over 40 years, are passionate about theater. In particular, they cherish the tradition of classic theater, from the Greek tragedies to Shakespeare, Moliere, and the like.

Now they want to let others in on this love affair.

The result: “Then Came Each Actor,” a production by Kim and Occhiogrosso that will have its world premiere at Centenary Stage Company starting tonight.

The two will take the stage of the Edith Bolte Kutz Theater to relate stories about the great actors of the past, including Edwin Booth, Sarah Bernhardt, Sir Henry Irving, Sarah Siddons, Paul Robeson, Ellen Terry, and others.

Kim and Occhiogrosso will also enact scenes from plays made famous by those vintage thespians, including portions of “The Trojan Women” by Euripides and Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

Modern audiences might be surprised at what they learn about the acting techniques of the past, according to Occhiogrosso.

“We have an image of a fake, declamatory style of acting,” she says. “But when you read about these actors in their own words and in the reaction of people of the time, you realize that they were very natural in their performance.”

Kim adds that he has heard a wax recording of a performance by Edwin Booth, who died in 1893. “Yes, there are some rhetorical devices. But he was completely natural in his delivery. It could be done today.”

Occhiogrosso holds special reverence for Sarah Siddons, one of the great tragic actresses of the 18th Century.

In her memoirs, Siddons wrote detailed insights into Lady Macbeth that Occhiogrosso feels should be mandatory for anyone trying to play that character.

“We have so many stories about these actors,” Occhiogrosso says. “We’ve come to know them, and we want to pass them on to the audience.”

The two performers also pay tribute to Morris Carnovsky and Phoebe Brand, who they consider their theatrical mentors.

“Then Came Each Actor” (which takes its title from one of Polonius’ lines in “Hamlet”) grew out of Kim and Occhiogrosso’s experience in the late 1970s when they and the late Charles Bright founded American Players Theatre in Wisconsin.

“We thought that one way to introduce classical theater was to introduce audiences to the great actors,” Occhiogrosso says. To that end, Kim did a one-man show about the actors that she directed.

As part of that show, Kim and Occhiogrosso displayed theater memorabilia that they have accumulated over the years: signed playbills, photographs, writings, letters, and other mementos. “We found that people were fascinated by that,” Kim says.

In the same way, some memorabilia will be on display on the walls of the theater for “Then Came Each Actor.” “The idea is to immerse the audience,” Occhiogrosso says.

Kim and Occhiogrosso hope to give audiences a broader context to classic theater. They lament that this tradition is particularly lacking in America.

“We as Americans have no historical memory,” says Kim. “We’ve discounted the ones who came before us. We’re good at contemporary drama. But with the classics, we’re laughed at.”

Kim adds that the British have maintained that respect for the past. He cites Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Hellen Mirren as theater royalty for their commitment to the classical tradition.

But Kim and Occhiogrosso stress that “Then Came Each Actor” is less a criticism of the present as much as it is a celebration of the past. “This is our way of reminding audiences that there are people worth remembering.”

“Our goal is that the audiences have a delightful time with two actors who love the theater,” Occhiogrosso says. “We have stories to make you laugh and stories to make you cry. But mainly it’s about the importance of passing something on to the future.”

THEN CAME EACH ACTOR

WHAT: Performers Randall Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso share stories about actors of the past (from Edwin Booth to Paul Robeson) and the various ways they approached classic roles such as Lady Macbeth and Othello. This world premiere also includes a display of signed playbills, pictures, and other examples of theater memorabilia.

WHEN: April 10 through 26, performance schedule includes:

• 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fridays, April 10, 17, and 24

• 8 p.m. Saturdays, April 11, 18, and 25

• 2 p.m. Sundays, April 12, 19, and 26

• 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 15 (student matinee)

• 2 p.m. Wednesdays, April 15 and 22

• 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, April 16 and 23

WHERE: Edith Bolte Kutz (Black Box) Theater, David and Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown

TICKETS: $25 matinees and Fridays, $27.50 Saturdays. Discounts for seniors, students, and children under age 12. All seats $25 on Thursdays, two-for one when purchased at the door.

INFORMATION: 908-979-0900 or www.centenarystageco.org.