UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, December 9.1993
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and they came from KU
By Liz Klinger
Kansan staff writer
Next July, Trey Hohman, Topeka freshman, will leave behind the geographic calm of Kansas for the sights and sounds of New York. He will trade his room in the Sigma Nu fraternity house for an apartment on the upper west side of America's most infamous metropolis. He will bid farewell to the departments of theatre and film and music and dance for a highly competitive program in which outcomes are uncertain.
Jack Wright, professor of theatre and film, said the life of a performing artist was extremely demanding.
And he will do whatever else it takes for a slice of the limelight on Broadway. Hohman is one of many students and alumni who have left the University for one of the most unstable careers in the United States — life as a performing
"It's really a career that demands a lot of personal discipline and a lot of determination to stick it out," Wright said. "You've got to want to do that and nothing else. Not everybody's sugar is cut out to do that."
Becoming a triple threat
Of about 10,000 people who auditioned last year for the American Musical and Dramatics Academy in New York. Hohman was one of only 75 people accepted into the program and one
artist.
But five alumni and Hohman seem to have the right "sugar" for such a career.
of three chosen while a high-school senior. Hohman did three auditions, consisting of a monologue and two songs, for the academy in Kansas City, Mo., Dallas and New York.
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Hohman said that he had viewed the auditions as practice and that he had not expected to be selected by the academy.The academy usually accepts older students who have more experience,he said.
The auditions took place in the spring, and it was not until August, on the day before Hohman would leave for the University, that he found out that he had been accepted. But the academy allowed him to enroll as late as next July, so he decided to study at the University for one year.
During the first week of classes,
Trey Hohman KU freshman
Roger Nolan
Commercial and television actor
1977 graduate
Hohman auditioned for and earned a leading role as Sam Bick in University Theatre's production of "Assassins." Hohman's days were filled with acting, modern dance and composition classes and jazz choir. For six weeks, many of his nights were rehearsal with the cast of 19.
"Within the school, it is just incredible, the things that people know." Hohman said. "There's just so many things you can learn. I've become a better performer this last semester, working with these people on a day-to-day basis."
Hohman's schedule at the academy will consist of theater-related classes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There he will hone his acting, dancing and singing skills to become what is known in theater as a "triple threat."
"You can't be a prima donna," Hohman said. "You can't have that attitude. You've got to be willing to work hard."
The commercial man
If you bumped into him at the supermarket, you might wonder, "Haven't seen him somewhere before?" The 6-foot, 145-pound mystery man who has a cap of curly black hair, an effortless smile and a prominent nose looks familiar, yet you have no idea who he is.
The answer lies in TV commercials. Roger Nolan has appeared in at least 100 since he graduated from the University.
"I'm kind of like every guy," said Nolan, who now lives in Hollywood. "I have a generic look. I'm not too good-looking. I'm not too character. Probably you have seen me many times but gone right on by."
Of the commercials in which Nolan has appeared, many may remember him lathering up in a Coast commercial in the mid 1980s. It was a unique source of recognition.
A few years later, Nolan starred as a representative of Gulf Oil in a series of commercials, which gave him notoriety in areas where it was frequently shown, such as Atlanta. In that role, special effects made one of Nolan's fingers look like a fuel injector that squirred gas and a finger on his other hand look like a piston. Joining those two fingers caused an explosion.
"Everybody kept saying, 'I saw you naked in the shower,' he said.
Nolan said, "I just had to act like it was an everyday experience to have your hand exploding.
"I must portray a friendly person because that's what I get a lot. Sometimes I play kind of a hapless character. I play a lot of kids and doctors."
People can see me, and I don't get overexposed."
Another memorable commercial, which was shown during the 1991 Superbowl, was for Budweiser. In the $1.8 million commercial, Nolan portrayed a man who sat at a bar with magazines in front of him. The magazines featured photos of well-known professional football players of today and years past who peeled themselves from the pages to engage in a football game on the bar. During the game, they ran on a surprised Nolan's arm.
"I sat in the same position for two days," Nolan said. "I couldn't move. They had to animate these things over me."
Nolan is working on Alamo Car Rental's first national TV commercial, which will be shown in mid-January during the third quarter of Superbowl XXVIII. The 90-second spot begins with a couple, the Sedgewicks, who see an Alamo commercial that boasts that mileage is free and decide to drive across every mile in the United States. During the ad, which involves special effects, Nolan portrays Sedgewick. While driving across the country, Nolan will age 40 years, and at the end, he will play his own son.
"It itms silly I have to go into so much detail to explain a commercial." Nolan said. "But that's the way they are. Lots of special effects."
Commercials, as opposed to other types of performances, may not be glamorous, but they do offer perks, such as driving a race car for a motor oil commercial, Nolan said.
"Sometimes I go in and give the best audition I have ever given in my life, and I don't hear anything." Nolan said. "Sometimes I go in, and maybe I'm in a bad mood, and I'm just tired, and maybe I don't like the director. I'll do what I think is a bad audition, and they'll hire me. I don't understand it."
"It's clean and fairly honest and doesn't take a great deal of difficulty to do," Nolan said.
In addition to commercials, Nolan has appeared in episodes of "Seinfeld," "L.A. Law," "Night Court," "The Wonder Years" and "Doogle Houser." is appearances in feature films include "Sleepwalker," "Rampage" and "Iron Eagle." Most recently, he had a larger role in an NBC miniseries, "A Matter of Justice," which starred Patty Duke and aired in early November.
But, as is true with any type of performance art, nothing is guaranteed.
Rebecca Balding Television actress 1970 graduate
"There may be some good weeks or months, but there may also be some very lean ones," Nolan said. "It could be the next thing you audition for will make you a millionaire, or you could not even work for a year."
Anything but dull
In a well-known TV sitcom, she seduced Billy Crystal, became pregnant with his child, left him at the altar, deserted the baby, ran off with a cowboy, came back for the baby and discovered that Crystal had become a homosexual.
And so went the plot of KU graduate Rebecca Balding's off-and-on three-year stint on "SOAP," in which she portrayed Carol David and Crystal portrayed Jodie Dallas.
"That was probably the most fun I had out here," said Balding, who has lived in Los Angeles since 1976. "Billy Crystal is so sweet."
In January 1976, she moved to Los Angeles and was cast in a play within one month. Since then, she has had guest appearances on "Designing Women," "Family Ties," "The Rockford Files," "Barnaby Jones," "The Tony Randall Show," "Starsky and Hutch" and a recurring role on "Paradise." Balding appeared as a cheerleader in an episode of "Home Improvement" about three weeks ago.
Balding's life off-screen has been as interesting as the guest leads she's played on-screen. By the time she reached the University, Balding had lived in 23 cities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. It was performing in the theatrical productions that gave Balding a feeling of stability, she said.
The summer after graduating from the University, Balding toured Germany with a University production of "The Prime of Miss Jean Broadie." She then moved to Chicago, did several years of community theater and worked at an insurance agency as an underwriter.
Getting fired from the "Lou Grant Show" led to a short-lived career in horror films. She appeared as a reporter on the show but was replaced after the show's first several episodes. The producers thought that she looked too young and that there was not enough chemistry between her and one of the male reporters.
Balding had the lead in a horror film called "The Silent Scream." She described the film as a story about a college girl who went into the attic of a boarding house and encountered monsters.
Although a leading role in the horror flick "Boogens," filmed in Utah in 1814, did not garner her an Oscar, it did provide the basis for meeting her husband, James Conway, producer, writer and director.
Balding said she had been fortunate in her career.
"It all just kind of fell into place for me," said Balding, who lives in a two-
Sarah Terrell
Stage actress, dancer and singer
1990 graduate
story, five-bedroom house in the San Fernando Valley with Conway and their two children, Sarah and Kate. "You have to take care of yourself for television. You have to be on time and know your lines and don't bump into the furniture. You just do the best you can and work hard."
On the road again
Last week she was in Hatsburg,
Miss. This weekend it was Memphis,
Tenn. Monday it was Ruston, La.
Today it is Daytona Beach, Fla.
Life on the road as a performer is something that 1990 KU graduate Sarah Terrell takes in stride. She is a member of a cast of 25 touring in a Troikaright production of "City of Angels," which she describes as true American musical theater with the sound of a 1940s big band. The 30-week tour began Nov. 1 in Huntsville, Ala., and will conclude in May in Las Vegas.
Terrell is no stranger to performing on the road. In 1990, she took part in another national tour — Chicago's 3-D Production's "The Pajama Game." She also performed as a singer with American Hawaii Cruises in the summer of 1991.
Terrell said she lost a sense of home when touring. Although she is based in New York, Terrell said, she often seeks work outside the city. While touring, she does not keep an apartment in New York for financial reasons and relies on an answering service for messages. Terrell's mail is sent to Trikaright's main office in Maryland and forwarded to her once a week.
"It's a very nomadic life right now for me," Terrell said. "I'm living like a gypsy."
Terrell has a unique way of touring the cities she visits.
"I get on my rollerblades and explore whatever city I'm in," she said.
Terrell said she hoped to find an agent in New York and would like to see a resurgence of great American musical theater. She would like to play leading ladies who dance, she said.
"It may be a steady, slow climb for me, but it's going to happen," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to remember that when you're begging a homeless person for the dime back you gave for a subway token. That experience is one I won't forget."
No matter what happens, Terrell has no doubts about attending the University.
"I'm glad I stayed to get my degree," Terrell said. "Getting a theater degree at KU was not just theater or music. There were many other classes you take to broaden your horizons. Til
Joyce Castle
Opera singer and actress
1961 graduate
never regret staying five years there.
never regret staying five years there. "There seem to be a lot of KU alums in the city. It's great. It's a nice support system."
Patience was biggest strength
Who ever knew that Little Red Riding Hood eventually would become a giant on the New York opera scene? Joyce Castle knew.
In the second grade, she played the childhood character that visits her grandmother. Today, she is performing in the New York Metropolitan Opera production of "Rusalka."
"I have been extremely focused," Castle said. "I have been following my dream for so long.
After graduating first in her class from Baldwin High School, Castle ventured only 13 miles to the University, where she was cast in the first play of her freshman year.
"I practiced a lot. I can remember waiting for school to end so I could go home and practice. This is what I love to do. Mother never had to tell me to practice."
If she did not get enough of the performing fix during the school year, there were always the summers. She spent one summer performing in the state fair in Dallas, where she got to work with Shirley Jones. She also went on a United Service Organization tour of the Far East to visit the armed forces.
After earning a masters degree at Eastman School of Music in New York state, Castle found a job with the symphony in Syracuse as an artist-in-residence.
Castle began to receive grants, and she performed in Europe, moving to Paris in 1976. While in France, Castle appeared in opera houses and performed on Radio France. Six years later, she moved back to the United States.
"Then, everything took off," Castle said. "I was hired by a lot of people at the same time. All the stars seemed to be in the right place at the right time. My voice was ready."
Castle performed with the New York City Opera and was hired by the Metropolitan Opera in 1985.
"It took me a long time to get where I am," Castle said. "I'm not one of those overnight successes. I just kept at it. I knew early on that one of my strongest suits was patience. I've been working very hard. I mean non-stop since 1983.
"I believe in the power of music and theater, and I believe it's an important thing in life, and it takes it to a different level. Otherwise I wouldn't be in this business. If I can in any way do my
Kip Nevins Stage and television actor 1968 graduate
best up there and share with the audience, then that's my mission. I am a work in progress."
Happiest upon a stage
As a Prairie Village first grader, he made his theatrical debut portraying a whistling rabbit named Flossy.
It may have been awhile since Kip Nevins was in the production of "Peter Cottontail," but Nevins never has stopped loving the theater.
"The creative process of the theater is extraordinary," said Nevins, who portrays Drake, the butler, eight times a week in the off-Broadway production of "Annie Warrick."
Although the show, which opened August 9, has not made him rich or famous, portraying Drake has allowed Nevins to save the day in the show and to tell some good lokes.
"Unlike the guy who has to bounce books or wash cars or cut out rain-coats, when I go to work, I get to play." Nevs said.
As a student at the University, Nevins said, he was involved in productions including "Oliver," "Oh. What a Lovely War" and "Gypsy," in which Don Johnson, who attended the University for one year, played a newsboy. Nevins said studying theater at the University gave him the chance to perform roles beyond those that a student would be able to do professionally.
After serving in Vietnam, Nevins returned to Kansas but moved to California in 1971. While in California, he appeared in 10 feature films, including "Earthquake," and about 40 TV shows, including "The Bionic Woman" and "Marcus Webly." He also did some theater acting and began directing.
Nevins eventually tired of the commercialism of Los Angeles, he said, and moved in 1886 to New York. He did some television, soap operas and theater for a few years. Last year, he came to the University to direct the University Theatre production of "The Tempest."
Shortly before his role in "Annie Warbucks," Nevins worked on the TV feature, "Return to Lonesome Dove," directed by Mike Robe, also a graduate of theatre and film. Nevins recently had a guest role on "Law and Order."
Sacrifices and struggles aside, Nevins still is glad that he chose to be a performer.
“It's something that I've probably always wanted to do, and when I'm at work there's nobody happier than I am," Nevins said. "The problem with this as a career is the time between work. When I was young, those times didn't seem so debilitating."
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