What makes “home” to you? It is where you grew up? Or is it where you raise your family now? Or is it simply where the heart is? The need for home and the quest for a sense of belonging is one that impacts virtually every human being the world over. This month, Stories on Stage is exploring the search for home in a performance of readings titled Far Away from Home.
I had the opportunity to speak with all of the actors that will be reading for this months Stories on Stage. I had two simple questions; What makes a home for you? And what do you to when you travel to make it feel like home?
The first reading in this three-reading performance will be The Lower River written by Paul Theroux and read by Jonathan Nichols – who you most likely will know from theatrical performances all over the country and television appearances that include Without A Trace, The West Wing, Friends, Judging Amy, NYPD Blue, and Becker. What makes a home for Jonathan Nichols? “First is peace and love, make it a sacred space… I think surrounding my physical space with furnishings that bring me joy and a sense of harmony is also important. Lastly, dogs….lots and lots o’ dogs.” Nichols, much like many actors, has traveled all over, and when he travels he also does his best to make his location feel like home. “I brought photos and we spoke every day…several times.”
The second reading, titled The Third and Final Continent, written by Jhumpa Lahiri is being ready by Shishir Kurup. You may know Kurup from his performances on Surface, Heroes, Numbers, Monk, Six Feet Under, and The West Wing (and many others.) Kurup is also the winner of the California Arts Council award for his adaptation of Merchant of Venice, which deals with Hindu/Muslim tensions.
Kurup has an international perspective on making himself a home, having been born in India and raised in East Africa. Now, as an American, he is able to surround himself wherever he goes to make himself a comfortable home. “Most importantly is the presence of my daughter and her toys, pictures and little shoes as well as drawings. And lots of photos of my childhood homes and friends and family, both biological and culled. Also I am a musician and no home of mine will be complete without at least five guitars and several percussion instruments lying about.”
Kurup, of course, has always been away from home, so it is interesting to find out how he’s able to find comfort when away from his family. “I left India and I was heartbroken and I left Africa and I was heart broken and I now live in LA and am heart broken when I leave. But so far I get to return, and when I do it is like breathing familiarity again. I don't do anything to make the other places like LA because there is no place like LA.” However he does always have a picture of himself and his daughter with him, and that certainly makes the time spent away from home a bit easier.
Lastly, the third piece in this weekend’s Stories on Stage is titled Foster, written by Claire Keegan and read by Rachel Fowler. Fowler is a very well known local actor with several New York Credits. She most recently appeared in the Lion in Winter at The Arvada Center, and was the 2009 Ovation Award winner for Best Actress for her performance in Curious Theatre Company’s Rabbit Hole.
Fowler is a seasoned traveler, having never been in the same place for more than five years at a time. Though she did live in the New York area for almost 11 years – she moved around from Manhattan to Queens to New Jersey, so it is always important for Fowler to make herself a home. The main solution in making a home for her? “My family. I still refer to my parent’s house as my home, as well as my own house.” Though, when Fowler travels, she does always bring her pillow, bedding, and towels from home, having worked extensively in regional theatres. Those items and her personal Ganesh statue help to bring Fowler comfort while traveling.
Stories on Stage will be presenting these three fantastic actors reading three short works of fiction about finding home. Far Away from Home has two performance this Saturday, March 19th at 1:30 and at 6:30 at the Denver Civic Theatre. This is the perfect weekend to catch a Stories on Stage performance and start thinking about what makes your house a home. Home is a place, ultimately, that’s found in the heart.
Stories on Stage presents
Far Away From Home
Home is a place, ultimately, that’s found in the heart.
Saturday, March 19
1:30 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Denver Civic Theatre,721 Santa Fe Drive.
Tickets $25
Online at www.storiesonstage.org or by phone at 303-494-0523
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