Acts and Answered; Bernie Cardell

July 11, 1:38 PMDenver Theater ExaminerDeb Flomberg

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Presenting: Bernie Cardell 

Acts and Answered

If you don't know the name Bernie Cardell, chances are you would recognize his face. He works at just about every theatre in town. He is a prolific director, an award winning actor, and a dedicated theatre patron.

So today, I present to you the first in a series I call Acts and Answered in which you get an insight into the minds of your favorite theatre personalities. You will get some tips about what to see, and where to go, and you will even get to learn a little something about the mind of an actor or director. If you have any suggestions about questions you would like answered, just leave a comment and let me know. I'll be sure to add the question to my next column.

Bonnie Greene, Cardell, and Haley Johnson in Run for your Wife
Photo by C. Smith 

 Deb: What is your favorite theatre to visit as a patron and why?

Bernie: I love going to the Miner’s Alley Playhouse in Golden.  Great space, great people, air conditioning, and great shows!  My other faves are Spotlight Theatre, the Firehouse, and Vintage Theatre.  The mid-level theatre (not true community theatre and not true professional theatre) is where you can find some of the most interesting and entertaining work being done these days.

D: What type of shows do you enjoy watching?

B: I see approximately 75 shows a year – and anything that is done well I enjoy watching.  My absolute favorite to watch is a great thriller, but they are so rare these days.  The most often produced are comedies and musicals, so I guess that is what I am seeing most of right now.  A great farce is often a killer to pull off, but when done well, will leave you on the floor, wetting yourself.  That’s my other favorite.

D: What makes a “good” show?

B: When I am directing a show, I always tell my actors the same thing:  “Have a good time on stage and the audience will have a good time as well.”  I think the audience can tell when that is happening.  If we’re having fun on stage, the audience can feel it.

D: What makes a “bad” show?

B: Actors who think acting is pretending as opposed to just being real on stage.  When an actor is “pretending” to be someone else on stage, it’s painful to watch.  When the actor is just being real and alive in the character, it’s exciting.

D: How can we get more people excited about live, local theatre?

B: The theatre community in Denver (which is HUGE) is some kind of best kept secret.  The general public at large does not know how much theatre is going on in Denver.  I think it is up to us (the theatre community) to continue to pull people into our shows that wouldn’t normally go.  We have to be ambassadors in that way.  Get someone to experiment.  If they enjoy themselves, they’ll come a second time and bring someone with them.
 
 

Cardell in Caught in the Net
Photo by C. Smith

D: What is your favorite play or musical?

B: Musical is easy.  The Producers.  I saw this show in New York with Nathan Lane and Mathew Broderick and I fell in love.  I would do anything (almost anything) to play Bialystock someday.
Play – that’s harder – ask me tomorrow and my answer will be different, but for now, I’m going to go with two choices.  For comedy, I’m going to go with Noises Off – which is the single most difficult play to produce and act in and is a joy to watch when done well. For drama, I’m going to go with When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?  This is Mark Medoff’s hostage drama that takes place in a small New Mexico diner and it’s absolutely riveting.  Again, ask me tomorrow, and you’ll get three different selections.

D: What does the average theatre patron not know about live theatre?

B: That most of your mid-level actors work for free or almost free.  We put in six weeks of time rehearsing a show at night – after working a day job – and then the show runs for four to six weeks.  We do it not for a paycheck or the possibility of a $50 stipend (which won’t even fill ONE tank of gas these days).  We do it because we love it.  We are passionate about it.

D: What have been your favorite roles?

B: 1)  John Smith in Run for Your Wife and Caught in the Net.  Audiences had such a good time with this farce (and the sequel) and that makes me happy. 
2)  Smudge (a pixie) at the Arvada Center in Mother Whimsy.  Doing theatre for kids is so rewarding.  
3)  Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.  This is one of the best comedic parts in the history of theatre.
 

D: What’s one movie can you recite line for line?

B: I adore the movieClue and can pretty much recite that one line for line.  It’s so silly.  The other movie I love (and on the opposite side of the spectrum) is Ordinary People.  Such great art.

D: Where can we see you next?

B: Up next, I’ll be playing Ira Stone in Spotlight’s comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor (running July 19 – August 16).  Then, I’ll be playing Juror #1 in Spotlight’s classic 12 Angry Men (running August 29 – September 27).  And then I’ll be directing the comedic thriller Murderers for the Vintage Theater (running all of October).