Acts and Answered: Linda Suttle

August 4, 10:33 AMDenver Theater ExaminerDeb Flomberg

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Linda Suttle with Patrick Collins in Longmont Theatre's
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Acts and Answered with Linda Suttle

For this week's Acts and Answered I spoke with Linda Suttle. Linda has been a force in the Denver Theatre Community for years, and she is definitely well know by actors and directors all over town. She's recently been seen in Falsetto's with Next Stage. She was brilliant as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and she won the Colorado Backstage Award for Best Supporting Actress in a comedy for her role in Theatre Company of Lafayette's Sabrina Fair. She is also a very talented director and has worked with just about every actor in town. Here, Linda talks about her favorite shows, the theatre's that she likes to visit, and what her favorite roles have been.

Q.What is your favorite theatre to visit as a patron and why?
A.My favorite theatre to visit is probably Town Hall Arts Center, it’s kind of my home base, I’ve done more shows there than anywhere else, and I enjoy the space, the folks that I know there, (although, there has been a fair amount of turn over in the last year or so) and the quality of the productions is almost always very good. It just feels like home to me.

Q.What type of shows do you enjoy watching?
A. I enjoy watching all different types of shows. I love musicals (tho’ I’m pretty tired of the old chestnuts; Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, Grease, South Pacific, YUCK)  I also love a really well written play, dramadies are probably my favorite, a good amount of humor combined with a dark or serious plot, I absolutely loved, ie: ‘Some Girls’ at The John Hand last year was wonderful.

Q.What makes a “good” show?
A. As far as what makes a good show, I love when I get just carried away by a show, the performances that make you forget that you are sitting in the dark in a theatre just watching. I can think of several examples, most recently Jekyll and Hyde produced by  PerformanceNow Theatre Company at the Lakewood Cultural Center,  Boys Next Door, produced by Vintage Theatre Company, Laughter on the 23rd Floor produced by Spotlight Theatre Company at The e-project theatre, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf Produced by Paragon Theatre Co. at The Phoenix Theatre last year.  I think what gives a show that ability to just sweep you away is a combination of a wonderful, perfectly cast actors, and a director that guides the actors to be the best that they can be. I think some directors can get on an ego trip, and not let their actors contribute to the process. That is a big mistake. In the shows that I’ve been privileged to direct, the best things come from an actor taking a risk and feeling comfortable enough to try things.

Q.What makes a “bad” show?
A. I think ‘bad’ shows are shows that are terribly written. It doesn’t matter how good your actors are, if the play is not well written, it’s pretty hard to salvage anything.  I also think a lazy or incompetent director can be death to even a good show. You can just tell when the director hasn’t really put in much thought by what you see in everything from the casting to the blocking, to the way the performers relate to each other, it’s pretty obvious.

Q.What is your favorite play or musical?
A. I think my favorite musical of all time is Les Miz, followed closely by several others. My favorite play, boy that’s a little tougher, I like so many for so many different reasons.  I think my favorite play to perform was in Torchsong Trilogy

Q.What does the average theatre patron not know about live theatre?
A. I think the average theatre goer doesn’t have an understanding that memorizing lines is the least most important thing for an actor.  (Well maybe not the least important, just in case any of my cast of 12 Angry Men read this.)  It just cracks me up that at every talk back I’ve ever participated in, someone asks ‘How do you memorize all those lines?’  It’s just funny.

Q.What have been your favorite roles?
A. I have been so lucky to have been cast in several terrific roles in the last couple of years. Probably my favorites are Mamma Rose in Gypsy, Queen Eleanor in Lion in Winter, Ma Beckhoff in Torchsong Trilogy, Dr. Charlotte in Falsettos and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

   Q.Where can we see you next?
A. My next project will be directing 12 Angry Men, a Spotlight Theatre Co production at The John Hand Theatre, opening August 29th.  Closely following that opening, I will be directing Night Watch a really terrific thriller for The Evergreen Players.  Auditions are coming up by the way!  August 10 from 5:30 to 9:00, folks can just go to www.evergreenplayers.com, for more info.

Q.What’s one movie can you recite line for line?
A. Hmmm, well definitely Waiting for Guffman, Also, Steel Magnolias, and Forrest Gump.