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10 Questions with 10 Actors by Barbara Janice Kielhofer
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Actor #4: Gwynneth Bensen
n1. What made you realize you wanted be an actor? nnMy mom makes costumes and my dad was a director, and after growing up in that world, with all of its magical transformations and funny, outgoing people, how could I resist? Also, I was painfully shy, but I found that when I got up to pretend I was someone else, I didn’t want to disappear. I wanted to shine.nn2. What makes someone a New Yorker? nnA fast pace (why waste time?) and a fierce sense of pride (if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.)nn3. If you weren’t an actor what would be your ideal occupation? nnI think I’d like to be a shrink, or someone else who gets into people’s heads and analyzes their thoughts and behavior in order to help them. What draws a lot of us to acting is a fascination with human behavior and motivations.nn4. Who (or what) is your mortal enemy? nnProcrastination. But I’m so good at it! And hoarders is on!nn5. Movies or theatre? nnGotta go with theater, even though it can be extremely expensive and insular. Movies reach millions of people all over the world, while sometimes it can feel like theater is only reaching other people who make theater. Can’t beat that magic, though. The electricity of events unfolding right in front of you. People channeling spirits and making the air thick with raw human emotion. You just can’t beat it.nn6. Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional? nnTony, founder of Tony’s pizza. What would I do without you?nn7. What’s your favorite vice? nnCheeseburgers. I mean, there’s protein, right? So it’s not all bad…nn8. What do you hate most about living in New York? nnLack of leg room. And a scarcity of growing things. It sure would be nice to have a little more space, maybe with a patch of grass, dare I dream for a garden?nn9. If age, type, or gender were no issue what would your dream role be? Coalhouse Walker from Ragtime. Epic, epic role. He spans the entire spectrum of human emotion over 2 acts. And he sings amazing songs.nn10. If you could give one piece of advice to yourself at the age of 12, what would it be? nnStart growing a pair now. You’re gonna need ’em.n
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You can catch Gwynneth in Apothecary Theatre’s latest production How I Learned To Become A Superhero, playing April 4 – April 27 at T. Schreiber Studio’s Gloria Maddox Theatre.
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For more information go to www.apothecarytheatrecompany.org
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