10 Questions
Take Ten - MATTHEW RAUCH
He's playing a killer, but when he talks about what a blast he's having, he somehow seems like kind of a sweetheart. MATTHEW RAUCH seizes the crown as everybody's favorite villain in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's new production of Richard the Third through March 10. He talks favorite parts, favorite actors and what you do when you're playing Cassio and forget that fatal handkerchief -- all in this week's Take Ten.
1) What was the first show you ever saw, and what impact did it have?
I grew up in Manhattan and I'm lucky enough to have parents who took me to the theater often, so I saw lots of great productions when I was a kid. Two that stand out are the original cast of A Chorus Line and True West with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. The first made me understand the power of performance and the magic of theater, the second was my first experience seeing great actors up close and watching them dive deep. It was very intense and I loved it.
2) What was your first involvement in a theatrical production?
I played the Emperor Augustus in a 5th grade production about the history of Rome. My mom made me a toga. I didn't do a another play until the end of my freshman year in college. It was a student-written thing in which I played an EMT and had one line - 'People, she's alive!' It was hilariously bad and silly, but I had a blast. When I came back for my sophomore year I auditioned for the first thing I could - Brecht's In the Jungle of Cities - and got it.
3) What’s your favorite play or musical, and why do you like it so much?
My favorite Shakespeare is usually Macbeth, but these days it's Richard the Third, of course. (It's usually whatever play I'm working on.) I love Angels in America, Arcadia, Streetcar, American Buffalo, Amadeus, Book of Days, and Vanya. Denis O'Hare performing An Iliad a few years ago absolutely blew me away. There are some spectacular contemporary playwrights and directors I'd love to work with. Musicals - I love West Side Story and A Chorus Line and, yes, Hamilton.
4) What’s the worst day job you ever took?
I was a busboy in a lobster place one summer. It was hard work and I smelled like fish at the end of every shift. Thankfully it didn't last very long. But I learned a lot about teamwork, and it really made me appreciate people who work in restaurants.
5) What is your most embarrassing moment in the theatre?
I played Cassio in Othello and one night I went on to do the scene with Bianca and the handkerchief. About halfway through the scene I realized I didn't have the handkerchief in my pocket. Oof. The woman playing Bianca saved it - or we'd still be standing out there. I sent her a dozen roses.
6) What are you enjoying most about working on Richard the Third at Shakespeare Theatre Company?
Honestly, the people. I'm a big believer in collaboration and I try to encourage everyone to participate in the process. David [Muse, the director] feels similarly; he's a wonderful leader and he's put together a terrific room. It's a very big company full of smart, generous, incisive, deeply talented people - and while the work is rigorous and difficult, we've been having a blast. We laugh a lot. Having the opportunity to dive into a role like this is a dream, and doing so surrounded by people I respect and enjoy and can learn from makes it even more rewarding.
7) Other than your significant other, who’s your dream date (living or dead) and why?
When you're doing a Shakespeare play there's really only one answer to this. Besides him – Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Ada Byron, and Miles Davis.
8) What is your dream role/job?
This is pretty damn close. It might sound trite, but it's true. I suppose the absolute dream version is doing it in New York, so I can sleep in my apartment.
9) If you could travel back in time, what famous production or performance would you choose to see?
Richard Burbage's Macbeth, Richard Burton's Hamlet, and the entire original company of Streetcar. Not necessarily in that order.
10) What advice would you give to an 8-year-old smitten by theatre / for a graduating MFA student?
To the eight-year-old I would say follow your dreams but don't drop out of school no matter what. And I would try to remind the graduating MFA student that the MFA is only the first step in a long journey. The real education happens when you start working. Sometimes I wish I could go back to some of the jobs I had as a younger actor and ask more questions of the very wise and experienced people I was working with. It's a long road, it can be a tough business, and it's easy to be distracted – stay focused and keep learning. Oh, and don't forget to have fun. Because if it isn't fun you should be doing something else.
MATTHEW RAUCH returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company in the lead role of Richard the Third after previous STC roles as the Dauphin in Henry V and Malcolm in Macbeth. His Broadway credits include Junk, The Merchant of Venice, and Prelude to a Kiss. He received the Callaway Award for his role as Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi at The Red Bull Theater and the Connecticut Critics Circle Best Actor Award for Macbeth. In addition to the above accolades, Matthew has been cast in other Renaissance dramas: Shakespeare in the Park: The Winter’s Tale; Red Bull Theater: The Revenger’s Tragedy, and Edward the Second, as well as appearing in Henry V with National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. Matthew appeared as Clay Burton on four seasons of the Cinemax series Banshee, in recurring television roles on Chambers, Blue Bloods, NCIS: New Orleans, Shades of Blue, Believe, and Treme, as well as on Seven Seconds, Bull, The Good Wife, SVU, The Blacklist,and Law & Order. He has also appeared in the films The Wolf of Wall Street, The Tale, Daddy, Labor Day, and No Reservations. He has appeared on stages at Hartford Stage, Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Long Wharf Theatre, and Repertory Theater of St. Louis.
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20009
+1 202-337-4572