BWW Exclusive: Preview of INSIDE ACT: HOW TEN ACTORS MADE IT AND HOW YOU CAN TOO- with John Tartaglia!

Why do some actors make it and others don't? Ken Womble sets out to find the answer to this question, one that has fascinated and tormented him for years, in his new book, INSIDE ACT: How Ten Actors Made it and How You Can Too (Hansen Publishing Group, 373 pages, $24.99). To celebrate the release, BroadwayWorld will be featuring chapter previews from the new book. Today, hear from John Tartaglia!

INSIDE ACT: How Ten Actors Made it and How You Can Too identifies what sets successful actors apart. For Womble it's about the inner choices, the inside acts of working actors acts that have propelled them to thriving careers in one of the most competitive professions on the planet.

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JOHN TARTAGLIA

John Tartaglia created and starred in Disney's Johnny and the Sprites, (Daytime Emmy nomination) and made his Tony award nominated Broadway debut in Avenue Q (Princeton and Rod). Other Broadway credits: Lumiere-Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio-Shrek the Musical. Over ten seasons and multiple guest appearances on Sesame Street. Other television: Ugly Betty, The Today Show, and several other children's series. Upcoming film: Silent But Deadly. John is a recipient of the Theatre World Award, Backstage Award, a Broadway.com Award and more. He is a frequent guest of the New York Pops. In one of the highlights with the Pops, he conceived, hosted and directed Jim Henson's Musical World at Carnegie Hall. Resident director of Avenue Q Off Broadway. Some directing credits include Shrek at MUNY, and the World Premiere of the musical Because of Winn Dixie, written by Nell Benjamin with music by Duncan Sheik.

Other current projects include: theatrical show ImaginOcean-played Off Broadway and an international tour under option for TV with The Jim Henson Company; shows with both Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruise lines, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, Dramatic Forces and more.

Never Fall for "You Have To"

[The following is an excerpt from the John Tartaglia chapter in Ken Womble's INSIDE ACT: How Ten Actors Made It-And How You Can Too. It is available as a paperback and as an ebook. The entire John Tartaglia chapter is available as a separate ebook.]

Ken Womble: Avenue Q was your first Broadway show. At the time were you in the mindset of "I'm going to continue with puppetry and go that way" or "I'm going be a Broadway musical performer?" How did those two worlds meet?

John Tartaglia: I'd always wanted to do both. One of the composers of Avenue Q and Rick Lyon, who was my co-star in the show, knew that I had a musical theatre background as well as puppetry so that's why they thought of me. It was kind of kismet. I mean it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing, a show that lined up so perfectly with the two things I love to do.

KW: You were asked to be in Avenue Q long before it actually made it to Broadway. Was there a long workshop process for that?

JT: It was kind of drawn out. You know, we never had a formal, formal workshop. We did a glorified reading at the O'Neill Center. We did years and years of readings and invited gatherings and things like that. So it was always in the process, but it wasn't really until we did the Off Broadway production that we had an actual on-its-feet production.

KW: Early on, did you expect Avenue Q to reach the heights that it did? Did you see something there?

JT: Oh God, no! No, no, no, no. Every step of the journey was always a surprise and kind of "I can't believe that we're going to go there now and do that." I mean we hoped that we would maybe get a little Off Off Broadway run. We never thought we'd even be Off Broadway. We always called it "The Little Show That Could" because it was this little, teeny show out of nowhere that kept growing and growing.

KW: Your roles as Princeton and Rod earned you a Tony nomination for Best Actor. Was that a big turning point in your career?

JT: Oh absolutely, absolutely. I mean it changed everything. And that was another thing that was hoped for, but I didn't expect. And from an actor point of view, doing something so different that could've been looked at as less than...it was nice to be acknowledged for that work. So it was actually a huge compliment and a huge surprise at the same time.

KW: For the show to make it to Broadway and then run for six years clearly it connected with audiences. What was it about it that connected so well?

JT: There are the puppets, there are a lot of different things people love about it, but I think the thing that universally appeals to people is the search for who you are and the whole sense of finding your purpose.

And I think that you don't have to be twenty years old like Princeton to understand that. I think that everyone, even people later on in their lives, are still looking for what they're really supposed to be doing. And I think that journey is what people love.

KW: Has training played a significant role for you? Or has most of your training been on the job?

JT: Most of it's been on the job. I definitely learn the most by watching and doing. So sometimes going to a piece of theatre and watching the actors and understanding what they're doing and how they're relating to an audience and how they're getting the audience on their side-those are big things. And sometimes just being on the job and doing it.

I had some great voice and acting teachers, but I think you can only teach someone up to a point all the technique and all the rules. And then you have to take it yourself, fly with it, and make it your own-or keep looking for somebody to tell you how.

This is one of the only businesses in the world where there are no rules. It's just being at the right place at the right time and making a choice that works for you. I find that the people who are most successful are the people who jump. They take the risk and hope that it pays off.

KW: Can you give me an example or two of when you've jumped?

JT: Well, I think number one would probably be moving to New York City. I mean that was a huge risk at eighteen. I had a full scholarship to the University of Maryland, but I had an opportunity in front of me with Sesame Street. Many people were saying, "Do it, this is a great opportunity," and many people were saying, "Play it safe." And you know, I knew that I would regret not taking the opportunity if I didn't.

The other example was when I left Avenue Q. It was a role that was very much identified with me. I had work. I had security. But I felt that I wanted to take the risk of leaving and leaving while I still loved the show, not when I started to resent it. There were a lot of people who said, "What are you doing? You have a hit show." I just knew that if I didn't jump and go for it maybe the other things I wanted to achieve, I wouldn't.

Sometimes it's just trusting your own instincts and making a decision for you, not because it's worked for someone else in the past but because it's what's going to be best for you.

Penny Luedtke: Agent

Ken Womble: When you first met John Tartaglia what was your impression of him?

Penny Luedtke: I loved him from the minute I met him. He was adorable. He had incredibly wonderful energy-he still does. Just a completely open personality, accepting, and he's like a sponge wanting to learn and grow and constantly working, always working. I mean he was always doing something with his creativity. He wouldn't sit still.

KW: John told me that the most successful people are people who jump, who take the risk.

PL: That's right.

KW: Do you have an example you can share from your experience with John about that?

PL: Gosh, I mean there are a lot of them. He really worked as a puppeteer from a very young age, and he was in the first group of people developing Avenue Q, and he had to make a decision whether he was going to go to the Eugene O'Neill and be paid $500 maybe for the entire time or continue the season on Sesame Street. So, I mean if you look at what you get paid to be on Sesame Street as a performer on television versus a $500 stipend, what would most people do? He didn't. He went into Avenue Q.

The two of us sat and talked about it and said, "You can play it safe and be in Sesame Street for the rest of your life"-because people do-"or you can jump and take this new experience." We both thought it was a terrific show, and we thought it was worth taking the risk. You know, when you look at what performers have to do every day, weighing one choice against another, it's tough. You decide, "Okay, we'll pass on that one or we will do this one." And you never know if the one you passed on is going to be the next Broadway hit or not.

KW: Avenue Q started Off Broadway, then moved to Broadway where John was nominated for a Best Actor Tony. Then the play won the Tony for Best Musical in 2004. It's quite a Cinderella story. What part did John play in the huge success of that show?

PL: He did absolutely every single publicity opportunity that was suggested. He never slept. He was out selling the show whether it was on the street or at malls or whatever. I think that really helped define the show. Really helped get people in.

KW: Was Avenue Q a turning point in John's career?

PL: Oh, it was the turning point. I mean to anyone who gets to do a leading role on Broadway that's a turning point in their career. Period. But in a new work, I mean, it gets the most immediate press and if it's successful it continues.

KW: What would you say are some of John's best qualities as a performer?

PL: He's gracious and giving and caring and he's a doll and a dream to work with because of that. He's a team player. He's compelling and he's charismatic and he's fun and he's interesting. And even when he's doing a play that's dark material, it just hits you as being real. It's not "acting," it's instant. And to me that's the art of being an actor.

KW: One of the things that strikes me is how well he seems to connect with audiences.

PL: Oh, yeah. When he was doing Avenue Q, and still today, people would call and ask him to host birthday parties and pay enormous amounts of money to be the MC for the evening. He's "good in the room," you know. He makes people feel at home. He's a performer; he's an old-fashioned entertainer.

Michael Einfeld: Manager

Ken Womble: Let's talk about John Tartaglia who you represent. When you first met, what was your impression?

Michael Einfeld: Well, I saw him in Avenue Q before I even met him and thought he was fantastic. And when I met him, he was just an absolute doll. I mean it's hard not to fall in love with him.

KW: What was it about him on stage that you connected with?

ME: I think his work is honest. He has an incredible charisma and he's funny, but you believe it. You don't feel like anything is being manufactured. He's so appealing and emotionally available.

KW: What are some of his other qualities as a performer?

ME: He's entertaining. But he'll surprise you. I've started putting him in stuff that's more serious. He's got a level of emotion that you would not expect.

KW: He was a puppeteer and an actor on Sesame Street. What effect do you think that experience had on him as a performer?

ME: Working on Sesame Street you certainly have to learn to work with other people. I think it's probably a show without ego because the puppet's really the star, not you.

KW: How much of a turning point do you think Avenue Q was in John's career?

ME: It was a huge turning point. He was nominated for the Tony! And it took him out of being a puppeteer into being an actor. And it gave him some recognizability.

KW: Did that change his status, help him to get into some doors?

ME: Absolutely. After you're nominated for a Tony, they have to at least find out what else you can do. I'm trying to transfer him into now doing adult material as an actor. He just did a movie called Hotel Arthritis [later renamed Silent But Deadly] where he's like Norman Bates from Psycho a little bit, Scream meets Clue. And he's the lead in that.

And he did a play out here called The Temperamentals which was done in New York Off Broadway. It's got some funny stuff in it, but it's also got some very serious stuff. It deals with some of the fights for gay rights back in the '40s and '50s.

KW: And, as you know, in addition to acting he writes and produces: Johnny and the Sprites for Playhouse Disney and ImaginOcean, an Off Broadway musical. Not all actors have the ability or even the desire to wear all these hats. What do you think this says about him?

ME: He can multi-task, he's multi-talented. You're right; some people do just one thing. He's an artist; he's a creative force. And that just takes many forms. He's also smart. You have to be smart to do all those things, too.

And the truth is producing sometimes takes him away from that. There are times when he's not available for acting gigs that would be good for his career because he's in the middle of producing things.

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Ken Womble interviews actors Debra Monk, Eric Ladin, Krysta Rodriguez, Tony Yazbeck, James Earl, Gary Beach, John Tartaglia, Robert Clohessy, Jose Llana and Richard Portnow about their inside acts, the important choices of their acting careers. The interviews explore the intriguing journeys that have led these actors to successful careers, and to Tony, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards, the most prestigious acting awards in theater and television.

Actor interviews are followed by interviews with two of each actor's success team, the agents, managers, directors and coaches who know them well. Womble then identifies the actor's most frequently used actions, skills and beliefs the keys to each actor's success.

INSIDE ACT is available as a paperback and as an ebook. Each actor chapter is also available as individual ebooks. Click here to purchase now!