A LIFE IN THE THEATRE: Brenda Sparks

According to Shakespeare, "all the world's a stage," and for a number of very dedicated theatre artists, the place they've chosen to ply their trade is Nashville, aka Music City USA. Why? Theatre craftspeople the world over are plying their trade every day, seeking to enlighten their audiences, transporting them to worlds only imagined, to illuminate their innermost thoughts and desires - all through the magic of live theatre. Certainly, there are much bigger markets to be found in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago - yet year after year Nashville continues to attract some of the world's most talented people with its unique blend of Southern hospitality and business savvy.

In A Life in the Theatre, a new series of stories for Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com, you'll meet some of the personalities that make Nashville such an interesting place to live. Sure, a lot of people come here to pursue a career in music, but there are scores of theatre folk who move here to pursue their dreams on the stages found in Music City.

You can tell a great deal about the Nashville theatre community through the productions staged, you can read feature stories and reviews until the cows come home, but to really know what a life in the theatre is all about in Nashville, you have to get to know the people, the personalities who give Music City its dramatic flair. The first person profiled in this series is Brenda Sparks, an accomplished actress, respected director, competent producer and stage manager, wife and mother...Brenda wears a lot of different hats in her day-to-day life and she wears them well.

Jeffrey Ellis: What was your first "taste" of theatre?

Brenda Sparks: My first role was that of the third little pig. I was in kindergarten. I wore patchwork corduroy overalls hand-sewn by my mother and a pink construction paper pig mask. Thus began my life as a character actress. Ironically, my first major role in college was that of a dung beetle in Karel and Josef Capek's The World We Live In (aka The Insect Comedy). Although my grandfather performed in traveling minstrel shows and could recite his routines well into his 90s, my family was not particularly artistic. My mother was an R.N. and my father worked in corporate America. My only exposure to the world of theatre before college was through public school. I had some wonderful mentors along the way, and some great opportunities through the schools I attended. Still I felt a bit lost my first year as a theatre major at Western Michigan University. Some of the first friends I made in the department were scholarship students who had been reared in community theatres and summer stock houses. I didn't even know you could audition for a scholarship, let alone how to prepare an audition. I soon learned. WMU has an excellent program geared toward training young artists in their craft while preparing them to work in their field. It's a lesser-known Michigan state school in Kalamazoo (yes there really is a Kalamazoo), but their theatre department is top notch and their alumni work. From Broadway stars Marin Mazzie and Barb Marineau, to Tim Allen, and one of my very best friends in the world, Brooke Elliott, who is the star of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva. We have a lot of people working in the field as performers, directors, writers, producers, and educators.

What was your first "real job" - or "responsibility" - in the theatre? My first professional job was acting at a small alterNative Theatre in Kalamazoo called Actors and Playwright's Initiative (API). That was the first time I was ever paid to act and direct.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in theatre? Theatre was always what I did. I was never one of those kids who listened to Broadway soundtracks or wore show sweatshirts. I didn't stage talent shows with my brother in our living room. I can count on one hand the memories I have of attending the theatre as a child, but I was always "doing" theatre. When I was in middle school I would write, produce and direct plays. My best friend in sixth grade and I performed assemblies as "Suzy and Flame, her fire-fighting pony," educating elementary school kids about fire safety. I suppose I've always known I was an artist, and I've never had any question or doubt about my career in the theatre. It's always been the only thing I've known, and what I still feel most passionate about in my life, save for my family.

Why do you pursue your art in Nashville? What are the best parts of working here? I was on the college circuit in the early to mid-'90s touring improv shows. In fact, one of the troupes I managed (I was the tour manager and a performer) were runners-up to Carrot Top for College Entertainers of the Year. A dubious distinction. The troupe consisted of me and two other guys. We were insane! We were young, and fearless, and our agents booked the filth out of us. We zig-zagged all over the country in a mini-van filled with collapsible sets, costumes, guitar cases and plenty of Nancy Griffith tapes. Yes, cassette tapes. One of the guys on tour with me had a thing for Nancy Griffith. Years later - once I had moved to Nashville - I was checking out behind her in the Green Hills Kroger. I felt compelled to tell her that she provided the soundtrack for the excellent adventure that was my early to mid-20s. Instead, I smiled and told her she was my favorite singer. Not necessarily true, but much simpler. And I do still love hearing her voice. I would then spend my summers performing and directing at Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan - still one of my favorite theatres of all time. My father was working in Nashville at the time, and commuting back and forth to Pacific Palisades where my parents had been living and had a home on the market. I was tired of the road and had some time off. He invited me to come stay with him in his suite at The ClubHouse Inn by the airport. My friend, Steve Garges (known to most as Stevo back then), and I drove down together. We had talked about moving somewhere together, somewhere away from Michigan. Steve was part of the comedy duo SRO. He, too, was burned out on the road and looking for a change.

When we arrived in Nashville we purchased a Tennessean [Nashville's daily newspaper]. I searched for auditions. The only advertisement I found was for Two by Two at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre. Like the good little actress I was, I had my headshots and resumes with me. I called and made an appointment. That's where I met Rene Copeland, who is now the artistic director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre. She called me back. I read and sang for callbacks, but had to get back to Michigan. Stevo and I drove through a horrible ice storm, one that we learned was devastating to the mid-South. We had no idea how serious it was. Thankfully, we made it back north in one piece. A few days later I got a call from Rene' saying she'd like to cast me and asking if I was willing to move. And that's how I came to Nashville. Rene is also a big reason why I stayed in Nashville. She introduced me to David Alford, with whom she was collaborating to start Mockingbird Public Theatre. After seeing their first show, Beckett, I told David I would do anything that was needed. And that's what I ended up doing. For years I acted, directed, produced, and stage managed for Mockingbird. That led to meeting Denice Hicks, (then and still) artistic director of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival. My first show with the festival was Julius Caesar, 13 years ago. I met my husband and fellow actor, Mikael Byrd, while working at the Barn. He was playing Gary Lejeune in Noises Off when I was rehearsing Leah in Two by Two. He and I have since worked on many projects together. Since first moving to Nashville, I've worked at almost all of the professional theatres in town including Tennessee Repertory Theatre, The Nashville Children's Theatre, Mockingbird Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, People's Branch Theatre and Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre.

The best part of working here in Nashville is the fact that we get to work. As regional theatre artists in Nashville we are able to focus the vast majority of our energies on the creative (and cathartic) aspect of our craft. My friends in New York and Los Angeles spend the majority of their time focused on business - meetings with agents, publicists, producers, auditions, workshops, networking, lunches, etc. etc. I would say I spend three-fourths of my artistic life in Nashville creating and one-fourth attending to the business end of being a free-lance artist. For my friends in larger markets, it's just the opposite. Plus Nashville is home to some of the finest artists I know anywhere. Plus, we can raise our daughter here and enjoy the simplicity and safety of a sweet little rural life while still being part of a vital arts scene.

If you could play any role, direct any work, design any production, mount any production...what would it be and why? I'd love to play Mama Rose in Gypsy. I've already played one of my dream roles when I played Mother Courage for People's Branch Theatre. I've been obsessed with Strindberg's The Father since I read it as an undergrad. I may have to find a way to direct that some day. It's hard to say because I find myself gratified by most every project that comes my way. There is always something to be gleaned from the act of creation. I find myself particularly drawn to classical theatre as of late. For the last three years I have gone from Shakespeare in The Park during the summer to stage managing/production managing the fall opera for Vanderbilt Opera Theatre through the Blair School of Music. That has been a treat. Calling cues for an opera is an incredibly artistically satisfying experience. I just turned 40. As a character actress, I still feel like I'm growing into my roles. Mostly I'm thankful to work. I am grateful for every opportunity to do what it is I do, and I try not to squander it or sully it with cynicism.

Who would play you in the film version of your life story? Bette Midler.

What's your favorite play/musical? Usually it's whatever play/musical I am working on at the time. Right now I would say The Marriage of Figaro, but that's because we just closed The Marriage of Figaro.

If you could have dinner with any three figures (living or dead, real or fictional) who are a part of the THEATRE, who would you choose and why? William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Mikael Byrd. As long as I'm wishing, I'd love to actually sit down to dinner with my own husband one of these days.

Imagine a young person seeing you onstage or seeing a production in which you played a major role coming up to you and asking you for advice in pursuing their own theatrical dream...what would you say? If you are fortunate enough to feel called in this life, answer that calling. A life spent in denial is a life wasted. A life in the theatre isn't always easy. You may not "starve" as an artist, but you will more than likely struggle. Keep your heart open. Study, work, learn. Never stop studying, never stop working, never stop learning. Resist the temptation to be cynical. Cynicism is the enemy of creation. Remember it's about the story, the audience, transcendence, truth, and love. In so many ways your life as an artist simply isn't about you. If you know that, you have the ability to change other people's lives for the better. That's the beauty of what we do. Don't let anyone tell you there is no place for you in the theatre. There is a place for everyone in the theatre, you simply need to find it.

Finally, what's something about your Nashville career that, perhaps, not everyone knows about? A little known aspect of my theatrical life in Nashville, yet one which I adore: Over a decade ago I started a program called Acting for Life (AFL). AFL is sponsored through the Robertson County Agricultural Extension Office (4-H). It is an annual theatre training academy for high school students. These students form an improv troupe which performs at area middle schools through out the school year. They serve as peer leaders and positive role models to the children for whom they perform. AFL members address serious subject matter in an accessible and entertaining way. Our programs include everything from teen pregnancy, peer pressure, substance abuse, and tobacco use to bullying, child abuse, and a myriad of other challenges these children face every day. The sketches are created by the troupe and are different every year. I've developed a curriculum over the years based on basic building blocks of improvisation. We start with Viewpoints work (physical improv), incorporate the spoken word (basic tenets of improv), and eventually add sketch writing (basic pillars of dramatic structure). My time with these kids (many of whom have experienced the hardships which inspire their sketches) is some of my most rewarding time I spend all year.

Last year I co-directed the Nashville Shakespeare Festival's apprentice company alongside Denice Hicks. I then directed the APCO production of The Taming of The Shrew.

Add in my time with Vanderbilt students every fall while working on the opera for Vanderbilt Opera Theatre, and a decent part of my season is spent with high school and college-age kids.

I feel called to work with kids, but I feel particularly drawn to this age. They are teetering on the precipice between childhood and adulthood. It's a pivotal time. The stakes are high. Maybe that's why I find it so exciting. Young artists are especially vulnerable at this age. It makes the work feel that much more important and ultimately gratifying.

To post a comment, you must register and login.