BWW Interviews: Matt Logan, A Life in the Theater

Matt Logan is a force of nature. Whether he's helming a burgeoning professional theater company as its artistic director, directing and designing a new production, creating yet another work of theatrical visual art for which he's become justifiably, well, famous - you name it, he does it and he does it well. And he does it in Nashville, which is not exactly the first place you'd think of finding someone of his talent and stature pursuing his professional career. But Nashville is his home and that's where his heart is, obviously.

Named as one of Nashville's best directors of 2010 in First Night's Top Ten, he helmed productions of Hello, Dolly! and A Christmas Carol for Studio Tenn (his newest theatrical venture, headquartered in his hometown), while mounting a glorious concert production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (starring Heather Headley, Jodi Benson, Ally Mauzey, Anthony Fedorov and a host of Nashville actors) that benefited Mary Beth and Stephen Curtis Chapman's charity, ShowHope. Right now, he's in the midst of prepping a new production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie for Studio Tenn (starring Nan Gurley, Eric D. Pasto-Crosby and Brent Maddox) playing Belmont University's Black Box Theater February 17-27) and the revival of Cinderella, set for the Schermerhorn Symphony Center later this spring.

Luckily, for us, Matt somehow found the time to sit down and answer our questions, to offer us a glimpse into his "Life in the Theater"...

What was your first taste of theater?

Well, two things come to mind: 1) I remember being six years old and going to the Municipal Auditorium to see the circus and remarking that I wanted to be the guy in the center wearing a top hat aka the Ring Master! Not too long after I was given my great-grandfather's top hat and cane and suddenly I had a role to play. Now as a director in my adult years, I see it as amazing foreshadowing that at six years old I gravitated to the ring master. 2) My first experience in the Theater proper was seeing Nan Gurley performing The Diary of OpAl Whitely at Harpeth Hall. I think I was in eighth grade and I was so moved by the simplicity and power of Nan's performance. I can still see moments from that play in my mind. So years later I returned to Nashville to play Edward Rutledge in 1776 for the Rep. One night after the show, this woman grabbed me and said, "You were fabulous!" - that woman was Nan. I basically told her, "So were you 15 years ago in OpAl Whitely. It led me to a life in the theater." Now we are dear friends and I have hired her three times for Studio Tenn, and even now she is starring as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie for me. She is just as incredible now as she was some 20 years ago. I am in awe of the circles of life.

What was your first real job or responsibility in the theater?

My first job in the theater is a funny story. I was a young fellow who got pulled in to perform in a historical musical called Light Along the Cumberland. According to urban legend, this was the play that inspired the film Waiting for Guffman, and I can say that I was there. I was joined on this experience by Nashville theatre luminaries Carolyn German, Tim Fudge, Rona Carter, Matt Carlton and Rene Copeland. To this day we all laugh about it. Oddly enough, three years later Matt Carlton suggested to the producer that he should hire me (at 19 years old) to design and direct the show in its transfer to TPAC. And that became my first professional directing job as well. This crazy first job led me to my mentors Carolyn German and Matt Carlton and led to my directing work. Who would have ever guessed? Certainly not me.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in theater?

It was about my sophomore year in high school that it really clicked. I did both the musical and play that year and had a blast on- and off-stage. Finding something that I was able to do and enjoyed doing made the choice an easy one. I was hooked. I was always a visual artist, but I think what I loved about the theater was the community. I was used to going off in a quiet space and painting, then having a reveal. But the process of collaboration in the theater forced me to enjoy the group effort. It is the community that lasts after the closing night and enriches our lives. The community is the only eternal thing about theatre. Shows close, but that shared experience can never be taken away. I worked on the revival of Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters. I worked at the Shubert Theatre for only a year, but we have Gypsy reunions constantly. We just had one last month when I was in the city. Those relationships, like most of mine in the theater, are dear to my heart and have kept me going.

Why do you pursue your art in Nashville? What are the best parts of working here?

Well, that is a question I often ask myself when I get frustrated. I lived in Los Angeles for seven years and then NYC for five years. During that time, I kept returning to Nashville to work with students in education. It always mattered to me to encourage and educate the youth that have gifts and interests like I had in high school. I wanted to share what I learned and give back. Each time I came home I was moved by the people here. I loved my hometown but worried that I could ever feel happy pursuing my art here. As the years went on and I embraced this city, I found so many friends and families wanting me to do both educational and professional work in Nashville. In a short time Studio Tenn was born and I feel that that is why I am here. I guess when I really think about it, what I love about theater in Nashville is the incredible heart that must be intact for any play or musical to survive. Much like with county music, Nashville audiences are looking for something that moves them. I find it the same with the local actors, they  do it because they "love" the art form. I saw all too many Broadway performers turn an art form into a 9-to-5 job. There is just no way for that to happen in here. Nashville audiences and actors lead with their heart.

If you could play any role, direct any work, design any production, mount any production...what would it be and why?

Okay, as an actor/director/designer/producer, I have to answer all of them. As an actor, I would just love to the title character of Cyrano. I have always loved the beauty, humor, eloquence and bravado that the script brings forth. As a director, I am waiting to mount my production of Evita. My buddy Eden Espinosa and I are looking forward to collaborating on that one day. She is amazing and I am dying to bring a new Evita to the stage. I've got my fingers crossed! As a designer , I would love to design The Wizard of Oz. I really want to explore the imagination of that musical again. Then as a producer, I am just waiting to mount The Light in the Piazza (Hands down one of the best musicals written in the last 15 years).

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

Ha ha...I am one of those people who hears that I look like everyone. Every family member says I look like their side of the family. Then I have heard that I look like every actor from Tom Hanks to Jude Law, and none of them sound right. But if it was based off more than a lookalike, I would say a young Kevin Kline. Mainly because he has a great balance of humor and poignancy in all his performances.

What's your favorite play/musical?

As a visual artist, I have to say Sunday in the Park with George is one of the best shows ever written. It strikes a chord for artists like no other show. It is never a commercial success, but for the performers it feels like therapy. Then if we are talking about plays, Our Town is near perfection - which is why it was Studio Tenn's inaugural production. I am just astounded by its deceptive simplicity. It all comes across so simple, but underneath the surface there are such deep layers.

If you could have dinner with any three figures (living or dead, real or fictional) who are a part of the theater, who would you invite - and why?

I would have to say that I want to have dinner with Mike Nichols, Sam Mendes and Elia Kazan. These three directors are just genius. I have worked with Mendes and Nichols for a very short time, and I just listened and took notes. I have many interviews that these three men have done on Charlie Rose and other shows, and each one is a master class. Also, I just try to grab anything I can get my hands on of Kazan's. I am currently reading his autobiography. The idea of sitting with these men for several hours is just beyond comprehension.

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?

The first thing I would say is," why do you want to do this?" I really find that answering this question is the beginning of an actor becoming an artist.

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