BWW Interviews: Out Front On Main's GEORGE MANUS, A Life in the Theatre

George Manus has been a part of the theater community in Nashville and Middle Tennessee for so long that it's easy to forget he's not yet 40 years old. He cut his teeth as a young director at Dennis Ewing's late and lamented Actors Playhouse of Nashville, which led him to spearhead the opening of his own theater company, DreamWeaver Productions on Third Avenue South in downtown Nashville during the early to mid-1990s, and now he heads up Murfreesboro's Out Front On Main, a storefront operation that specializes in bringing edgier theater to that burgeoning college town.

Currently onstage at Out Front On Main is Tracy Letts' Bug, directed by Manus and featuring two casts of actors to bring to life the story of "an unhinged war veteran who holes up with a lonely woman in a spooky Oklahoma motel room, while the line between reality and delusion is blurred as they discover a bug infestation." It runs through October 31, Thursday through Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m., with an additional show on Halloween night, followed by a costume ball.

Manus is no stranger to controversy (he and I will have to share our story with you sometime about a famous scene that erupted at a First Night Awards after-party once that led to our not speaking to each other for - what? - 15 years maybe), but he embraces everything he's ever done - accepting responsibility and seeking to make amends - in speaking out about his own battles with alcoholism and self-doubt. Love him or hate him, you have to give the man props for owning up to his mistakes and never holding grudges, which makes him one of the most compelling figures in local theater.

Perhaps most impressive about Manus, however, is his ability to attract and to nurture new, young talent: He did it at Actors Playhouse and DreamWeaver and now he is pulling together a creative collective at Out Front On Main that features some of the region's most fearless and most daring young artists.

Recently, taking a break from his nonstop schedule of bringing new works to the stage, Manus took time to consider our questions and to offer some answer and insights into his very own Life in the Theater: Read and enjoy!

What was your first real job (or responsibility) in the theatre? My first real job began as scene shop supervisor at MTSU in a paid position as I studied technical theatre, later moving into performance with such shows as Antigone, Inherit the Wind and The Miser. I first directed Greater Tuna at Murfreesboro Little Theatre, then moved to Nashville to produce and direct As Is as a benefit for Nashville Cares, Pvt. Wars at Darkhorse with my newly formed DreamWeaver Productions. This gained enough attention to be hired at Actor's Playhouse of Nashville where I really hit my stride directing such shows as Equus, 'night, Mother, Torch Song Trilogy and Fortune and Men's Eyes. I was fortunate to be surrounded by incredible talent and be able to direct First Night Award-winning best actors Arita Trahan and Danny Grant, all the while having Dennis Ewing as a mentor.

What was your first taste of theatre? Theatre began for me in high school. It was the late '80s and the Cannon County Arts Center didn't exist, so the only outlet for theatre was located in the basement of an old high school. I became involved with forensics. I participated in duo acting, solo acting and poetry interpretation. After a couple of years of competition, I ultimately placed second in solo acting and fifth in poetry interpretation for the state of Tennessee. Edgy theatre began early for me as I performed a part of Torch Song Trilogy for the winning performance in solo acting and Dr. Seuss' Horton Hatches an Egg for an unlikely win in the poetry competition. The competitions also afforded a chance to travel to such places as Gatlinburg, the University of Alabama and New Orleans. I later went on to perform in the Cannon County Playhouse in such shows as The King and I and Children of A Lesser God. I was hooked and pursued theatre as a major at Middle Tennessee State University.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in theatre? As early as I remember I wanted to be a performer and organizer, staging talent shows and competitions as early as grammar school. My passion was ever evident as I received support and opportunity in various forms as early as I can remember. I had prepared for all of this at home, being an only child, setting up lighting and performance space when I did have visitors and doing silly yet fun things in my "playhouse." I must say I am one of the lucky few who was completely supported by my parents, both financially and with encouragement all along the way - to the opening of my current theatre in Murfreesboro: Out Front on Main, Inc. Here I found much support from the community, as well through both monetary donations and in kind support.

Why do you pursue your art in Middle Tennessee? What are the best parts of working here? As I always possessed the desire to bring to the stage edgy and though provoking plays, which wasn't an easy feat in the Republican-controlled mentality of the early '90s. Dennis Ewing saw my potential for this kind of theatre and brought me to Actor's Playhouse as one of the youngest directors on staff at the time. What I found there was support - and an audience for my perspective of important and relevant works. Later I opened DreamWeaver on Third Avenue in downtown Nashville. At the time I was battling alcoholism and I ultimately had to leave theatre for a while to regain control of my life and my passion. I was hired in Murfreesboro at The Center for the Arts, where I was on staff for four years, followed by employment from the City of Murfreesboro at Patterson Park and producing edgy shows at Murfreesboro Little Theatre. I realized the need for this type of art in a city starving for culture. With the tremendous support and experience I gained in Nashville, I decided to open Out Front on Main, Inc. in Murfreesboro, a culturally starved city that was growing at an amazing pace. Now, when I make this statement, I should say that Murfreesboro possesses much family-friendly fare, but everyone shied away from the kind of theatre that I offered and I realized this outlet was not only necessary but vital to round out what was already in place.

If you could play any role, direct any work, design any production, mount any production...what would it be and why? I have been fortunate in this aspect as I have seen many of my dream shows come to light. Equus was perhaps always the most important show that I had directed, now I'd love to take on the challenging and huge production of Angels in America and perhaps the affecting musical Steven Sondheim's  Assassins.

Who would play you in the film version of your life story? I am often compared to George Clooney but if I could pick I'd pick Daniel Day Lewis.

What's your favorite play/musical? My favorite musicals have always been and remain Big River and Evita. As I rarely direct musicals I should include a favorite non-musical, which would likely be Bug currently in production at Out Front, but also The Crucible which I intend to modernize later next year.

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? Wow, this is tough. I had lunch with Robert Redford, who suggested that my passion was as strong as Clint Eastwood, so obviously that tops the list. Others would include David Lynch who has one of the most fascinating visions and I'd love to gain information about his desires and preparation for each project and Glenn Close who possesses so much talent that I believe it would be contagious just being in her presence. I have been blessed to sit down and discuss theatre with some of the greatest working people in theatre including Del Shores, Leslie Jordan and Eve Ensler.

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? Always follow your dream, it's never easy and you will have to do many things that aren't necessarily important to you at the time, but when you look back on a career of theatre you will realize every little part of experience is necessary to define the person you become. Battle inner demons, never give up, and read everything you can find. Never let pride take precedence over opportunity.

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