WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Chambers Stevens Checks In

Covering theater for as long as I have is not without its privileges, chief among them being the opportunity to witness some very talented people come and go from the various stages in my life (and at varying stages in their careers) on the various stages I am honored to cover. While keeping up with them nowadays may be as easy as signing onto social media, their contributions to the cultural fabric of a major creative hub like Nashville (a city where virtually everyone sings, writes, makes music, and/or has a development deal in the works) may be unknown to a great many people now walking in their very footsteps.

More importantly, perhaps, seeing as how I know where the bodies are buried-both literally and figuratively-I am provided a unique perspective on the personalities that have shaped theater in Tennessee for at least the past 37 years (if you count that first show I reviewed as a college sophomore). Today you will be introduced to one of the finest actors to ever walk onto a Tennessee stage via what is quickly becoming our most popular feature series...WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Today's spotlight falls upon Chambers Stevens, who defines the word "multi-hyphenate." (Seriously, look in a dictionary-they still make dictionaries, don't they?-and you'll find his headshot next to the word.) He is an actor-director-playwright-acting coach-producer-consultant-husband-and-father. And in 2012, he was recognized as a First Night Honoree for the role he has played in the development of theater in Tennessee.

To put it simply, he's one of the very best, and he recently spoke to us from his home in Los Angeles, where amid the hubbub of the holiday season, he celebrated his silver anniversary with his wife, Betsy Sullenger.

How would you describe your career for people who don't know you? Here are the numbers: As an actor I have appeared in over a hundred plays and 51 commercials. I've been a series regular in two TV series both for PBS and was nominated for an Emmy for one of them. I've directed 53 episodes of two different web series. I have written ten plays that have been produced around the country. I founded and was the first artistic director of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, now in its 28th year. As an acting coach, I've worked with thousands of young actors and have done workshops in 39 states. I've written seven books about acting that are currently in print. And I'm married to a wonderful woman, Betsy Sullenger, who produces Liv and Maddie, the number one show on the Disney Channel.

What brought you to Nashville in the first place? I was raised in Hendersonville, a little town outside of Nashville. My parents had season tickets to Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre and each month they would come home and tell us all about the shows. When I was ten, The Barn seemed liked the most exotic place on earth. When I got my license I drove into town every chance I could. I snuck into Vanderbilt's Cinema program so I could watch all the films I was not allowed to watch at home. Soon I met the great acting coach, Ruth Sweet, she trained me and helped me get into a good Conservatory program in St. Louis. The day before I graduated college I bought my ticket to Chicago. I had gotten an internship at Steppenwolf. Steven Woolf, my mentor in St. Louis, walked over and gave me a graduation gift: a broom. He then told me if I went to Steppenwolf I would just be sweeping up their shit. Why don't I go back to Nashville and make some shit of my own. So I did.

How did your time in Nashville prepare you for where you are now in your career arc? The three-and-a-half years I was in Nashville were an exciting time. My friends and I would run from one side of the town to the other doing plays. We did German experimental theatre at The Acting Studio and then rush to the Barn to do a Neil Simon play. Then Betty Clark (one of the best agents in the world) would set us up to meet Dolly Parton about a music video. And then we would rush over to Nashville Children's Theatre do a play early in the morning. Starting the Nashville Shakespeare Festival from scratch really taught me how to produce. (Especially since the park banned us and we had to go to the mayor to make it happen) And Tennessee Rep was a crazy, creative company in those days. Part regional theatre. Part hippie love-in. I learned thousands of things during those 42 months I was in town. But most of all...if you want something to happen you better do it yourself.

Who are some of the people in Nashville who, from your present vantage point, have had a lasting impact on your career?

• Ruth Sweet (head of The Acting Studio). The Grand Dame of Acting Coaches. Powerful. Insightful. Theatrical. Central Casting could not have created a better acting coach. My first book is dedicated to her.
• Clara Hieronymus (theatre critic for The Tennessean) The Grand Dame of Theatre Critics. I knew if I was going to be successful I had to get her on my side. She had a reputation for being mean spirited. But in truth she was a marshmallow. She wrote dozens of positive articles on my work. Then came the day she gave me a bad review. And it was really bad. That show became my biggest hit in Nashville. People came to see if it was really that bad. I sent her roses thanking her for helping us sell out!
• Angela Wibking (theatre critic for The Nashville Business Journal) Clara's rival. Angela is a great writer and a wonderful actress. And she knew the business community. When our shows needed money she would write an article. The Nashville Shakespeare Festival would have been impossible without her.
• Michael Edwards (artistic director at The Barn) Michael is theatre history. He knows every spit take, double take, and pratfall ever invented. He directed me a number of times and taught me everything I know about physical comedy.
• Mac Pirkle and Jennifer Orth (artistic director and managing director of Tennessee Rep) Being on stage at Tennessee Rep was all ways fun. But the best memory was of Tenn Rep summer camp. Some rich hotshot rented a camp in the words so the actors of the Repertory company could bond. Mac brought in an actress who with Helen Mirren and Peter Brook had traveled Africa creating theatre out of a card board box. She then handed us a box and magic happened. Mac and Jennifer were a blast to be around. And their love for the creative process had a deep impact on me.
• Jeffrey Ellis When I returned to Nashville after college I was surprised to learn than my Hendersonville High School drama teacher had died of AIDS. This was 1986 and Nashville was very homophobic. I formed a theatre company and we decided to do the Southern premiere of The Normal Heart. Well, no one wanted to write about us. But Jeffrey was writing for a number of papers back then (Dare and Query, Tennessee's Lesbian and Gay Newsweekly, and Some, Tennessee's Onstage Monthly) and he started to write about us. The gay community came out of the woodwork to see our play. And because we had produced a play that was important to them they remained loyal and came to see all of my work. Jeffrey opened that door for us. And for that I am very grateful.
• Hazel King, Melvin King and Eddie King When I was a little kid there was a theatre company called Theatre Nashville. Hazel King, one of Nashville's greatest artists, would paint the backdrops. Her son, Eddie later went on to run The Looby Theatre. Besides teaching me all about the hard work it takes to put on a show...they would also throw these massive theatre parties. I remember once dancing with Oprah at one of them. The lesson was simple. If you wanted to create you had to work hard. But when the show was over then it was time to party!

What advice would you give to someone taking their first steps to becoming a part of the theater scene here? Trying to be part of a theatre scene in any city can be tricky. The first thing I would do is look online at all of the theaters that are in town. Research them. Like their Facebook pages. Post on their page and let them know you are new in town. Find out when they have auditions or, if you are a crew person, when they might be hiring. See what shows they have produced in the last couple of years. Then see what shows they have running. Go see the shows. Stay afterwards to introduce yourself. If you liked the show tell the actors. If you didn't keep your mouth shut. Even better idea is to go closing night and get invited to the cast party.

And then produce something.

Nothing gets people's attention like producing something. My newest play (Twain and Shaw Do Lunch) opened in Nashville produced by a Scott Orr, who had never produced anything before. He worked harder than anyone I have ever seen. And the show sold out. Because he didn't know the "right' way to produce, the way everyone else produces he used common sense and that turned out to be the best thing possible.

Social media is your friend. Use it!

But most of all, be passionate. Don't be afraid to be enthusiastic. Every theater scene needs more enthusiastic, passionate people.

To post a comment, you must register and login.