BWW Interviews: Brandon J. Dirden in YOUR BLUES AIN'T SWEET LIKE MINE at Two River Theater

Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine is a World-Premiere play that will be on the Two River Theater (TRT) stage from April 11th through May 3rd. Written and directed by Tony Award-winner, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, brings humor and poignancy to one of the most potent conversations in American life. In the play, an Upper West Side dinner party invitation brings an unlikely group together, spawning a passionate and explosive debate on America's relationship to race.

Brandon J. Dirden plays the role of Zeke in the upcoming TRT production. Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Dirden about his career and the show.

Dirden previously appeared at Two River in Topdog/Underdog and August Wilson's Jitney. On Broadway, Brandon starred as Martin Luther King, Jr., opposite Bryan Cranston's Lyndon Johnson in the Tony Award-winning All the Way. He has also appeared in the Broadway productions of Clybourne Park, Enron and Prelude to a Kiss. Off-Broadway credits include: The Piano Lesson (Obie, Theatre World, and AUDELCO awards, Drama League and Lortel nominations; directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson). He also has an impressive array of regional credits. Dirden received his training BA, Morehouse College and MFA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign He is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.

Tell me a little about your earliest interest in performing (childhood, etc.)

Both of my parents love the theater. My father used to do a lot of acting in Houston where I grew up. It was never his profession, although I believe he was good enough make it. My parents loved to entertain at our house and they would often make us kids part of the entertainment. It was cool because the more I performed, the longer I got to extend my bedtime. The first play I vividly recall doing was Jack and the Beanstalk. I was in elementary school. Maybe 2nd or 3rd grade. I played Jack and I got to save the goose that laid the golden eggs from the mean giant. I had a HUGE crush on the girl that played the goose, so when I got to hold her hand during the play, I believe that cemented my true love for the craft of acting.

Who have some of your mentors been (they can be personal or professional)?

My father was my was my first acting teacher. I like to think of him as the Richard Williams (Venus and Serena' s father) of the acting world. The fact that my brother Jason and I have done so well in this business is certainly credited to the work ethic he instilled in us at an early age. We both still look to him regularly for advice.

Last year we lost the great James Rebhorn. He was a very special man. I learned more from the way he lived his life than from what he directly told me, though he gave me plenty of wonderful advice. He walked upright in his faith and was a devoted family man. Now that I have a have a family, I appreciate even more how he balanced the demands of this business and his personal life. I miss him dearly.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson has definitely been my most influential mentor since moving to New York. I have worked with him more than any other director. He is such a force in the room. Anyone who knows Ruben knows that he is not afraid to speak his mind and he will speak it in an impassioned manner. But the beautiful dichotomy to that is how he gives his actors so much freedom. I am always surprised by how gentle and supportive he is when directing. He loves actors, perhaps because he is an actor. Even in this process where he is the writer and director, he often defers to his cast. I think his passion for theater is unmatched. I am really lucky to be a part of his flock.

Inspirational performances?

Too many to name but here are two that stand out:

When I was 12 years old, I was cast in my first professional play. I played Reuben in August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. The late-great, Roscoe Lee Browne played Bynum. Twenty-five years later I can still hear every syllable of Mr. Browne's performance. He was a true master. He had the most amazing voice, but how he used the entire range of his instrument to tell a story was nothing short of miraculous.

When I was in college, I saw Anthony Chisholm's portrayal of Fielding in August Wilson's Jitney. At one point during the play, Mr. Chisolm enters with a cup of coffee. While talking, he removed the lid from the coffee cup and sucked the coffee from the rim of the lid, and continued talking. During that same passage, he also snorted as to clear his nasal passage. These sound like small details, but it blew my mind! I didn't know you could be so "human" on stage. I went to see the play a second time just to study his performance. There was such a relaxed quality to his work. I thought, "there is no way this guy is acting!" He was so free. Years later I got to do a production of Jitney with Mr. Chisholm playing Fielding and he never stopped working on the character. He had done thousands of performances but never settled. That taught me that there are no short cuts to greatness.

What have been some of the challenges of the role of Zeke?

Zeke describes himself as a "walking outburst". He is very witty and rarely is at a loss for words. The biggest challenge has been keeping up with his intellect. But like most challenges, it also presents this incredible opportunity. Ruben has endowed this character with so much humor and humanity and pathos. This is a role where I have to use all of me and then go beyond my comfort zone to discover more about myself and bring that too.

How is your role as Zeke in Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine unique to other roles you have played?

While I try to give humanity to all of my characters, it's not always present in the writing. Ruben Santiago-Hudson has a thirst for sharing more complete representations of who we are as African-Americans and our contributions. With Zeke, I get to play all 88 keys.

How do you like being back at TRT?

TRT has become one of my artistic homes. I always look forward to returning. The community support is outstanding and it is close enough to NYC that my friends can take the short train ride to see the shows. I believe John Dias and the leadership at the theater has positioned Two River to become a major player in the American Theater. I would be very surprised if the theater is not honored with a Regional Tony Award during Mr. Dias' tenure.

Tell us a little about the cast and creative team.

This cast is loaded! These are some of the bravest actors I have shared a stage with. From day one, we all jumped into the deep end. But what made that possible is Ruben creating a safe environment to explore the depths of humanity. Not just our beauty, but the ugly parts of who we are as well. I am so grateful that these actors are not afraid to have the hard conversations in an unflinching manner.

We asked Brandon Dirden if there was anything else he wanted our Broadwayworld.com readers to know.

Don't miss it!

You can also see Brandon as Agent Aderholt in the hit FX series The Americans. Visit his website at www.brandondirden.com and follow him on Twitter @brandondirden.

Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine runs April 11th to May 3rd at Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. Tickets are on sale now starting at $20. Visit www.tworivertheater.org or call the box office at 732.345.1400.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Brandon J. Dirden

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