Interview: Devon Mahon - Creating Fusions of Styles

Devon Mahon is a delightful actor whom I've seen in several shows, including at Brelby in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Unexpected and at B3 in Droppin' Johns. Earlier this week, I reviewed Brelby's production of his first full-lenghth play, Whisper Sweetly.

Mahon graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre with a Performance emphasis and a minor in Electronic Media and Film. Up in Flagstaff, Devon performed in Mother Hicks, Pride and Prejudice, Spring Awakening, The Shape of Things, and Josephina Javelina/The Three Javelinas. Down in Phoenix he has focused a lot more of his attention on new works, but has done other popular shows such as Fools and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Devon recenty received his first Zoni nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Brelby's production of The Oz Chronicles. He continues to explore art in the valley and in addition to acting has dabbled in performance art, improv, design work (costume, makeup, sound, props, scenic - soon lighting), stage management, film, spray paint art, pipe cleaner art, and, most recently, playwriting.

JB: Thank you for talking with me today, Devon. You're so talented, in so many directions. What is your first love, as an artist? Or do you have one?

DM: My first love, as an artist, would definitely be acting. I started performing at a very young age in plays at church. I fell out of it for a while in elementary school, but found my way back my senior year of high school in a production of Grease which I feel is a staple show in the valley. I run into many a Sandy, Danny, Roger, Frenchie, etc....never another Eugene though.

As an actor, how do you work? What is your process? What are your favorite things about acting?

As an actor, I try to approach each role in a different manner from the last. I love to experiment with new acting styles - researching something different, jumping back to old ones, creating fusions of styles. The beautiful thing about theatre is that you can never stop learning. When you've stopped opening yourself up to new knowledge and think you know it all, that is the moment you have stopped growing, in my opinion.

I can be a little bit method. Now, I'm not too method. I don't stay in character the whole time while I'm backstage or believe that I have actually become my character. I do, however, keep some of my character's quirks while backstage - just to stay in it. My favorite acting methods include Animal Endowment and my own spin on Roy Hart technique. Animal Endowment has you take a look at your character and say "how would they act, sound, move, etc if they were 80% human and 20% ...pigeon?" The idea behind it is to create a character that is alive, fleshed out, and different from yourself. My character in this instance is not really a pigeon, but he may have pigeon-like tendencies such as fluffing up a little when flustered or always looking around shiftily when out and about. And with Roy Hart the technique is about exploring your voice by focus on one of your senses (ie. touch, taste, smell, etc). This technique has you play with your vocal quality - how can I show the taste of a fresh cookie through the sound of my voice in my words...weird I know. I use this technique more so in finding emotion. Some actors like to listen to music to get into character (I would call this a form of Roy Hart), but I also like to use sense memory of how something feels, tastes, etc to hit an emotional level. You hear someone say "I was so mad that I just started seeing red." Well I do this, but I associate different colors with different feelings. One example would be when I need to be annoyed I think of the color orange. Now to my character orange may mean something else, but I digress. I could talk about this technique for hours - it's fascinating to me!

If you couldn't tell, I absolutely love talking with other actors about how they dive into a character; it's one of my favorite pieces in theatre! On one hand I can glimpse into someone's mind (see how they think and how they connect), and on the other, I gain a new piece of knowledge for myself. And like many other performers one of my favorite parts about theatre is the rush of being onstage. Performing is actually still something that scares me and gives me butterflies, which is how I know it's what I want to continue doing; I will continue to follow the fear.

That's wonderful.

I think the thing I hate most about acting is how inside of your head you can get. You are your toughest critic, and sometimes the tiniest thing on your brain can hold back your performance and make you feel absolutely crummy. We all want our art to be well received, and sometimes I think we're too hard on ourselves.

Yes. We definitely are. But, what's the alternative? If we don't question ourselves, would we ever transcend mediocrity?

I feel to a degree questioning ourselves is ok, but in the moments onstage or right before going onstage we can't do that. We need to be present and in the moment. We need to know that we're pouring everything into this performance - all of the rehearsals and all of the passion. I would say reflection is best - reflection allows you to look back at what you've done, good or bad, and learn from it. I think questioning your art more often leads to giving up or adding more fear.

How did you create such a magnificent portrait of Prince Charming in Droppin' Johns?

I recommend that everyone work with Ilana Lydia as a director at some point in their life as an actor, because she is one of the most thoughtful directors I've worked with (so creative, so kind, so brilliant), AND throughout the rehearsal process she has you experiment with multiple acting styles. For Droppin' Johns, the approach was interesting. My main focus was on which part of the body each of the Johns or Prince Charming would lead with. This show was a piece of meta-theatre, so all of my characters were all very much aware of the audience and their own role they played in the performance. The Johns and Prince Charming were also all the same person (spoilers!) - me playing an actor playing people programmed into a woman's dreams in her mind holding her back. Talk about a strange process.

You were SO - you'll forgive the expression - adorable as Prince Charming. How did you trust that you would be so? I'm sure the process helped, and Ilana is, no doubt, nurturing and you felt safe. But, still. To be not just adorable, but intentionally so, and not too cutesie - can you unpack that part of it for us?

I will gladly take "adorable" as a compliment! With Prince Charming it was all about being a Ken Doll essentially - the fairy tale prince. To be honest, I felt a little creepy with how smug he was with his smile and stance equipped with that hair flip. I knew with this particular Prince Charming that he would never be too cutesie, because the way Ilana wrote him was with a bubbling undertone of terror, desperation, and misogyny - and there's nothing cute about that. This Prince Charming was just shiny wrapping paper covering one of the other sinister Johns.

What's ahead for you? I know you're opening in Brian Maticic's Depend On Me on the 6th of October, coming up here quickly, but what are your long-term goals, as an artist?

Correct, at Brelby Theatre I have Depend On Me opening October 6th and Midsummer Night's Dream opening November 3rd. I play a love interest in both productions, and am excited and nervous to take on my first Shakespeare show. I'm Demetrius in Midsummer.

Oh, he is such a jerk!. You're going to be hilarious. I know you're in rehearsal for Depend on Me, but have you given any thought to your approach to Demetrius?

I actually just started rehearsals for Midsummer - whenever I'm released from a Depend On Me rehearsal I rush downstairs for another rehearsal. With the concept we're going for, I've actually been asked to think of him as that awful frat guy. I was heavily involved in Greek life and love my fraternity brothers, but in college I definitely encountered the "frat star" guy that is just horrendous. This production will be toying with the idea of a rave or Coachella concert or EDC type event. Because of this I want to play with sound, touch, taste, and color. This process will be a trip. What's really fun is in both shows I play a lover, but in one I'm incredibly kind and quirky and in the other...well, I'm Demetrius.

Can't wait. Then, what?

A few ideas I've bounced around are auditioning around the valley at more theatres like Hale, Stray Cat, or Phoenix Theatre (all a little closer to where I work/live), strengthening other areas of my craft (I've looked into vocal and dance lessons), writing more and submitting more work (currently taking a playwriting class with John Perovich), possibly making it out to Seattle, Minneapolis, or Alaska to perform in the future, or looking into the Groundlings in California, or starting grad school, studying performance with a cohort, and doing a fellowship somewhere in theatre. I've got a lot I'm looking into. I wish in my final year of college I had focused more on possibilities outside of college - I could've lined up some opportunity for myself. But it's not too late! I'm finally doing my research!

Wherever you go and whatever you do, Devon Mahon, they'll be damned lucky to have you.

See Devon in Depend on Me and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Brelby this fall. Get tickets and info here.

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