Q&A with
Roger Hendricks Simon
from "The Soul of the Actor"
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Q: What led you to create your professional lab for young actors, writers and directors – a “gymnasium” approach to training?

A: I was a founding member at Yale Repertory Theatre in the 60’s and instead of going “west” to Hollywood, which would have been commercially profitable, I went to England!  At Yale, I had the extraordinary opportunity to listen to amazingly vibrant directors Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, Jonathan Miller, to experience theatre companies like the Living Theatre, the Open Theatre, actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company, who came to perform.  When I was invited to teach in London for a summer, I leapt at it and directed a play by Megan Terry called Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place.  When we used flags as bed spreads we were promptly arrested.  England still had a censor in 1967.  But all of a sudden I was invited to direct throughout Europe, principally the Royal Court Theatre (London), State Theatres in Denmark Nancy Festival Du Monde, at the Abbey Theatre and Edinburgh Festival.  The world became much smaller.  The Simon Studio is a direct result of my years directing.  Actors don’t have to create in a room all by themselves, directors, and writers should be there too.  The Arts should be a common language, an inter-action.

 Q: So your beginning with Robert Brustein’s Yale Repertory Company gave you…

A: All the good and bad you have in a revolution.  All of a sudden there were all these great ways to work as opposed to saying there’s just one particular school.  We had Paul Sills and Viola Spolin from Second City the same year the Royal Shakespeare Company taught us.  It became very hard to say “there’s only one way that really works.  It’s a matter of breaking down walls.  You learn you don’t have to fear the writer or director.

Q: So your emphasis as a teacher is on…

A: Putting contemporary writers side be side with the classics, as well as actors with writers and directors.  The best training to help the artist grow is one night you’re doing Pinter, or Williams, the next Shakespeare.  New works loosens the language of the classics.  The continual work on the classics also gives you a discipline and through that respect, it reinforces your respect in contemporary works.

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