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Jeremy
Herliczek I NOISE |
"Redemption: An Evening of One
Acts"
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Carla Kucinskis | NOISE
Jesse "J.C." Kibbey studies political theory at Michigan State University, but he's a thespian at heart. The 19-year-old sophomore doesn't exactly fit the stereotype of stage actors. For one thing, he belongs to a fraternity -- Delta Kappa Epsilon. He also isn't overly dramatic when he speaks. But he does admit he loves musicals.
Kibbey, a Lansing native, landed roles in "The Princess Bride" and "Hello Dolly" in high school. But this past summer, he plunged into community theater as Chiron in Sunsets with Shakespeare's controversial "The Titus Andronicus Experience." Now he's taking on the challenging role of Jesse in Sunsets' "Moral Obligations" by Lansing's Todd A. Hewyood. His character is based on Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old from Laramie, Wyo., who was beaten to death because of his homosexuality. We talked with Kibbey about the challenges of his role and what it's like to be so close to Matthew Shepard's reality.
Do you find a difference between community and high school theater?
High school you already know everyone you're working with. Doing theater is kind of like being someone's roommate. You spend a lot of time with them. It's almost like going to war in that you develop a bond with them.
This show is pretty gritty compared to "Hello Dolly."
This show is a little gritty compared to anything I've done before. That's part of why I wanted to do it. (In high school), I didn't do anything until my senior year. It was something I really wanted to do but I was worried.... I didn't want people to think I was a theater dork.
Are you a theater dork?
I wouldn't say I'm a theater dork. I'm a diverse guy.
Why did you get into community theater?
I missed theater. I love doing it. It's challenging, which automatically makes me like something. The thing I really like most about acting is when I act I'm doing it for the audience. That's my motivation.
Is acting a closeted thing for you?
My good friends all know. And I'm sure the general public would think a bunch of fraternity guys wouldn't think it's cool, but my brothers have all been supportive.
What's difficult about portraying a real-life character like Matthew Shepard?
It's a character that's not a caricature. Jesse in the play, or Matt Shepard, was a human being and it's hard to be someone else and not just a persona. This sounds kind of self righteous, but I feel like I have a burden to do him justice. I feel some pressure but it's not so much like there's expectations about it so much as I think it's really important to do.
What's the message of the play?
Tolerance, maybe. It's hard for me to even understand stuff like this. My whole life I never cared about "are you gay? are you straight?" Who cares. Part of it has been getting into the mindset of the victim [and] into the mindset of the aggressor. It's not about that Matthew Shepard was gay, I mean it is about that, but on a larger scale it's about the importance of compassion and understanding of your fellow man. If this play can force people to look in the mirror a little bit, then it's done its job.
What's it like being straight and playing the role of a gay character? Do you approach it differently?
It's really not that hard. I don't go out there swiveling my hips with a limp wrist. I don't have to act that different than me. We're both going through a lot of the same figuring out who we are. I have a lot more in common with him than different.
Have there been any points throughout rehearsing that were too sickening to handle?
It's a powerful script and it's a struggle playing it because at the same time you're feeling disgusted and trying not to let that show. Your initial reaction is you're horrified by it; you're trying to be as professional as you can and portray it, but at the same time you have to draw on the humanity of it and the emotions that you're inevitably going to feel as an actor and as a person if you really want to do it effectively.