Zachary Booth and Tina Chilip in a timely new drama by A. Rey Pamatmat about forgiveness and second chances. After All the terrible things I do plays until June 21 at the South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.
Photo: T. Charles Erickson
Performances continue throughout Pride month until June 21
By: Christine Nicco/TRT Reporter—
BOSTON, Mass—It isn’t often that an LGBT-themed theater performance steals the limelight. However, that is just what Huntington Theatre does in its production of After All the Terrible Things I do by A. Rey Pamatmat, directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois.
The Rainbow Times recently connected with Zachary Booth, an accomplished actor who plays the leading role of Daniel. As a young gay man and recent college graduate, Daniel returns home in the hopes of rediscovering himself. Through his journey, the play examines how prejudice impacts close relationships and examines the cost of forgiveness and what second chances actually look like. Pamatmat also explores the origins of bullying and its mental and psychological ramifications in this intimate play.
Booth gives us an insight to the complexity of Daniel and his process, while presenting the character in an authentic way that speaks to the broad LGBT community, depicting experiences, trials and triumphs that many who belong to it have faced and conquered.
TRT: How does playing a gay character on stage differ from the other roles you’ve played?
Zachary Booth: Daniel has had experiences that are different from other characters that I’ve played in the past. For example, he experienced coming out and the reaction of his family and peers to his sexuality. Honoring that history is part of creating this character.
Q. What has been the most challenging aspect to Daniel’s character for you to depict on stage?
A. His anger. Daniels emotions come out aggressively and unapologetically. [pullquote]Booth gives us an insight to the complexity of Daniel and his process, while presenting the character in an authentic way that speaks to the broad LGBT community, depicting experiences, trials and triumphs that many who belong to it have faced and conquered. [/pullquote]
Q. Has this role caused you to reflect on the current LGBT issues the community experiences? How or how not?
A. While trying to understand Daniel, I have contemplated the issues of bullying and discrimination within The LGBT community itself. I think most of the time we discuss bullying from the outside in and in this play we discussed bullying from the inside [out].
Q. What have you learned as a result of being cast as Daniel?
A. I’ve learned that the issues I have with my own masculinity are still very present in my mind.
Q. What are the biggest challenges Daniel faces when returning home from college?
A. Daniel’s biggest challenge when he arrives home, is that he’s forced to face the person that he was when he was young.
Q. Do you think that Daniel’s character, due to his sexual orientation, has a greater impact on the audiences understanding of the LGBT community?
A. I would hope that Daniel’s character has an impact on audiences and increases their understanding of the LGBT community. Not just Daniel, but this entire play looks at issues that exist for LGBT people in the way I have never seen on stage before.
Q. What excites you most about this role?
A. What is most exciting for me about Daniel is his journey to understand his own ugliness. I’m one of those people who have done bad things in life but consider himself a good person. I think until we understand our own ugliness we have little hope of moving past it, and that’s exactly what Daniel is trying to do in this play.
Performances of After All the Terrible Things I Do will continue through Pride month at the South End/Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA). The final curtain call is on June 21. For more information about this show and others, visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.
