By DeNae Thomas
Assistant Lifestyles Editor
If you don’t know many theater majors on campus, it is probably because they are so busy memorizing lines, setting up props and learning choreography, they have to eat, sleep and study in Smothers Theatre.
Junior Brandon Birtwistle, who is from a town just south of Denver, was lucky to get away from Smothers for this interview. Birtwistle, who is majoring in theater, almost missed it because he was setting up for “King Lear,” one of four productions he is in this semester.
“Right now my brain is so fried,” Birtwistle said. “I am memorizing my lines for ‘King Lear,’ lines for my theater classes, words for French class …”
Currently, Birtwistle is the Lord of Burgundy and understudy for “King Lear” in the Shakespearean play opening Tuesday.
“It’s an epic,” Birtwistle said. “It’s going to be three hours long, but the set is amazing and the costumes are great. The show is going to be superb.”
He is also memorizing lines for “The Strangest Kind of Romance” by Tennessee Williams, which is opening the week after ‘King Lear.”
“I haven’t had a break from shows all year,” Birtwistle said. “Once our last show is done, finals are the next week.”
This week alone Birtwistle rehearsed more than 40 hours for “King Lear,” and while he wasn’t doing that, he was preparing for his role in The Strangest Kind of Romance.
All the hard work is worth it, however, because in the future Birtwistle knows he wants to act. While he may go to graduate school or start auditioning immediately next spring after graduation, he knows he will pursue his passion for the stage.
“I could never do a desk job because I have to do something I love and I love to act and work with people,” Birtwistle said. “I trust God will lead me in the right direction.”
12 Questions
Why did you come to Pepperdine?
Pepperdine had a lot of things I liked about it so I auditioned and got accepted. I got accepted into other places but it just wasn’t right. I’ve got an ocean view from my room and that’s pretty hard to complain about. Also, it’s a Christian university which was appealing to me.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I plan on staying out here and auditioning. It’s scary but exciting as well. I hope to play in a band as well. I don’t have time now, but as soon as I don’t have school full time I will be able to start a band up again like in high school. Acting and music are my two greatest passions so either way I would be happy.
What is your favorite part about working on “King Lear”?
Andrew Jarvis. He’s from London and came here for the semester to direct and star in it. He used to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and is a pretty big name. Andrew is so smart and knows so much about Shakespeare. I have learned an unbelievable amount from him. I play the role of the Lord of Burgundy and I am actually understudying the role of “King Lear.” It’s such a big role and he’s so fantastic.
Is the show almost ready to go?
We just loaded in the set the last two weeks so this week is about putting in all the technical aspects. We’ve been rehearsing since early February and now we are putting the final touches on the show and getting it ready to go up in front of an audience.
Is Shakespearean acting difficult?
All of the language is heightened so people have to be at the top of their emotion. Everything is extreme, but that doesn’t mean it’s not realistic. For people during the time it was really real.
What do you ideally want to do when you graduate?
Act. I’ve been thinking about applying to NYU or Boston University and going to graduate school. At this point I’m not sure if I want to go to school longer. I’m pretty beat right now.
What other plays have you been in?
Freshman year I was in “West Side Story” as an officer. Then I had the lead in “The Greatest of These,” which was written and directed by Matt Patterson who graduated from here three years ago. Sophomore year I did “42nd Street.” We did step-by-step Broadway choreography. I was in the chorus, which is what I wanted to do because the director took all of us guys that had never tap danced before and turned us into Broadway dancers. I did “The Diviners” last year and a show called “The Matchmaker.”
This year I was in the opera (“The Abduction from the Seraglio”) and “Fahrenheit 451” as a fireman. “King Lear” is the fourth show I’m working on this semester.
What are you going to do this summer?
I manage a marketing company called Vector Marketing back in Colorado. I am assistant manager for the Denver office, which was the number one office last year out of 450 offices in our division. It was awesome. I do a little bit of everything. I will work there this summer.
What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not in the theater?
Surf. I had to try it. I’m in Malibu. I bought a surfboard freshman year and hit the waves. I don’t get a chance to do it near as much as I would like, but when I have the chance I do.
What is your favorite restaurant in Malibu?
I really like the Beau Rivage and I love Taverna Tony’s. The whole atmosphere there is just awesome. Anytime I get off campus to eat real food I am happy. But actually I love to cook. My mom’s cooked a lot so I’ve learned a lot from her. I make an excellent Eggs Benedict with a cheese sauce my family made up. Then I make a pasta with sun dried tomatoes, garlic and pine nuts, and feta cheese. Oh, it’s awesome. The majority of the time it’s living off frozen foods though. I would cook more often if I had time … it just takes so much effort.
Who is your favorite actor?
I love Edward Norton and Kevin Spacey. I think both of them are extremely talented. They both pick quality movies. Anything they are in I go see because they don’t pick poor scripts. A new favorite would be Jake Gyllenhall. He’s an awesome new actor.
What do you like most about being on stage?
What I like the most about acting is that I get a chance to affect people, to make them feel, make them laugh, make them cry. It’s just such an awesome thing.
April 03, 2003