A View of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE with actor and chorus member, Cole Spivey

Today we spend a few minutes with actor Cole Spivey who plays Tony in A View From The Bridge and is also a member of the chorus ensemble.

I've worked with many directors in my life and have done well over fifty plays across the States, including one in Europe. I have had the honor to study with Marjorie Hays at UNT, Diane Salinger in Hollywood, and a group of risk takers that still hangs out at a little place called The Actors Studio in NYC. I got in through the Actors Studio Drama School's MFA program many moons ago. This gives me a little credit to give kudos to directors. It also makes me excited about approaching real people again, and a playwright that once worked with members of the Studio.

Director Adam Adolfo is a very organized director and absolutely, without doubt, knows what he wants. In the audition stage, I was a little afraid of him becomes he seemed like a tyrant and liked to bang on objects to speed up tempo. On the other hand, it brought emotion to the room and an operatic flair. Also, I thought this was sign of a director that used his time wisely and in relevance: an economist of emotional need of rhythm in auditions. Adolfo likes to kill two birds with one stone.

Now, about A View From the Bridge. Currently, we are mostly doing table talk, and some stage talk in the early stages. But mostly reading over material and research, about the setting Red Hook (Brooklyn New York), Arthur Miller's point of view of The Hook, and a sense of community, i.e. Latino and Dominican with a touch of Italian and even Irish. Yesterday we focused on the crime that lives in Red Hood and off the shores. Also, revealing the community blood of the environment around our narrating character Alfieri.

Criminal behavior began to take on a body and movement of the super-objective of the community surviving in Red Hook. The honor code was higher than legalistic rules. I mentioned that, "The white community focuses on the law biding citizen and the promise of money for the good and hardworking" I mentioned that, "the gangster is only finding a more creative way to earn that promise."

Adolfo, wanted us to focus on how, as a community, we were going to survive. There’s a great sense of exploring the lives of the characters beyond the text. Small thoughts like = what were our jobs. He also asked us, "What was the immigrant population promised when coming to America?" One actor responded in saying, "Give us your hungry. . . .etc. . " from the statue of Liberty. But is this true or a lie? Did America welcome immigrants?

Adolfo is more than just organized, but he likes actors to think hard in creating a role. The most helpful hint he gave, was "What did you do to survive in Red Hook?"
I've read once in some older dictionary, that an Actor "is a person portraying someone's occupation."

I think Adolfo is on the right note in asking us, "What do you do to survive in Red Hook." It really begins to bring to play to life. Also, it helps you step out of third person and into first.