In Part One of a series of interviews with the cast of Two Rooms at Kensington Arts Theatre, meet Sean Dynan.
Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform on the stage before. What roles did you play in these shows?
My name is Sean Dynan. I’m originally from West Orange, NJ and I received my B.M. and M.M. in Saxophone Performance from Duquesne University and The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University respectively. I’m also a certified sommelier and have become an enthusiastic Uber driver in hopes of transitioning to a life based solely on endeavors in acting and music while working on stage, film, and TV in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Area.
This is my first time acting with a theatre company within the D.C. Beltway. Some of my film work has been done in D.C. but all of my stage work has been done in Baltimore including the roles of CB in Bert V. Royal’s Dog Sees God, Aemilion in Gore Vidal’s Romulus, Felix in Michael Hollinger’s Incorruptible, Jack in Sondheim/Levine’s Into The Woods.
Why did you want to be part of the cast of Two Rooms? I have never heard of this play before. Had you known about it before? And what intrigued you about the play?
There were many factors that drew me to this play. First and foremost the challenge of the role. In Dog Sees God I had perhaps an equivalent amount of monologue time however the challenge of Two Rooms is the extreme isolation and such limited interaction with the cast. Most plays I’ve worked on have let me focus on the dynamics between different characters, however with Two Rooms I’m presented with two short moments between other characters and to find true objective and meaningful portrayal of interpersonal relationships is a hurdle.
I also found this opportunity a chance to break out of the Baltimore scene and get a feel of the thriving D.C theatre community.
Who do you play in the show? How do you relate to him?
I play Michael Wells. If you had to describe him with three levels throughout the play he is a husband, a professor, and a hostage. I feel that in developing the character I didn’t put emphasis on personality or traits, but more so on stripping a human down to as basic form as possible and isolating them from the world, and allowing grit and resilience to be a driving characteristic.
What is Two Rooms about from the point of view of your character?
Once again, grit and resilience. Figuring out ways to stay relevant and real to the outside world after my life has been extremely simplified in a small cramped room, bathroom once a day, shower once a month, and beatings whenever necessary.
What challenges have you had preparing for the role, and how did Director John Nunemaker help you through these challenges? What was the best advice he gave you on how to play your role?
The physicality of the role was the biggest challenge. John is working with me to instill a sense that for as long as Michael is held hostage, there will always be a part of me that is bruised and broken. That perhaps if my right knee is feeling fine today, another element will be worse off whether its mentally, my spirit, or another area of my body.
What is your favorite line or lines that your character says, and what is your favorite line that someone else says in the show?
My favorite line of Michael’s is: “He had to have known what the world can do – if it just feels like it- to a man.”
I love Lainie’s response to Ellen’s line: “I wish I could take away your pain” and Lainie responds “I wish you could remember it.”
What does Two Rooms have to say to today’s audiences?
I think the show will speak for itself in with the current climate of our unpredictable foreign policy.
Two Rooms plays from February 17 to March 4, 2017 at Kensington Arts Theatre performing at the Kensington Town Hall Armory – 3716 Mitchell Street, in Kensington, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (240) 621-0528, or purchase them online.