Actor Q&A with 'Tis Pity's Reese Madigan

At the heart of ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, beyond the love of siblings, families, suitors, there is another love. Love of duty. Or at least that’s the way Reese Madigan sees it. Returning to CENTERSTAGE as Vasques, the loyal—and manipulative—Spaniard who serves Soranzo, Reese has a warm and gracious attitude toward the theater and his cast mates, and a keen eye as to what sets Vasques apart from the rest of the characters.

“In a play in which almost everyone talks about their hearts, swears by their hearts, other people’s hearts, Vasques is lead by his sense of duty,” says Reese. “I imagine he swore to Sorenzo’s father he’d take care of his son, who is hot-headed and impetuous. He’s trying to keep him in line as he’s getting involved with a very dangerous woman, angering her, and angering her husband.”

In this Reese has found a lot of depth and that the role “is yielding more fruit than I expected,” he says. This profound sense of loyalty carries throughout, and while many times it is played manipulative plots or wry comments, other times it is a very deeply drawn dedication.

“Irene really wanted me to relish my last line [where Vasques boasts that a Spaniard has outwit an Italian in revenge]. It was a real push, because his life is over, in a way….If his whole reason is to do the best at his job, keeping Soranzo safe, he’s failed,” when his master dies.

This failure is not from any lack of machination—or physical skill. Vasques is one of the top swordsmen in the play, making his first entrance verbally and physically slashing at Grimaldi (played by Jacob Knoll). Reese, who has been doing martial arts since he was a child, is well trained in stage combat. “I’ve been lucky to be [fight choreographer J. Allen Suddeth]’s fight captain three times now—a huge honor as he is one of the top two or three in the country.”

A graduate of SUNY Purchase Conservatory, one of Reese’s first parts out of school was as a “spear carrier” in the Shakespearean in the Park production of Richard III with Denzel Washington. “I had three or four fights, it was fantastic!”

Back then Reese was one of the “kids” in the cast. For many years, Reese always felt like the youngest guy, but has been realizing he has transitioned to being one of the “older-young people,” he laughs. “I’m not that old yet!

“I'm at the top of my game, acting wise, but the roles are changing on me with age. The biggest challenge is staying in the game—and the game changes.”

After the close of ’Tis Pity, Reese heads back to New York, without another project lined up. Creative changes impacted a role he had been offered at a theater for the summer, and after much consideration he decided not to accept the change of roles.

“There are the choices you make,” he says. “You’re never just offered a dream role, you always have two choices, and either way you feel like you are burning bridges or making a sacrifice…feast or famine.”

He recently played Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a dream role. “I’d love to do more Tennessee Williams, he's my idol. And more Shakespeare.” It was his role as the Danish Prince in last season’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead that gave him a taste for Hamlet, his next dream role, “by hook or by crook!”

But nothing is planned at the moment. “It’s daunting to leave this, go back to pounding the pavement and working in catering while looking for the next gig.” However, you never know where you’ll meet people. As an event captain for a New York catering company between shows, Reese was working an Upper East Side event just before coming to Baltimore.

“I was growing out my goatee for this role, and felt foolish, so I explained to the wife hosting the party that it was for a part.” The wife asked him if he was an actor and what part. It turned out she was Kate Roche, daughter of the late Nancy Roche, a Trustee and former Board President for CENTERSTAGE (and for whom the Chapel Bar on the Theater’s fourth floor is named).

“Suddenly I was legitimized in her eyes because Irene chose me, I worked at CENTERSTAGE,” Reese says. This strong respect for the Theater seems carried over to the actor as well, who answers questions about returning to Baltimore with obvious warmth for the people here.

”I think this theater is a real jewel,” he says. “The people I’ve worked with here are really some of the best—Irene, David and the costume shop, Larry, of course…one of the best stage management teams I’ve ever worked with.

“It’s a great place to work because Irene [Lewis, Artistic Director] is responsible for all who work with her. She’s a very good director, one of the best. And she hires people who are the best; the actors are treated with a lot of respect, and that seems, from what I can see, to flow over into everyone on the staff.”

And the city, too, has its charms. “Baltimore is a wonderful city with great history—and great theatrical history.” He recalls going out to Green Mount Cemetery, where the Booth family is buried. The Booths were one of the great American theatrical families of the 19th-century (prior to the act that made son John Wilkes notorious). “All that history is all right here.”

Whatever the next show, for now Reese is enjoying the final days of ’Tis Pity and the people he spends his time on stage with. “It’s a really great cast on this one, a lot of laughs. Everybody is a really good actor and it is a pleasure to be on stage with them. There is this combination of really talented younger actors with really seasoned older actors.”

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Interview by Heather. Production Photos: Richard Anderson. Bottom photo: Reese with Felecity Jones.