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| Drifter Citizen Barlow (E. Roger Mitchell) is comforted by housekeeper Black Mary (Tonia M. Jackson) as he experiences a spiritual journey in Aunt Ester's house in Gem of the Ocean, part of the exclusive Atlanta event August Wilson Full Circle at the Alliance Theatre in partnership with True Colors Theatre Company. |
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Don't be surprised if you look on an Atlanta stage and see Summerville (South Carolina) native E. Roger Mitchell giving you every ounce of energy he has while demanding your attention in a principal role. These days he seems to be showing up and showing out everywhere.
Whether he's tackling the challenging work of award-winning playwright August Wilson for the Alliance Theatre, amazing audiences in shows like Miss Evers' Boys for True Colors Theatre or surprising you with an African accent in his most recent appearance in A Cool Drink of Water at the Horizon Theatre, Mitchell continues to show why he is quickly becoming one of the most sought after talents in theatre today. |
"It's hard to believe that I have been a professional actor for 16 years but I have loved every minute of it including the struggles and challenges that are inevitable for anyone who wants to make it in this business," he said.
Mitchell, the youngest of 10, began his preparation by first attending Claflin University, a small Methodist college in Orangeburg, South Carolina. After completing his studies he accepted an internship with the Alliance Theatre where he came under the tutelage of Kenny Leon - one of the most recognized and respected names in theatre today. |
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E. Roger Mitchell (front right) with Miss Evers (Jasmine Guy) and the rest of the cast
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"Internships were the thing back then and so every young actor was praying for a chance to get that hands-on experience and exposure that was crucial for their development," he said. "At the time (1994) the Alliance and Louisville were the top two programs but Atlanta was where I really wanted to go so I could work with Kenny Leon who was serving as the artistic director.
"It was a real change for me because I was doing children's theatre. Then suddenly, I was understudying all of the Alliance's shows and meeting everyone - that's how we earned our weeks to become eligible equity actors. That's what's so cool about doing A Cool Drink of Water right now - I am working with people like Bernardine Mitchell who taught me how to become a professional actor."
Mitchell paused, almost appearing to take a walk down memory lane, before going on to share recollections of those days when he worked with other unknowns who all had one thing in common - the determination to become the best they could be.
He shared with this writer experiences of working with people who would soon become his friends - actors, singers and directors who would later become stars in their own right - from David Pinkston and Shirley Murdock to one young African-American who was running around the country producing shows on the gospel circuit, using his own money and refusing to accept defeat - the now legendary Tyler Perry.
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"We were all struggling artists back then - I can recall going on the road for short stints with Tyler and helping him setup and break down stages before moving on to the next location," Mitchell said. "He helped put food on many folks' tables. What I remember most is the night he called me late one evening in 1998. It was probably November or December because my mother had just died. Tyler called very excited to tell me that his latest production had sold out. That's when we both knew that he was on his way."
Mitchell completed his internship and then moved to New York City in 1997 where he went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts at The City University of New York (CUNY) Brooklyn. And while he says he has seen real changes in his profession, particularly in the technology that supports the industry, one thing that has remained constant is the importance of always being prepared.
"Today you can record anywhere on the planet and send your tape with your MP3 player, as a quick time file or a wave," he said. "Technology has made the world much smaller because in most cases you can now audition without even being in the same city as the directors and casting agents. That means that your competition is global and you have to be ready." |
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| Spiritual advisor Aunt Ester (Michele Shay) shares her wisdom with drifter Citizen Barlow (E. Roger Mitchell) in Gem of the Ocean, part of the exclusive Atlanta event August Wilson Full Circle at the Alliance Theatre in partnership with True Colors Theatre Company. |
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Memorable Roles
Like other jobs requiring creativity, acting is the kind of profession where one knows when they have hit the mark or fallen short. It doesn't take the reviews from a Siskel or Ebert - they just know. For Mitchell, the first time he knew he "got it" was when he was auditioning for an HBO film called Boycott.
"That's the first role I can recall feeling like I had really nailed my audition," he said. "And it was a film that remains one of my favorites. The director was Clark Johnson (Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire) who has proven himself as an actor and director and is just a wonderful individual. Whitman Mayo (Grady on the sitcom Sanford and Son) auditioned with me and we were both eventually cast. I played a character that actually participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Working with Jeffrey Wright and Terrance Howard, two brothers that I really admire, and of course Clark was one of the most significant moments in my early acting career."
Mitchell would work on other projects directed by Johnson, appearing in a few episodes in The Shield (television) and in the film SWAT - and his reputation continued to soar.
"Those roles were great for my resume," Mitchell said with a laugh. "Things were starting to happen for me and I could feel it. But more than that - Clark acknowledged me and my abilities - that was a righteous thing for him to do."
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According to Mitchell, the greatest mistake that he almost made was turning down the chance to star in the bookend pieces of August Wilson - the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose "Decade Cycle" (one play for each decade in the 20th century) would garner a host of awards from the United States and abroad.
"I was up for roles in both Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf, which were going to be directed by Kenny (Leon) and Kent Gash (then the company's assistant artistic director)," he said. "It was part of the Alliance's tribute to Wilson and they were going to do Gem in the early afternoon (it chronicles the 1900s) and Golf (it chronicles the 1990s) in the evening.
I had already had the chance to do Fences, but doing those two shows back-to-back - that experience changed my life."
Anyone who has ever seen Wilson's ten-play series can attest to the fact that each play is an amazing, complex story with surprising connections and links between characters and themes. And like the work of South African playwright Athol Fugard, Wilson's plays are epics - easily running three hours or more without factoring in intermission. So, how did Mitchell learn the part for two plays that demanded over five hours of onstage work?
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| "The directors advised us to look at the two plays as one piece - the first as act one and the second as act two," he said. "Actors know we have to learn our lines and so of course there were many hours spent in memorization. Looking back on the experience I think it was some of the best work I have ever done and I am talking about stage, television and film work that I have under my belt.
There are those moments when you know that what you have done is to hold up the imitation of life in a true and honest fashion. That's what I was able to do with Wilson's two works, and with the directors, cast and crew that were assembled, it all just flowed."
Mitchell, never one to rest on his laurels, just began filming a pilot for FOX and is working on an independent movie as well. And of course, he continues to listen to his agent and mentors in the business while considering several other "irons in the fire."
"There's always something out there for an actor, a writer or a musician," he said. "The economy may be in a slump but the arts are still going on. I am like the shark, which realizes that if he doesn't keep swimming, he won't survive. I guess maybe I could find a good current close to my gills that would allow me to just chill but that's even more difficult to secure. For me, I would rather keep moving."
And so he does.
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