Chad L. Coleman – Saugerties

By starrymag | August 30, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I’m working on “All American” now. “The Orville” will be cued up in October. Then, “The Expanse” is after that. Prior to that I was working on something called “The Interrogation” for CBS All Access.

Q) What backstory can you give for this couple in the play Saugerties?

A) They are both two amazing artists. She’s an artist and I’m a musician. We meet when I was performing at one of her exhibits. It was a beautiful beginning, exciting, loving and nurturing. She helped me through an addiction and now we’re at a point where she is having major difficulties herself because she can’t have a child. That’s where the play starts – their tenth anniversary and she can’t have a child. She’s someone who has been there for me in a way no one else had and I want to be there for her the same, but it’s a tough deal.

Q) What drew you to wanting to be a part of this production?

A) My friend, Susan Eve Haar, wrote this and I did a reading of it last year. I also made a short film of it. The subject matter and the denseness of it and trying to figure it out and the way Susan can put a bullseye on the kind of pathology that happens inside relationships and notions of being able to save another person and what true unconditional love looks like. Then, it’s bringing the science side of it by bringing into the cloning aspect of it as well. It’s sort of “Black Mirror”-ish. In this time that we’re living in I think people are more ready to take on stuff in the way that we’re presenting it.

Q) What is it about this character, Rog, that resonated with you?

A) In reading it a lot of stuff percolated for me on a personal level initially. That was one of the attractions of the play. At the time, my ex-girlfriend and I did the reading together and so much mirrored a lot of what had happened in our relationship (obviously not as ramped up). I could relate to it so much from those experiences and then just all the twists and turns of it and the whole cloning aspect. I’m a firm believer in unconditional love. Whatever is true and authentic to two people they have the right to decide what it is for themselves and not let the outside world decide what it is, as long as it is within moral reason. Love can conquer all.

Q) There is such great chemistry between Jen and Rog. Did you and costar Beau Garrett do a chemistry read or was it innately there?

A) I saw her audition tape and then we sat together. She’s a person who resonated more of the playwright. I think it was more important that the essence of the playwright be there – all these qualities of mystery, playfulness and intensity. She brought all of that to the table with a certain kind of ease and effortlessness to it. That’s like a part of her being. There’s an essence to her that really works with the character. And she’s gorgeous and super talented and a very, very sweet and kind person. She’s easy to work with so it wasn’t hard to be madly in love with her.

Q) You mentioned previously portraying Rog and even creating a film version of this play. Was there something then that director Abigail Bess said that you took to heart for this particular portrayal?

A) Abigail had experience with it as well because she did a first act of the play, I think, over in Europe. Abigail, the one thing that you can trust with her is to just get in and go. Trust the language and go for it. That is the main thing. Stay on top of it and keep it moving. Keep that engine revving. She has an amazing energy herself. The beauty of it is that it is very deep and heavy stuff, so she was like, “It’s the joy of it. How to not let it swallow you up and just the joy of it.” She was very key in that area of it.

Q) How do you shake off a long day of taking on such an intense subject matter?

A) I’m a practicing Buddhist and meditation. That’s how you do it. Maintain a spiritual perspective and a spiritual perspective inevitably gives you distance from it. You know what’s really real and what really matters. The practice itself is designed for you to take care of yourself, to keep spiritual perspective when you’re doing stuff like this so you don’t run into any dangerous, treacherous waters.

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from seeing Saugerties?

A) The power of love. The true and absolutely power of love and what commitment really looks like. It takes a lot to be in a committed relationship, but the main ingredient inevitably is that unconditional love. How to nurture another human being or, if nothing else, see what a trainwreck looks like and recognize through the missteps of these characters how not to do that in your own life. Then, on the other side of it, there is this powerful honor and nurture of love. If you honor and nurture it and keep each other safe then anything is possible.

Q) The storyline your character, Klyden, has taken with Bortus on “The Orville” is incredible. What kind of response have you gotten to this journey this couple has gone on?

A) People are applauding. It’s one of the first times you’ve seen an alien couple be able to make that kind of impact on regular people, per se. People are loving it – the depth of it and the amazing humor. It’s been really wonderful. It’s just been a real joyride for people.

Q) I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention your role on “The Walking Dead” as Tyrese. He lived protecting children and then died by being bitten by a child walker. There’s a distinct irony to that.

A) That’s what they were going for, the cruel irony of here’s a man with a big size and heart and he can be taken down by this little walker. That’s what they were going for – the cruel irony of that world.

Q) Talk about filming your final scene of that series.

A) It was amazing! Highly dramatic on so many different levels because I had so many wonderful relationships. It was exhausting, incredibly intense. But it was an amazing experience. [laughs] I mean, I was the last one there covered in blood in the trailer trying to get all the blood off me. It was like, “Wow! What a journey.” But he was a noble man. I thought Scott Gimple and Greg Nicotero did an amazing job with that final episode. It was a true homage to the man. If you didn’t know that man prior to seeing that episode, you did when you were done with that one. I thought it was just a spot-on way to go out.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work you do?

A) It’s a tandem. I’d like to say that we’re a team. I can’t do it without you and you don’t have the experiences with me. We do it together. #WeAreOne. Let’s continue this great journey together, this beautiful dance. And I hope I’ll always be able to bring you thought provoking and funny and intense work more to come.

 

 

 

Fans of Chad L. Coleman receive 20% off their tickets to SAUGERTIES. Tickets must be purchased at OnStage411.com/Saugerties. Enter Promo Code CHAD20 to receive discount. This offer is not available on previous purchases. A Special Fan Performance will be held Saturday, Sep. 7 at 3pm. Immediately after the performance, Beau and Chad will conduct a special “meet and greet” at the theatre. Tickets purchased for this performance will allow access to the meet and greet.