The Parchment

by Ryan Mulkay

Liz Brown as Susan and Ryan Mulkay as Ian

He was a character I won’t soon forget. Probably because he was so cool. Or was he simple? Slow? Smart? Good vocabulary, but not very street smart. Edgy? Well, if you consider his line of work. In love? Yes, he is definitely in love. In over his head? Yes, he is definitely in over his head. This is Ian. This is how I approached such a character. A seven-layer dip of creation if you will. So much to work with. Ian is someone who is constantly being thrown curve balls and is fighting to keep up—but who isn’t? That’s just life. Although, his curve balls seem to be a bit faster.

I began by grounding Ian in the idea that he should be the audience’s perspective. He is one of them, facing these issues for them. If I had my way, it would appear that this guy came to the theater, bought a ticket and found a seat; I would say a front row seat. Then, at just the right moment (about 15 min. into the play) he decides to step on stage and get to know this family. Of course they know and welcome him (sort of), he knows his lines and his blocking and the play goes on. Now, of course I don’t mean I wanted this to be a gimmicky performance art piece, just that it seemed like this guy was in way over his head and trying to keep up with the rest of the people in this story. And he was cool—he had to be cool. That was only the beginning.

After some very helpful discussion with two therapists who deal with the issues present in the play, I began to see him as more. He is someone with a NEED to help, no matter how difficult that becomes. Someone who loves a girl and wants so badly to be the one to protect her but is just not equipped. Someone who wants to be in the thick of it without thinking of the consequences. Someone who just wants to help. That was the great fun and challenge of the role, from scene to scene—trying to be the savior to a group who doesn’t want my saving.

As the show grew, the role grew. While the weeks of rehearsal and performances went by, I was still constantly finding new things to filter the fastballs that are constantly thrown Ian’s way. It seems only fitting that as we were getting ready to close the show, I felt I was just getting started. I wanted to keep going. I wanted to see what else there was to find on the stage every night. That in large part was due to the cast of people around me. Every night was something fresh, exciting and new. Never a stale performance and never a dull scene. I guess we’ll have to wait for the tour to pick up where we left off.

It’s been an exciting and rewarding (as cliché as that sounds) process to travel to Washington, DC and work on this play. I was proud to be a member of our company. I was proud to represent us in front of a new cast, crew and audience. It’s opportunities like these when I am reminded why it is we do what we do. I wanted to tell a good story, do good work and challenge myself as well as the audience, in that, I knew I was not just doing these things for myself but that I was a part of something bigger. I was a part of what Mutineer stands for—new, thought provoking work worth doing.

The second production of Lie With Me has come to a close and it’s tough not to miss it already.