Meet the Cast of Ten November: Part 2
Kevin Ilardi
Kevin is thrilled to be back for his second show here at The Grange. Kevin is a recent graduate from Syracuse University’s school of Visual and Performing Arts where he majored in acting with a concentration in musical performance. Recently, Kevin has performed in The Grange Theater’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Syracuse Stage’s production of A Christmas Carol, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I would like to thank my Parents, Gabi, and my friends and fellow graduates who have supported me, enjoy the show!
Role: Actor 6/Young Man/Stenographer
Where are you from?
I’m from Goshen, New York
How/why did you get into acting?
I started doing theater at the recommendation Of my elementary school choir teacher
What does it mean for you to be in this show?
It means a lot to be back up here for my second show. I really got to form a bond with this community during spelling bee and it’s amazing to be back performing a much for thought provoking piece.
Can you tell us one fun fact about yourself?
Before landing on theater, I played 10 different intramural sports!
Daniel L. Patterson
Daniel is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Keene State College in New Hampshire, where he taught and directed for forty years. Dan’s specialty is Directing and Acting. He has also taught Design and Stage Management, but has a special place in his heart for the Playwriting Class that he originated at KSC. Dan received his MFA degree from the University of Texas at Austin (1975) where he studied directing under Dr. Francis Hodge. Dan was twice awarded the Kennedy Center Medallion for his work with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. His favorite roles have been: Mycroft in Mycroft Holmes, Erik Blake in The Humans, Darth Vader in Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Buzz Windrip in It Can’t Happen Here, Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler, Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, Macbeth in Macbeth, Prospero in The Tempest, Roy in Angels in America, Mr. Lockhart in The Seafarer, and Lord Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer. He has appeared in other notable works including: All My Sons (Joe), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (George), and Fahrenheit 451 (Faber). He is the author of a Science Fiction Play entitled The Vastness Within as well as adaptations of Camille and Lysistrata. which appear in his published collection of plays. He has also published a book titled: Directing for Community Theatre. Dan lives in Hartland Four Corners in Vermont with his wife, Cheryl and their four cats: Mabel, Violet, Biscuit, and Eddie.
Role: Actor 7/Alien Theorist/Zabinski
Where are you from?
Difficult question. We moved a lot because my father was in an allied industry to the defense industry. He was basically in computers in the early days of computers. I was born in Kansas City Missouri, but barely remember it. We moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico so my dad could work for the Sandia Corporation. Then we moved to Santa Maria, California which put my dad at Vandenburg Air Force and Missle complex. Then we moved to Houston, Texas, which put my dad with NASA. It was in High school there that I got my first taste of acting. Then I went to a Junior college and actually majored in theatre and found one of my mentors. Then I transferred to the University of Texas in Austin where I found my second mentor and really made the whole Theatre thing my life’s work. In terms of coming of age and coming into my life, I count Texas as where I’m from.
How/why did you get into acting?
I was almost painfully shy as a kid. So I went to see this high school guidance counselor at my school. I decided I needed to confront the whole shyness problem. I told him that I was shy and lonely and really tired of it and he said that I should sign up for some speech classes which he said would force me to get up in front of people. So, I did. I ended up taking the two speech classes available. After those, the decision was whether to go for debate or acting classes. For some reason I took the acting classes. I have to say that this was truly a life changing move. I owe that guidance counselor a real debt of gratitude. Because now I was hooked forever. I had found my calling. I had finally found my life’s work. Something that I was very good at: PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE! I learned very quickly that entering into another person’s mind and body was far preferable to being me. They were so much more interesting and much more interesting things happened to them. I had spent most of my life pretending to be someone else, now I found that there was actually a way one could make a living at it. Another thing that I discovered was that, just like acting, I could invent myself anew whenever I wanted to. I could easily pretend to be outgoing and personable and funny and interesting and I could be as good at that OFF stage as well as ON. It’s a good thing too because I’m really not sure what I would have become without it. I was so good at being that other persona that I think I started to become him. But You know what, the first little guy is still there. He’s just underneath the surface. I sometimes look at the world through his eyes. But I sometimes wonder who the real me is?
What does it mean for you to be in this show?
I guess I’d have to say that being in this show is a step for me. When I retired from Keene State College in 2016, my wife, Cheryl, and I moved into her family home in Hartland Four Corners, Vermont. I had been at Keene for forty years. I began to think seriously about doing theatre in this area but it meant having to start over in terms of making friends and acquaintances in that world here. I worked with several groups in the Upper Valley, the most rewarding being the Parish Players in Thetford. I really don’t remember how I got in touch with Matthew and Jade here at ArtisTtree but I immediately felt a kinship with them. I’m not at all sure that I need/want to be performing at my age, but this seems like a very welcoming place to do it. At my age one begins to wonder if one can still do it. I like the artistic vision here and feel like I would like to be a part of it somehow.
Can you tell us one fun fact about yourself?
Fun fact. Many years ago, I was the Scottish King in That play. They did a casting of my head for the scene where he is beheaded. For some reason, my mother saved it. Years later I was in a production of Richard III at the Champlain Shakespeare Festival in Burlington, and they needed a casting of my head because my character was beheaded at the end of Act Two. I said “Oh, I have one, my mother saved it.” I called her and she sent it. With a little artistic fiddling it was used in Richard. People asked my why my mother saved it. My standard answer is that she used it for a table centerpiece at Thanksgiving. The truth is I don’t know why she saved it. She was always saving stuff from shows and if you looked into her garage, you might have wondered what kind of sick person lived there. She had a complete set of prisoner stocks from a show we had done.