It's All About Doing What Makes You HappyWALDORF - 2/18/2008 By Staff Writer Heather Bartlett Jeffry Denman might not be a household name, but he is a successful actor. If you're a theatre fan you may have seen him on stage in New York, and loyal Law & Order fans saw him on the recent episode Bottomless as attorney Arthur Stern. Denman is what is known as a triple-threat – he is an actor who can sing and dance. Or, perhaps he is a dancer who can sing and act; however you want to look at it he has made a successful career in the entertainment biz, which is no small feat. Despite the uncertainty and the constant rejection that goes with such a career, he wouldn't change a thing.
Denman said he reached his career goal shortly after arriving in New York; he performed on Broadway. Not wanting to slow down or dwell on the possibility that he peaked early, he set his sights on new goal — well, not a goal exactly. He called it focusing on an "ultimate concern." He set his energy on making sure that what he was doing and who he was spending his time with, was making him happy. "I found out quickly that if I wasn't happy then none of it was worth it. Being on Broadway doesn't make you happy. Dating a pretty girl doesn't make you happy. Having a huge checking account balance doesn't make you happy. I've had and done all three and wasn't happy. So I had to make a shift in what was important to me. Now, I'm happy. All of the rest takes care of itself." Denman has travelled and performed all over the world and spent part of his early career performing on cruise ships. The travelling aspect of a busy performing career can be hard on personal relationships. Denman touched on this subject, offering advice, "Ultimately, you have to make a decision about what's more important: Doing this job out of town, or staying home and tending to my relationship. Sometimes, the job wins because it's something you have always wanted to do or you're going to be working with really good people or the show wants to transfer to Broadway. Sometimes, the job isn't worth it and it's smarter to stay at home with your loved ones and wait for the next one. There will always be a next one. That's what I think some people forget. That's not necessarily true when it comes to a good partner."
To those aspiring performers out there, Denman imparts this wisdom, "Learn, learn, learn. Learn about everything. As an actor you use every facet of life, behavior, storytelling, emotion and situation - you use all of it. The more you know about life and yourself the more effective you can be as an actor. I also have a theory, the more you know about life, the funnier you are, because you see the humor. Open-minded people are usually funny. Close-minded — not so much. Being funny is one of the keys to being a successful storyteller. Laughter ultimately shows truth." With the reputation of the entertainment industry and recent drug-related death of actor Heath Ledger, acting might be a career some parents want to steer their children away from. When asked about the pervasiveness of drugs in the entertainment business Denman said, "In any business whether you are a performer or a day trader, you can find the drug culture within, if you want to. It's a choice. At the same time, you can also choose not to be a part of that." "I think it has more to do with your upbringing and your nature than it has to do with one particular business. We just hear more about the drug activity in show business because the people are famous. The problem arises here: actors want to experience life in all its facets so that they can accurately portray it onstage. At the same time, actors can be some of the most insecure, narcissistic, ego driven people on the planet. This doesn't mix well with drugs or alcohol, or any addictive activity." The Local Scene In Southern Maryland professional theatre is nearly non-existent. However, the proximity to Washington DC and Baltimore make professional entertainment available to the Southern Maryland area. There is a thriving professional acting community in DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Additionally there are many workshops and classes available from stage combat to Shakespearean acting that hopeful performers can attend to hone their skills and fill out their resumes. If you aren't ready to invest in workshops and headshots just yet, you can to test out your taste for performing by becoming involved with a community theatre. They often have open audition calls and are besides looking for stage talent they usually need help with other aspects of productions. If you are interested in lighting, sound or even just trying out as a stage-hand, give your local community theatre a call. It's time well spent within the community and will give you an idea if performing is something you want to pursue. Break a leg! ***** Jeffry Denman is 37 years old and was born in Buffalo, New York. His high school years were spent at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. He graduated cum laude with a BA in Musical Theatre from The State University of New York. His Broadway credits include his Broadway debut How to Succeed, Dream, he was in the final cast of Cats and was in the original cast of The Producers. He said that the shows that meant the most to him were White Christmas, which he's done the last four years, every holiday season in San Francisco, Los Angeles, St Paul and Boston, in that order. Also, two productions of Crazy for You this past year in New England His website can be found at www.JeffryDenman.com For fun view his hilarious spoof as Eminem in this music video he made for the holidays melding rap and White Christmas. ~*~*~ |
