Theatre veteran has performing down pat
By Ruby Nancy, QUAD-CITY TIMES -- May 23, 2002

If there was ever a single performer who deserved the appellation “veteran Quad-City actor,” that label would go to Pat Flaherty, who stars in this weekend’s opening of New Ground Theatre’s “Dinner With Friends.”

Though he now works primarily for New Ground, Genesius Guild and It’s A Mystery, Flaherty has had major roles in shows at Playcrafters Barn Theatre, Black Hawk College (where he’s in the BHC Theatre Hall of Fame), the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, and in the now-defunct Mississippi Thespian Society and the Eclectic Theatre Company, just to name a few.

A popular, easygoing performer, this first-rate actor doesn’t take himself too seriously. Not a man to wear tunics off stage, pace about muttering about his “craft” or brag about his accomplishments, Flaherty says he just does what he loves.

“I’m from the Spencer Tracy school of acting,” he says, laughing. “Don’t bump into the furniture and don’t forget your lines.”

Though he rejects the Stanislovski Method as a process, Flaherty says he finds a connection between himself in each character he plays, and then builds on that connection, adding movement, gesture and inflection until he has created a fully-realized character. Anyone who’s seen him on stage in a dramatic role (his true forte) can see how incredibly effective this natural approach is when combined with his level of talent. The resulting work is often emotionally stunning, powerfully evocative and frankly intimate. His comic sense comes from an understanding of how funny real life can be instead of from a “set up, deliver punch line” kind of humor.

He’s excited to be doing his second role with New Ground, a small professional company that staged its first production in February of this year, where he says director Chris Jansen has the same kind of focus on material that he does.

“She picks such good plays, I can’t resist,” he admits, “and it’s a nice little theater there, too.”

According to Flaherty, “Dinner With Friends” is the kind of script that appeals to him. “We’ve got one great play to work with. The exposition is so well done you hardly know it’s there. It’s excellent — a well-written, well-crafted piece of literature.

“It’s about two couples: their marriage lives have grown together for years, and when one couple divorces it leaves quite a gap for the others. It leaves them wondering. Then they find out it’s not as big a gap as they thought. They realize things weren’t quite as idyllic as they thought things were for their friends.”

Flaherty plays Gabe, one of the pair (both food editors) who stay married, but he says he is pretty sympathetic to the plight of the other pair as well. “They’re no different than any other couple, really,” he emphasizes, and says he thinks the story will resonate with a large number of people.

Though he is a fan of the classics, especially Shakespeare, this talented character actor relishes the chance to do new plays, which give him the chance to explore roles that haven’t already been seen in the area — particularly roles that are done over and over again. He says doing the so-called “cash cows” of theater don’t offer enough of a challenge for actors or for audiences, and that’s why he’s so interested in working for New Ground.

“I visited a community theater when I was in Chattanoga (Tenn.) recently, and it was an amazing building. They had everything — a scene shop you could drive a couple of semis in — and they were doing ‘How To Succeed In Business.’ What a waste.”

His work with It’s A Mystery is often original material, too, and though he says the improvisational audience-participation murder mystery dinner theater isn’t necessarily theater in the classical sense, it has changed some things about the way he performs. “It’s about 20 percent scripted, and improv is just making me so fearless. I mean, you’re out in the middle of the audience, and you know everything is going to be just fine.”

Flaherty’s love for classical drama and comedy keeps him coming back every summer to the Genesius Guild in Rock Island, and he says this year is no different.

“I want to do the Shakespeare — we’re only doing one this year, though,” he laments. Though auditions for that show won’t be until June, Flaherty says he hopes to do something, though he doesn’t expect a lead role. “I’ve moved into old guys’ parts,” he claims. “Now I’m getting the nice cheesy little parts for old guys.”

If you go
What: “Dinner With Friends” by New Ground Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, May 25, and Thursday, May 30 through June 1; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 26 and June 2
Where: Becherer Hall auditorium, Rivermont Collegiate (formerly St. Katharine’s/St. Mark’s, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf
How much: $12; $2 discount for students, senior citizens
Information: (563) 326-PLAY (7529)

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