Acting Couple Make 'Our Town' A Family AffairBy Phyllis McGuire
Special to iBerkshires
05:14PM / Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Photos by Sam Hough/WTF
Dylan Baker is Mr. Webb. The Bakers met at WTF and return fairly frequently.
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — When Becky Ann Gelke and Dylan Baker were cast in Williamstown Summer Theatre's 1985 production of "To Whom It May Concern," they didn't know it would be a life-altering experience.
"Williamstown had an after-Cabaret get-together place called the Zoo. Becky and I would find ourselves there with different people, late at night, playing pool or throwing darts," Baker said Monday. "Although we hadn't started dating, there was a lot of flirting going on."
The flirting got serious and they were married two years later. Gelke changed her professional name to Becky Ann Baker and the Bakers frequently return to the scene of their early days of courtship.
Both Bakers became screen, stage and television actors who have been recognized for outstanding performances, including Becky receiving the Drama League Award and Dylan being nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards. Dylan, who will be recognized by Spider-Man fans as Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard) in the movies, was just named an Emmy nominee for his guest appearance on the TV series "The Good Wife."
"It's exciting," he said.
They reside in New York City, with their daughter Willa, 17, named for Becky's favorite writer Willa Cather. "When we got pregnant, that name stood out. We both love her writing, and we both love the name," said Dylan.
The couple traveled to Williamstown in early July to prepare for their roles in the Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of America's beloved play "Our Town." The Thornton Wilder play is being presented on the Main Stage from Wedneday, July 28, through Aug. 8.
The Bakers have worked together at WTF a number of times, most recently in "Under Milkwood" and "The Corn is Green." They also both appeared in the short-lived TV series "Kings." One of the advantages of working together, the Bakers said, is that it puts them on the same schedule.
Whenever possible, they bring Willa with them; she's now in Williamstown, taking riding lessons, working on the DeMayo Farm and also seeing plays and visiting museums with a friend. "She's happy here," her father said.
While Willa's trotting about, her parents have been rehearsing as much as 12 hours a day. "I listen [to "Our Town"] in rehearsal," Becky said. "I've done the play before and seen it before but it's one of those things that you see something different in each time. The set is almost bare, and the words become more powerful."
Dylan directed the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival's production of "Our Town" in 1996 and cast his wife in the role of Mrs. Gibbs, the same role she will enact at the WTF. Dylan will portray Mr. Webb.
"The play is all about Emily's relationship with George, their meeting and becoming friends as kids, marrying and having kids and losing each other through death," Dylan said, referring to the Webbs' daughter and the Gibbses' son. "Everyone can relate to it because it's a universal story."
Playing parts of different couples offers a unique perspective.
Jessica Hecht, as Emily, and Baker rehearse for 'Our Town.' The production of the American classic, directed by Nicholas Martin, runs tonight, Wednesday, through Aug. 8 at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance. |
"The fun is that the two sets of parents are so different, one having a comfortable, loving relationship; the other having a combustible, uneasy relationship," Dylan continued. Becky chimed in: "It makes our marriage more interesting."
The theater's live audience also provides them more feedback than their filmed roles and, for Becky, greater satisfaction. "You start the story and tell all of it in one performance. In TV or film you do it in pieces."
Dylan prefers parts that are challenging whatever the medium, and he likes to really have a hand in shaping the whole process.
Last year, he directed the WTF's production of "The Torch Bearers," in which his wife had a part. "He is a wonderful director," she said. "And I probably got permission to say much more about what I thought."
With WTF's artistic director Nicholas Martin directing "Our Town," "rehearsing is a joyful process," said Dylan. "He is open to input. He has strong ideas and a creative spirit. You feel safe in his hands."
Though many years have passed since Becky was a fledging actress, she still "has to get rid of [nervous] energy" when time draws near for the curtain to go up. "I get ready early," she said. "I warm up my voice with vocal exercises. And I am a pacer. I know every hall and bowel of the theater. But as soon as I am on stage, I am fine."
She recalled how a colleague had once filmed his fellow actors engaging in pre-show rituals. "Some of them had to touch a piece of furniture before going on. It was all so funny."
Dylan's a little more practical than superstitious: "I just check my zipper." Then the hint of a frown replacing his smile, he continued, "Now that I've said that, it will probably be open the next time I step on stage."
His passion for acting surfaced when he was a college student. "The first day I arrived at the College of William and Mary, I wandered over to the theater. They were auditioning for a production of Aristophanes' 'The Clouds.' I picked up a script, auditioned and fell in love with acting," he recalled.
Becky was bitten by the acting bug early on. "I studied dancing and sang in choir all my life," she said. "In high school, I jumped into anything I could. I wanted to be a chorus girl, and in New York I did that for years then turned to acting."
Now the Bakers will express their love of acting by bringing to life the characters of Mrs. Gibbs and Mr. Webb, not just to entertain but to touch the audience's heart. "Our Town" can often awaken or renew people's appreciation of their journey on this Earth.
"People may decide to call long-lost friends," Dylan said, "or see family members they haven't seen in a while."
For more information on the production: www.wtfestival.org.
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