Ryan George (BFA Theatre Performance ’10) has been busy getting comfortable playing Spike in Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Florida Repertory Theatre, and will continue to break in the shoes starting in January at the Hippodrome Theatre when he will play the same role.
George said he’s excited to take on the same role at a different venue. He’s never had the opportunity to do so before, but he’s looking forward to a new process with the same show. “I’ll get to try new things I didn’t get to before,” George said. “I’ll get to make the character grow to generate something new and fresh.”
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike tells the story of Vanya and his adopted sister, Sonia, whose quiet existence is thrown into comic upheaval as their Hollywood star sibling, Masha, and her 20-something boy toy, Spike, visit.
The role is particularly fun for George who says his character is like a puppy— fun-loving and always seeking attention. He especially loves returning to the Hippodrome stage. This will be George’s fourth production at the theatre. “It’s like a second home,” said George, who is proud to be among the 30 artists named to the Hippodrome’s first-ever Company of Actors for the 2014/2015 season.
George said he’s looking forward to the fun in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. His character has a lot of comedic bits in the show, including a very poorly acted audition. “It’s fun to act bad onstage on purpose,” George said. “The worse I am, the funnier it is.”
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike runs January 7 through February 1 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Gainesville, Florida. Learn more at thehipp.org.
