ROUNDABOUT BLOG

At the beginning of rehearsals, Education Dramaturg Ted Sod sat down with Actor Josh Cooke to discuss his thoughts on The Common Pursuit.

Ted Sod: Where are you from originally and where were you educated?

Josh Cooke: I’m from Gladwyne, a little town just outside of Philadelphia. My first acting experience was a summer program at the Walnut Street Theatre. I continued doing plays throughout middle school and high school and then majored in theater at UCLA.

How long have you been in New York?

Actually, I only found my way to New York this past November. I’m very new. I’ve always wanted to live here.

What do you make of Stuart, the character you are playing in The Common Pursuit?

I think Stuart is a charismatic, driven person. He is also a man of words with a sharp wit and intellect. His initial passion is to create a literary magazine called The Common Pursuit. He has the taste and intelligence to envision all of it and never wants to compromise that vision. It’s his passion for this project that brings this group of people together, whose friendships we see unfold over the next two decades.

How do you approach a role like this? What kind of research do you have to do as an actor?

Most of my career since college has been in television and film. Then I did a play a few years ago in Los Angeles called Come Back, Little Sheba. That experience reminded me just how much I missed the rehearsal process and really diving into a character. That’s not to say that it can’t be done in television or film; but the kind of work that I was fortunate enough to get moves quickly and doesn’t allow much, if any, time for exploration. My process is very much changing - changing on an hourly basis. We’ve spent the last two days, about 14 hours or so, sitting around and talking about the play page-by-page, and it has been wonderful.  I’m someone who needs to be prepared as much as I can be, so I do a lot of research. As soon as I got this role, I went to the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library and watched director Moisés Kaufman’s major productions to get acquainted with his past work. I read An Unnatural Pursuit, which is a diary that Simon Gray kept during the first production of The Common Pursuit (directed by Harold Pinter in 1984). I read about Simon Gray, himself, and Cambridge at that time to learn about what types of personalities, influences and themes could be introduced into this process. I come to rehearsal with all of that and try to keep an open mind about everything else.

Josh Cooke and Jacob Fishel in 'The Common Pursuit'; Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, 2012

What about the accent—is that something that you have to start working on right away?

I started working on that immediately as it was required for auditions. We have a dialect coach on the production and will get to meet with her shortly. Whatever accent I managed to throw together for the audition was at least passable, I think! But I’m sure I’ll be working and refining the accent until closing night.

What do you think the play is about?

It’s about friendships and all the territory that comes with living your life in the midst of people who truly know you—what they let you get away with, what they don’t. A huge part of the narrative is this very hopeful and idealistic meeting of these young minds—the whole world is in front of them. Then as the years go by, you see these raw, idealistic and carefree characters begin to shape themselves into carefully crafted identities. There’s this dance that happens throughout the play, of people coming to the precipice of truth—whatever “truth” may mean to a particular character. Some of them can face the truth about themselves, others can’t. The language and the crafting of the scenes is beautifully layered and subtle. There is a real sense of full lives and relationships that exist among this group onstage and off.

Can you tell us about the relationship between Stuart and Marigold?

I think there’s true love between Stuart and Marigold; but Stuart’s passion for his magazine pervades his life. The idealist vision he has for The Common Pursuit becomes his identity, which is an interesting source of conflict between Stuart and Marigold. When you are identified with an ideal, you’re suddenly faced with the harsh reality that perhaps your humanity has been lost in the pursuit of that ideal. It’s a beautiful relationship, and it’s a sad one. I think Stuart is almost a tragic character in that his focus can be so intense that he fails to see the life going on around him, and the powerful affect he has on others.

Kristen Bush and Josh Cooke in 'The Common Pursuit'; Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, 2012

It seems Stuart has very strict views on what makes excellent poetry—do you agree?

He’s accused of being an elitist fairly often, and at one point he admits it and basically defends that point of view. Stuart stands for what he sees as true art and rejects what is not. I admire that - having strong convictions. And since I don’t know nearly as much as Stuart should know about poetry, I’ll hold off on that judgment for the moment.

What do you look for from a director?

Inspiration, collaboration and a clear vision. Moisés is wonderful about talking through the ideas. I don’t feel like he’s someone who has all the answers and is waiting for you to give the right one. I feel like he’s someone who has an incredible amount of knowledge and insight, and a real understanding of art, with great insight into the best and worst parts of humanity. Some directors come in and say, “This is the way. I have the blocking ready to go and this is what we’re saying with this story. This is what the play is about and this is what I want to say with the direction.”  It’s so wonderful to be in the presence of someone like Moisés who is all about exploration and collaboration.

Sounds like he’s building a true ensemble.

It’s essential for this show in particular. This show is undoubtedly an ensemble piece, and I believe that feeling of true friendship and love is what Moisés is trying to present.

The cast of 'The Common Pursuit'; Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, 2012

What is your advice to a young person who wants to be an actor?

Read about the history of theater, read about the Group Theatre, read books by influential teachers: Stanislavski, Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, and go and take classes and investigate it all. See if it really interests you. But one of the most important things that you can begin to do immediately is to open yourself up. Take into account all the behaviors that happen around you, all the personalities around you. From observing other people you’ll begin to understand yourself better. That’s very lofty, isn’t it? I’m a constant student and I’ve already learned an incredible amount from this group here. Read a lot of plays, see a lot of plays and study, really train. I’ve met a lot of people living in Los Angeles especially, who tend to just wing it. And there might be one person in a million who is incredible at winging it, but raw talent is not going to do it. It’s the structure of a craft that will allow your talent to grow.

Is there a question you wish I had asked or something else you’d like to say about The Common Pursuit?

I would like to say that this is the most excited I have been about any job I have ever had. And it has to do with the play, Roundabout’s reputation, Moisés’s reputation and meeting this cast. This ensemble is incredibly inspiring. I am just very grateful. It is an exhilarating production to be a part of and I mean that 100%. In no way is this just a party line.

The Common Pursuit plays at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/Laura Pels Theatre through July 29, 2012. For more information, click here.