Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Paul Oakley Stovall: no 'Qualms' about Steppenwolf show
NUNN ON ONE: THEATER
by Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times
2014-07-23

This article shared 5391 times since Wed Jul 23, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Steppenwolf Theatre Company has a brand-new show titled The Qualms, and one actor in the cast is playing for our team. Paul Oakley Stovall has built quite an impressive resume over the years.

He was last seen in Steppenwolf's Words on Fire. He earned a Jeff nomination for Play On! His Off-Broadway credits include Dessa Rose and Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. National tours have included RENT and Once on This Island. Some film credits are The Company and Shortbus.

For the past six years he has served as an Obama administration advance associate, and is a member of the Actors' Equity Association.

The Qualms is the eighth play by Bruce Norris that Steppenwolf has produced. The play is set at a beachside home where a gathering of friends turns into a polyamorous smackdown. Instead of sexual escapades, things turn into an unhealthful debate about sex, racism and status.

Stovall plays Ken, a character who has an open relationship with Deb, leading to lots of laughter. After opening night, Windy City Times went backstage to get the dish from a man with no qualms about wearing a Speedo.

Windy City Times: Hi, Paul. Start off with a little about your background.

Paul Oakley Stovall: I am from Chicago. I studied at The DePaul Theatre School. I'm just Chicago through and through. I've lived other places since I graduated such as New York for eight years. I did regional theater so you can say you live somewhere for three months at a time if you get a nice long run. I've done pretty much every regional theater; now I am back in Chicago for a few years. I've been back a couple of weeks now.

WCT: I read you started writing when you were very young.

Paul Oakley Stovall: I started writing poetry then joined About Face Theatre as a company member. We had a winter festival of new works and they knew I had done musicals so they had me sing songs between the scenes of the other esteemed writers that were going to present new works. I just told a lie and said that I write. I had abut 16 hours to go home and write a play. I came back and presented a scene from it, because that's all I had. It went over very well. It became Immediate Family and was at the Goodman. I just stayed with it.

WCT: What a crazy story.

Paul Oakley Stovall: Challenge yourself is the lesson, not to lie...

WCT: Fake it until you make it!

Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm still faking it today.

WCT: Where does the name The Qualms refer to?

Paul Oakley Stovall: Once I read the play I wasn't sure about the title because the word just means possibly having a few reservations about something. It can mean having a few problems or something that makes someone uncomfortable. When I saw Greg Stuhr act as Chris in what I consider to be the lead role, then I understood it is about his list of qualms about people, people of color, possibly gay people—not just prejudices, but he's prickly.

WCT: Talk about your character, Ken.

Paul Oakley Stovall: He is, according to the playwright, not gay. I just thought this idea of masculinity and femininity was interesting. The director, Pam MacKinnon, didn't tell me to play it one way or the other because those words can trap you. She just told me to be comfortable in my skin because the actions that you take tell the story.

Some people have said he comes off stereotypically gay at the beginning but, at the end, he's pushing the guy through the table. He's quite protective of his loved one. He's the only one in the house that has the nerve to tell the guy to get out. Everyone else wants to placate him. Do we take the outside of someone and say, "He's feminine and not strong?"

I am very interested in the gay community about what is strong, what is masculine, what is being a man and what does that mean? I like to play with this idea that Ken sits however he wants. He protects like the true alpha. He's the true alpha on that stage.

WCT: Did they want the role to be played by a gay man?

Paul Oakley Stovall: I'm going to be judicious and say they gave it to the best person for the role. [Laughs]

WCT: Fair enough. You obviously have a lot of fun with that character.

Paul Oakley Stovall: Sometimes too much fun!

WCT: The show tackles a lot of subjects.

Paul Oakley Stovall: It is hard to even remember not to eat the extra piece of food because you have a line coming up. That's how detailed everything is. It seems like we are in an environment where we are high and drinking, all very chill, but that show is so meticulous.

WCT: So it is very choreographed?

Paul Oakley Stovall: Oh, yeah. What you are talking about with all of the subjects, if the person who is starting the new subject doesn't really come on top of all of those overlaps the whole play sucks in because you are being shy with saying your overlap line. We had to figure out through trial and error who has to cut through and keep the motor going so the audience will happily stay with each changing topic.

WCT: The good thing is people can see it more than once.

Paul Oakley Stovall: Right, so they can pick out different things and track a different person. That's a good trick. I am going to try that in my next play.

WCT: It made me want to see it from a different angle.

Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes, even your position in the room. You saw it just now?

WCT: Fresh from seeing it. The actor that plays Roger, David Pasquesi, reminds me of Adrien Brody. We were on the same episode of Starz's Boss a few years ago and I thought it was Brody himself.

Paul Oakley Stovall: He's brilliant. He's a Second City guy. He absolutely sticks to the text and doesn't improv like that. There's a confidence of someone that knows funny. His timing is so good.

WCT: His little expressions are priceless.

Paul Oakley Stovall: He tries things onstage to try to make you laugh. When you try to do something to get him back, don't ever do that to someone that is a professional of Second City. Don't try to get them onstage. He's always ready with a crack under his breath!

WCT: Refresh our readers about your time on Shortbus.

Paul Oakley Stovall: I had a role called Magnus. What happened was I knew John Cameron Mitchell from just the downtown circle. I auditioned for Shortbus. He auditioned people in couples. I just didn't make the cut in the top couples. He still wanted me to read his drafts to tell him what I thought of the script because he liked my sense of humor. I went back to Chicago and he would come visit me to meet my friends. He wanted to meet people in gay communities all over the country. On his own dime he did research about communities. When it came down to the script, I wasn't in the main thing but he asked me what I wanted to play. He wrote the part for me.

WCT: You have had a sexual background of work.

Paul Oakley Stovall: [Sings] "I've only just begun."

WCT: You were on television's Chicago Fire?

Paul Oakley Stovall: I was on it for an episode last season. My character is still alive. I was just talking to a guy I did the scene with, and we were hoping my character would come back.

WCT: You were nominated for a GLAAD Media Award?

Paul Oakley Stovall: Yes; Immediate Family was also nominated for a Jeff Award and a Steinberg Award, also. It had Phylicia Rashad as a director at the Goodman Theatre and will be at About Face Theatre.

WCT: How do you do it all?

Paul Oakley Stovall: I haven't even told you about working with Mrs. Obama yet.

WCT: Tell me.

Paul Oakley Stovall: It is fantastic.

WCT: Did that relationship start here in Chicago?

Paul Oakley Stovall: No, it started in New York. I was working retail there and a friend came by, offered me to be a job and it blossomed into an actual position. Next thing you know I left New York. I even gave up acting for awhile for a paycheck. The whole world opened up to me. I watched the Obamas handle a level of superstardom and racism they face with such dignity.

WCT: Future projects?

Paul Oakley Stovall: I have an incredible musical I am working on called CLEAR. It is not a sexual musical but there is a very sexual element that I dove into. It is about race and identity within the gay community, dating within your own race with the gay community can be a racist environment. We don't pay attention to Uganda and Cameroon where you can be decapitated if you are thought to be gay, it doesn't even have to be proven.

Every white gay person in WeHo [West Hollywood, California] was pouring vodka in the gutters because of what happened in Russian but this stuff was going on for 20 years. We don't care because they are not blonde and blue-eyed so we ignore that 15-year-olds get hung in the public squares still in Iraq because they are not really pretty. So the show gets into that. We have been workshopping this thing for five years. It has gone all different directions. We are trying to tell the story of two best friends; we share this Batman and Robin story. In the end, it comes down to not forgetting your best friend as a possible love interest. I should leave it there.

WCT: How do people keep up with this project?

Paul Oakley Stovall: If they have money, they can email me! [Laughs] There is a Facebook page CLEAR: A New Musical Experience.

WCT: For Qualms, we have a run into August.

Paul Oakley Stovall: All summer to see me in my Speedo! It was a good motivation to get back into shape. Six months ago I could not have done it. How did I do?

Paul Oakley Stovall: Are you hitting on me? [Laughs]

Swing over to the Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St., before Aug. 31 to catch The Qualms. For tickets, visit www.steppenwolf.org or call 312-335-1650.


This article shared 5391 times since Wed Jul 23, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12
- Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10
- On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

Chicago-based production company to host all-inclusive, LGBTQ-focused Valentine's Day event 2024-02-07
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Second Glance Productions will host the LGBTQupid Soiree this Valentines Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The event will be held at the iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., from 6 pm to 11 pm ...


Gay News

THEATER Nostalgic 'Sunsets' still offers a timely reflection of LGBTQ+ community 2024-02-07
- Nostalgia reigned on a variety of scales this past weekend in Chicago. During her Celebration tour, at a majestically packed United Center, Madonna acknowledged the last 40 years of her career, highlighting her '80s interactions with ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.