CAMRYN MANHIEM

On the Road from Wellville to Success

by David Levine
(Page 2)
I was so inspired, I wrote her a note. And I was so afraid that she wouldn't respond to it, that she'd think I was a crazed fan. So I wrote "Look, I'm an actress myself," and I tried to explain why I was writing it, "and I know this is really stupid and I don't want you to think I'm a lesbian." It was one of those stupid little letters. But somehow it was poignant to her because she called me. And she said that she would love to meet me and have coffee. She was closing The Road to Mecca and moving into Frankie and Johnny. She invited me to see Frankie and Johnny and took me to dinner in between shows. It was hard for me to listen, though because I was in awe.

DL: Why do you think you are becoming so successful in a business where there are so few roles for your type?

CM: Maybe it's because I have more to prove. Also because of my mother I am graced with an amazing ability to socialize, and never underestimate that in a field like this. I would say my networking capabilities are probably sixty percent of why I am where I am now, because I network I'm a fierce networker. I never go to the theatre without inviting somebody in the business.I used to call casting people and say I had a ticket to such and such would you like to join me and they'd say, "Oh I have to see that. Sure."

I also think it is best to be really direct,when your dealing with people in the business. If you're talking to a director, there's nothing wrong with asking, "Are you doing a play? Is there a part for me? Can I audition?" There's nothing shameful about asking for work. It also helps to have talented, influential and well-connected friends like Tony "Angels In America" Kushner.

DL: You became friends with him through NYU, right?

CM: Right. He directed a play I was in. He's a total Marxist and it was clear right from the start. That was something that I was very interested in and we had a lot of political discussions.

DL: He was a nobody then, right?

CM: He was a black sheep. He had graduated and they asked him to come back to direct a small piece. We were both black sheep.

DL: But now you are probably both the most successful people who were there.

CM: That's right. Black sheep, success.

DL: When you graduated from NYU, what things did you do to keep sane while you were looking for acting work.

CM: I was lucky, I got hooked up with a very small and creative downtown theatre group called Home for Contemporary Theatre and Art, which offered me a space to work in. I love the name of that theatre because that's how it felt to me. Also I made my living as a sign language interpreter.

DL: How did you get started in sign language?

CM: I had taken a sign language class to do a scene in a play, then I took another one and another one. And in a year's time I was getting really good and people were coming up to me and saying, are you going to be an interpreter? I hadn't planned on it. But two years passed and all of a sudden I was fluent in the language and being recruited by people. I was getting a lot joy and confidence from the deaf community. I was a sign language interpreter for many years I'd juggle acting, producing, and signing. I met a lot of people and also felt like my desires to contribute to the universe were being satisfied.


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