Meet the Cast of "The 39 Steps" - Bob Myers

Meet Bob Myers

In The 39 Steps, Bob plays our reluctant hero, Richard Hannay. Unlike all the other actors, Bob gets to stay as the same character from start to finish. However, he has just as tough a job as the other three: he practically never stops running. From the opening scene to the end of the show, Bob is constantly on the move, rarely leaving the stage except to reappear somewhere else. He climbs over bridges, races across train tops, and spends almost half the show in handcuffs. It's hard to be the hero.

Meet the man behind the mustache:

How did you first get involved in theater?
I played the music (piano and keyboard) for a musical in college, but didn't try my hand at acting at the time.  After seeing TLT shows for many years, I decided to start auditioning in the 2007-2008 season, and have been hooked ever since.

What do you love most about acting?
I really enjoy the creative aspect of it -- while we're telling a story that's in a script, it still involves creating the characters and their personalities and adjusting them based on what is working. It's challenging but also rewarding.  I enjoy trying my hand at being various different people.

What drew you to The 39 Steps?
It's a very physical and fun comedy, and I really liked the notion of the many characters being played by a small handful of actors.

What has been the most challenging aspect of this show for you?
This show involves a lot of detailed technical work, including keeping track of props, sound cues, and set changes.  Consequently, it means not only keeping track of a very detailed sequence of events and actions, but it also means going non-stop from the opening of the show to the end.  I think we may all be dropping a few belt sizes by the time this one is over!

What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
Go for it!  The audition process itself can be quite fun, as well as a learning experience, even if you don't get cast the first time out.  Be patient, learn from prior experiences, and remember that your interpretation of a character is unique and may be just what this director is looking for.

When Bob isn't acting, he's a professor of Computer Science at FSU, a swing dance instructor, and sometimes a superhero.

Tickets for The 39 Steps are going fast, especially for this weekend. We're close to sell out houses already, so buy your tickets now! Call the box office at 850-224-8474 or go to tallahasseelittletheatre.org/39Steps.

Bob Myers as Richard Hannay, in a rare moment of relaxation.

Meet the Cast of "The 39 Steps" - Melissa Findley

Meet Melissa Findley

Melissa plays three different women in TLT's production of The 39 Steps (showing now through September 2): a German spy, a young Scottish milkmaid, and Pamela, the reluctant sidekick/heroine. Unlike the two "clowns" of the show, she gets to spend a bit longer as each character, but her challenges are a different sort.

Meet the woman behind the wigs:

Tell us a little about who you are when you’re not on stage.
When I'm not on stage, I'm usually backstage. I spend a lot of time volunteering at TLT. It's sort of my home away from home. I do a lot of set design (including some elements of this show), stage managing, and scenic painting. When I'm not working at the theater, I'm an illustrator, focusing mainly on fantasy artwork. I've done art for several games, including "A Game of Thrones: The Card Game" and "Lord of the Rings: The Card Game."

How did you first get involved in theater?
I've always loved theater. When I was a kid I would put on little plays with all the neighborhood kids. I first auditioned for a part in high school, and I acted and worked backstage the whole way through college. I took a break from theater for about eight years after college, but when I moved to Tallahassee and saw that there was a community theater only a few blocks from my house, I couldn't resist getting back into it.

What do you love most about acting?
I love telling stories. They've done studies that show that fiction actually influences people more than fact, because we empathize with fictional characters and we can see things from their perspective. Acting does that in a big way--and you can literally feel the audience responding to the story. No other form of art lets you do that the way live theater does. I want to make people laugh and cry and fall in love.

What drew you to The 39 Steps?
A lot of things. I love old movies, including Hitchcock films. I love shows that remind me of old school theater and vaudeville. There are very few modern technological tricks in this show. We do almost everything the way theater has been done for centuries. Most of all I loved the idea of playing these three women, who are all so very different, but so very funny and strong and human in their own ways. The physical comedy aspect, plus the chance to do all these accents made it irresistible.

What has been the most challenging aspect of this show for you?
Physically this is a hugely demanding show. And you can't be self conscious about it--which I sometimes am. Like a lot of women, I have a lot of self-image issues. You have to put that all aside for this show. You have to be willing to be ridiculous and sexy at the same time. And you also have to be willing to get a little bruised. We work really hard to make sure everything is safe, but I still have a fantastic collection of bruises right now, from my death fall to all the handcuff stuff.

What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
If you have ever sat in an audience and wondered what it would be like to be up there on stage, do it. It's the most rewarding feeling in the world to bring a show to life every night. Is it a little scary? Yes. Absolutely. But it's also exciting and fun, and you will do all kinds of things that you would never get to do in your normal, day-to-day life. You'll never know until you try.

Tickets are selling fast for The 39 Steps.  Book yours today by calling 850-224-8474 or visiting http://tallahasseelittletheatre.org/39Steps .

Bob Myers (left) and Melissa Findley as "Pamela" in The 39 Steps

Meet the Cast of "The 39 Steps" - Derek Nieves

Meet Derek Nieves

Derek plays one of two "clown" characters in TLT's production of The 39 Steps (playing now through September 2). Don't let the word "clown" fool you, however - there's no face paint involved. In just under two hours Derek plays more than twenty different characters, changing between them sometimes with nothing more than the change of a hat or an accent. It's difficult sometimes for an actor to keep just one character straight, but Derek hopscotches between them like he was born to do this.

Meet the man behind all the hats:

How did you first get involved in theater?
I'd been doing school plays and performances since I was a child, but at age 15 I performed in a production of The Sound of Music, and from then on I was hooked.

What do you love most about acting?
I love the storytelling aspect of theater.  In this age of technology it is a truly human interaction.  

What drew you to The 39 Steps?
The 39 Steps is truly "in my wheelhouse" as far as the acting style and content is concerned.  I really cut my teeth on farcical, high speed, comedy and the roles I play in this production definitely fall into this category.

What has been the most challenging aspect of this show for you?
The most challenging aspect of this production for me has been the organizational side.  Unlike a typical production ( if there truly is such a thing), The 39 Steps is such a whirlwind of costumes, props, and characters that I have had to make a concerted effort to keep myself physically and mentally organized throughout this project.

What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
Just remember that no one brings exactly what you bring to the table.  And while you may not be who a directing was envisioning for a particular role THIS time...doesn't mean you won't be perfect next time.  You can control your preparation, not someone else's opinion.

Derek was recently featured by the Tallahassee Democrat as part of their local artists section. Click here to read more!

Tickets are selling fast for The 39 Steps! Book yours today by calling 850-224-8474 or going to http://tallahasseelittletheatre.org/39Steps

Derek Nieves (left) chases Bob Myers over the top of the "train" in The 39 Steps.

Meet the Cast of "The 39 Steps": Travis Young

Meet Travis Young

Travis plays one of the two "clown" characters in TLT's production of The 39 Steps (playing now through September 2). In just under two hours he plays more than 20 different characters: a traveling underwear salesman, a thug, a newspaper boy, an old man, a fencepost, a policeman, a showman, a sheriff, a villain and more. Most of these require fast costume changes and lightning fast changes in accent or characterization.

Travis gives us a little glimpse at the man behind all the hats:

What do you do when you're not on stage?
Well, I'm actually currently just working part time, but I'm looking at going back to school for English lit to go into education. I've been a lot of things while I was a student at FSU, but teaching has always been the highlight of everything I've done.

How did you get involved in theatre?
On a bet actually. I'd done theatre as a child, but I was telling a friend of mine how touched I was by a performance I saw when I was very young of A Fiddler on the Roof staring Topol. We were watching a touring production of Cinderella and she looked just me and said "Well, why don't you go audition for a show if it means I that much to you?" Well of course I said no, as most 19 year olds would, and she looked at me with a grin and said "What's wrong? Chicken?" So with ego and hat in hand I went to my first audition for a show as an adult called Sockdology.

What do you love most about acting?
I love the chance to touch people's lives. If I can make a person laugh, cry, or think, then I've succeeded.

What drew you to The 39 Steps?
Well, I love Alfred Hitchcock a lot. Two of my favorite movies of his growing up were North by Northwest and The 39 Steps. My family was notorious for watching older movies over a newer film. I loved his television show, too. When I found out that the theatre was thinking about doing the show I was excited and eager to audition.

What has been the most challenging aspect of the show for you?
Oof, definitely the costumes. I had the opportunity to see this show in London in 2007 while studying abroad there, and I knew going into this rehearsal process that that would make or break a lot of the show for me and my "character".

What would you say to encourage someone to try acting?
Do it! I took a bet from a friend, but you don't have to wait for that. There are auditions every day or week or month somewhere. Just go out and do them. Talk to the actors (we don't bite! Well... Most of us don't.) and learn from what you see and do and then try again! The biggest thing would be to not get discouraged if you don't get cast, though. Remember, you are there with 2 or 10 or 20 other people gunning for the same roll you are and believe me, the director is praying that one of you are the perfect fit for what they have in mind. Just know that if you aren't, that doesn't mean that you won't be next time!


Tickets are selling fast for The 39 Steps. Call 850-224-4847 to get yours today. You can also book them online at http://tallahasseelittletheatre.org/39Steps .

Travis Young (left) and Derek Nieves as thugs in The 39 Steps