QCT SPOTLIGHT: Rodney Snyder
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself…
A: I’m not extremely good at talking about myself, but I’m 5’7″, blue eyes, brown hair, I like long walks on the bea-wait, wrong questionnaire(cough)(cough)…..I work at the Lowe’s in Hannibal, great place to work. I’m in the National Guard, in the 461st Quatermaster Unit here in Quincy. I im 24 years of age, and I. Enjoy. Acting.
Q: How did your theatrical story begin?
A: I first got involved with theatre in my senior year of high school, but that only came after a history project where we had to write a speech about the Revolutionary War and present it in front of the class. I started the speech incredibly shy, nervous, and in the voice of George W. Bush, but I got so into delivering the speech that I stopped doing the voice and starting yelling what i wrote down, along with pointing my finger to get the point across. When my speech had ended my heart was pounding, my body was shaking, and I had no idea how the events that just occoured actually happened. My history teacher started clapping and saying “That’s what I’m talking about! That’s what I want!” I’ve never felt something so freeing, so amazing as what I felt when I finished that speech. Thats truly what made me want to pursue a play in my senior year of high school, and from that play my interest in acting grew tremendously.
Q: How did you first find yourself at QCT?
A: I took a year off after graduating high school to figure out what exactly I wanted to do with my life. I realized that movies and acting had been a part of my entire life, so I started pursuing acting. My sister began recieving QCT emails in 2012, I believe, to help me find plays that I could possibly attempt. She ended up sending me a picture message with an image of YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS, and I knew I had to try out for it. On my way home from the audition I got a call asking if I wanted to play Goss and a theif. I immediately said yes. Ever since then I’ve been trying to get back in it.
Q: We’ve missed you since then! What brought you back for ALMOST, MAINE?
A: I’ve been searching for shows that I believe I would enjoy doing at QCT, but with a military schedule it’s hard to do a show without the play and my drill dates clashing. I was cast in MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT, but two weeks in I found out there was a performance date and a drill date that I couldn’t back out of so I had to quit—which is something as an actor I vowed never to do. I don’t want to become someone in the acting community who can’t be relied on, so quiting the show was extremely hard for me. I recieved an email about the ALMOST, MAINE auditions, and when I found out that my drill date and the performance dates wouldn’t clash I jumped on it.
Q: What has it been like returning to the stage?
A: The process for this show has been an amazing one. I’ve never had a director who has gotten so into finding out what each scene means and what the characters feel and think. He sometimes goes in depth with things about the character I wouldn’t even think of, so to have that experience and to be able to enter a process of individuality with just one area is an amazing thing. I’m having an incredible time with the actors that are involved with this project; I wouldn’t forego it.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your character.
A: Steve is an incredibly complex individual. He’s someone who has lived his life with only his brother by his side teaching him what he needs to know. Steve has tried to socialize with people in the outside world, but ended up just being too weird. He would eventually scare them off, though he doesn’t understand why these people treat him the way that they do. I can identify with Steve’s weirdness. No matter how hard I try to not be weird, I always end up saying something questionable that just puts me on that scale. After that I usually just keep to myself.
Q: What are you most excited about in this show?
A: I’m excited about the actors who are portraying the characters in this show. It’s rare to be part of a crew who’s so amazing at what they do and that’s what I can’t wait for people to see. This show is quite different from other shows I’ve seen due to the situations these characters find themselves in. It’s an intruiging and refreshing way to tell a story.
Q: What are your theatrical plans after the show has ended?
A: I hope that I can find shows in the future that don’t clash with my drill schedule. I enjoy the people they have at QCT, and after this show, I’ll be looking at future shows hoping to be a part of it again.
Learn more about the show…
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