Stuart Zagnit and Warlordturtle. Photo Credit: Arin Sang-urai.
Actor Stuart Zagnit chatted about the show “BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy.”
How is your experience in “BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy”?
It’s a really wild ride. I jumped on board only very recently, and my character, THE PROFESSOR, he goes on quite the journey.
It’s actually a non-stop adventure from top to finish for me, so right now I’m focusing on staying present and absorbing it all. But I am having a lot of fun.
And the entire team here, I’ve been really impressed by their commitment and their dedication to the craft – it’s a very small group of artists putting this huge show up, and they’re making it work, all with such positivity and joy.
They’ve been so supportive of me — and I’m really enjoying this experience. It’s exciting.
What drew you most to this show?
When Harrison and Brandon, the two creators of the piece, pitched it to me, I thought — well, this sounds like a ton of fun. And then they sent me the script, and I started reading it, and I thought “are they crazy?”
And then, I thought “Am I crazy to DO this??” But, after reading the whole script, listening to the music too, it was very apparent that these writers understood the amount of work it takes to make a musical. It’s smart, it’s irreverent, it’s got heart, and it’s constantly surprising.
No one likes getting ahead of the plot of a story, and I promise, with BALLS – you won’t get ahead of this story! I think the storytelling elements are very theatrical, and I think people will really like how visually these artists are telling this story.
It’s also a great opening number. It’s “super effective” – one might say. And so I thought, yeah, this will be fun.
Also, how often do you get to originate the voice of an animated character and then have an opportunity to voice a version of that character, in a totally unique and fresh way? It’s all very cool.
What inspires you each day as a performer and artist?
Oh wow. I’ll just spit-ball here…because Theatre does not belong in the 9-5 world, I like that when I get up in the morning I don’t necessarily know what the day is going to bring me. It’s never the same. No experience is the same.
You’re constantly being challenged. And I can’t imagine anything better in life than the opportunity to keep seeing things with fresh eyes.
It keeps one active and alive. Then Stuart goes on to tell me an old classic joke.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)
Well, I love not dragging chords with me……It’s exciting, sometimes it’s frustrating — things move so fast it is hard to keep up with them.
When you grew up in a generation where you pick up…to a word now, where talking to another human is almost not done anymore, (paraphrased: but I think we are doing well?)
Joke: Why does my phone keep updating itself? When I don’t ask it to! I re-framed the question to be more focused on theatre: he then goes on an anecdote about REHEARSAL PROCESS (back in the day) …We’re all in a hurry? But for what — I’m not sure. (Come see BALLS and find out!)
What is your advice for young and aspiring actors, performers and artists?
“There are rewards for staying in the game.” I think everybody has their own limitations, but people also don’t know how strong they really are. You have to accept a lot of rejections, but because I stayed in the game…
I didn’t let that one rejection burn the bridge for me…I got up – sometimes a little bruised and I just kept going.
There’s more places I’d like to go….If you can still be there to receive it, then you’ve won. If you give up then you never know what those things might have been. A little rejection – hurts – but it won’t kill you.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. Find the optimist in you, even when things look dark. And in doing so, you’ll find the rewards.
What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)
It’s meant many things over the years.Getting to the end of the month and having enough money to buy what you need is success. A home and people who love you in it.
A community that you know and appreciate one another. Waking up in the morning and being exciting about what the day might bring you.
What would you like to tell our readers about “BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy”? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it)
Everyone working on this project cares so deeply about the show. It’s absolutely unhinged — and still, you can really feel the passion and the care that went into creating it. It’s really ambitious what they are trying to do here. I think fans of the monster-catchin’ universe — will really REALLY love it.
And anyone else, looking for an unpredictable night of theatricality and music and adventure, I think will find the whole show surprisingly smart and very funny.
I have no doubt BALLS will find a home in the NYC comedy and theatre scenes, (plus, comic-cons around the country!), and I feel honored to be part of its epic journey.
To learn more about “BALLS: The Monster-Catchin’ Musical Comédy,” visit its Instagram page.
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