Kathleen Kelleher, Yearbook Photography Editor

Senior Brendan Murphy, one of the lead roles in Salvation Road experienced his last play at Stanton College Preparatory School. Murphy looked toward acting when he was not able to play basketball which reeled him in after he was hooked through his theatre classes. This was one of Salvation Road’s first high school performances, a memorable role for Murphy. While Salvation Road is his first production of his senior year and last production directed by theatre teacher Jeff Grove, Murphy has done productions outside of school, further honing his craft. From musicals to comic dramas like Salvation Road, Brendan Murphy entertained his audience through his versatility in acting and creative interpretation. Murphy expressed his interest in pursuing acting in the future based on all his experience from previous plays.

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: Why did you join theatre?

BRENDAN MURPHY: I joined theatre because I thought it was an outlet for me to do something that i not only loved, but I also found some skill in, especially in the theatre class as a freshman. After breaking my arm in sophomore year it became apparent that basketball wasn’t a viable option anymore and I was so limited in that position that I wanted to do something else that I was good at. I actually was blessed with the ability to be a part of such a good theatre program at such a rigorous school with teachers that inspire and coach you. And I think since that point I’ve gotten so much better and now I’m even looking at it as a potential forward in my life.

DA: What part did you originally audition for?

BM: At the moment I had a lot of stuff for college and monologues to memorize. It was something where whatever role I was given was going to be the role that I would bring to life on stage. I didn’t know that much about the play, I didn’t read it. But I was okay with anything as it was going to be good practice for me going forward and working on college auditions. Although I’m happy to have the role [of Cliff] and I’m honored to be able to represent such a big part of the play itself.

DA: What do you do to get into the character of Cliff?

BM: I think you have levels and at the beginning of reading the play it’s tough to establish those levels, but after understanding the goals and intentions of characters you can connect it to an earlier part in your life. Cliff at different points of the script is an atheist and I’m not an atheist, but I do understand the passion of losing someone you care about and looking for someone that you have limited knowledge about. I think finding that desperation in your voice and characterization is necessary and not only that, but the denial that leads up to it. The first half of the script is really focused on his denial and hard outer shell, and as the play unfolds you see a softening of character and real depth into even breaking out in tears. I think that really builds the character and creates a dynamic experience for the audience.

DA: How do you deal with the stress from the show?

BM: It’s tough, it’s a lot to do. In my musical experiences, it’s a lot easier to memorize because you have music to learn your lines with and your songs. With a play, it’s a lot more challenging because every line is based on a previous cue line. I’m on stage the entire time and it’s very difficult to remember key moments and keep everything in order but the best way to deal with that is to record yourself speaking and to run lines with your friends. I’ve been blessed to have a cast that is so willing to help you out and run lines with you whenever there’s a free moment. And blessed with a director who gives you the time you need in order to memorize such lines. It’s definitely been a process and as the saying goes in theatre, “A show isn’t done until one more week than you actually have” so where we are right now I’m happy with it. I’ve even been working up to this point to get these lines memorized and I think we’re at a point right now where we’re going to be successful.

DA: What did you do to prepare for the show?

BM: In preparing for the show I made sure to read the script, that’s always the first thing you want to do. And do that over and over again and try not to memorize anything until you understand the plot and everything that’s going in the show. Also, what you think about bringing to the character, even though that’s going to change. Then I started out with the bigger pieces, the monologues in the show and memorizing those first. Many of the other lines, you’re going to know based on cues and you’re not going to know by themselves. But monologues, you are reliant on yourself. So that was definitely my first priority. And then going from there, was just running the show over and over again until I was able to finally get every line in the show correct and memorized.

DA: How has experiencing the life of Cliff affected your worldview?

BM: I think it brings me to a whole new perspective. In fact, being an non-atheist and a believer really feeling the struggle that some people have with their faith and religion that haven’t been born or nourished in a household that provides it. It shows me the struggle that a lot of people feel and especially other worlds and other countries where people aren’t as fortunate as I am to have the opportunities that I have religiously and faith.

DA: What do you want your audience to take away from the play?

BM: Above all, I want them to enjoy the show but I really want them to feel everything I feel. My biggest goal of this show is to convey the emotions of denial, humor, cynicism and then finally regret. I think the final feeling is most important because it shows compassion and I think everybody, even the hardest of people like Cliff is in the beginning can have compassion. At the end of the show, I think that really is shown and I think if the audience doesn’t get that out of me then I’ve failed at my job as an actor.

DA: What is it like working with the other leads of the show?

BM: I would say it’s dependent on teamwork because learning our lines is so important, but more important is the chemistry that everybody has on stage. I have so many scenes with Duffy who is played by Bryce and Denise, my sister, who is played by Sara.These characters have to have a family and friends aspect that I have to bring to life as Cliff and they have to bring to life as their characters. Really getting to know your castmates, although we’re all close friends, even getting to know them more has allowed for the tighter relationships and the tighter bonds to create a more realistic and true experience that I am hoping to bring to the audience on the stage.

DA: How has Salvation Road made an impact on your life?

BM: It stressed me out, it really has. It’s been a lot of work but I think if you don’t put enough work into something like this then you’re never going to get the true product out of it. Not knowing who I was going to get going in, I was prepared for anything and I did get the highest workload here. It’s definitely been a tough time but I think that the fruition that you feel when it all comes together at the end is unbeatable. Especially when you work so hard on something that you think you might not be able to do then you are able to do it at the end.

DA: Cliff seems like a character obsessed with finding his sister, Denise, how do you relate to this conflict?

BM: I would say, maybe obsessed isn’t the right word, but it’s always on his mind even when he denies that it is. I think part of the story itself is dependent on the audience seeing this gradual openness of Cliff. From the beginning, we don’t know what he wants but by the end we can see that from the very beginning he truly did want to find his sister. Just loving someone and not having them in your presence all the time. And also being able to find that person and seek them out even when you’re sacrificing your ego or your energy. I think that’s critical, especially for the people in the audience, like knowing how to find joy in hopeless situations.

DA: How does the role of Cliff contrast with your role in last year’s musical as Cat?

BM: The biggest musical difference is musicals tend to portray larger than life characters, characters that have interesting aspects about them. One thing I did over the summer was that I played the character of Igor in Frankenstein and much like Seussical, Igor is a very extraverted and comedic character that isn’t necessarily representative of real life people, but is indicative of a musical personality. In plays like Salvation Road we have realistic characters that are embodied by characters and actors who can look at the real world and embody that, rather than do something you wouldn’t see on the streets of an everyday life.

Q & A: Salvation Road: Brendan Murphy