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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mix saw thousands of dollars go down the drain when water didn't ... Fake grass offers real water savings ... Hosler Dam siren test due Monday ... Mix saw thousands of dollars go down the drain when water didn't ... Fake grass offers real water savings ... Hosler Dam siren test due Monday ... BACKSTAGE Community actors balance day jobs, stage life Comment By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings Posted Apr. 1, 2015 at 5:01 PM By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings Posted Apr. 1, 2015 at 5:01 PM » Social News Judith Rosen and Don Matthews recently performed together in a charming production of Neil Simon’s “Same Time Next Year” at the Randall Theatre in Medford. Both actors have played in numerous productions at theaters throughout the Rogue Valley. Both actors have successful full-time careers. Matthews is classical music director and host at Jefferson Public Radio and a voice instructor at Southern Oregon University. Rosen is development director of the Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team and writer/dramaturg for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We met at Liquid Assets in Ashland. This is a first of a two-part column. EH: Were you in theater before you came to Ashland? JR: As a child, yes. People often come from one of two directions. They’re the constant exhibitionists and performers or, as I was, excruciatingly shy. So I could hide in a role and do things I could never do (as myself) in public. As you mature a bit, you realize that you can’t hide in a role. DM: You’re actually exposing yourself more than hiding. JR: In the beginning it was definitely a place to do things that I could not do in my own persona. Then I was in academia for a chunk of time. When I moved here, I wanted to get up on skis, learn to read biblical Hebrew, and get back to some acting. DM: For me, I graduated from high school and went to college with the idea of becoming a performer in opera. We met at a reading of a play called “Bodies” at the Camelot Theatre. The play was about two couples, who had each slept with the other’s spouse, and the consequence of that cross-relationship. At one point, Judith unleashed this verbose torrent upon her hapless partner, and I thought, “This is interesting. I want to get to know this woman better.” Then I saw her in the production of “The Rainmaker”; this was a woman that we would recognize today as having a strong will and a strong mind. It showed a sense of humor as well as passion. That, for me, was really something. EH: How do you manage acting and working full time? DM: The balance of being employed full time and trying feed that other part of the soul can stretch the hours of the day and can stress the voice. Sometimes when I get up at 5 in the morning, I think, “Why am I doing this?” EH: Judith, how was your experience performing in “Death of a Salesman” at the Randall Theatre? JR: You get to the end of a work day, and you’re exhausted. Then you have an emotionally wrenching play to do. And we would all look at each other and say, “I don’t know how we can possibly do this.” And then we would step on stage and speak those words, and you were so glad, lucky to be able to speak them. That would carry you through. As a non-professional, when you get to do that kind of thing with a good solid cast, you just feel lucky. DM: And you’re bringing your own weight (The fact that we’re running; we come home; we wolf down dinner; we’re exhausted; we’re not professionals). We zip up to the theater. We have thrown together costumes and make-up. We do the best we can within those limitations. DM: It’s a complicated thing. To communicate the success of the play, whether it’s great literature or just OK, and to have the responsibility of knowing that you don’t know who you’re touching and how you’re touching them. Because it takes both actor and audience member, it’s the communication that makes it work. Evalyn Hansen is a writer and director living in Ashland. She trained as an actor at the American Conservatory Theatre and is a founding member of San Francisco's Magic Theatre. Reach her at [email protected]. By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings Posted Apr. 1, 2015 at 5:01 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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