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Theater from the Inside Out: Interview with JP Dunphy, multi-talented actor, singer, and dancer

3/25/2016

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Kyle Segarra as Bernstein, JP Dunphy as rough Tattoo Artist in DOGFIGHT. Photo by Maura McConnell.
JP Dunphy is an up-and-coming actor, singer, and dancer in the Philadelphia area who swam against the stream of expectations early in his life when he did not follow in the footsteps of his famous Temple University basketball coach father. Multi-talented as JP is, he stands out onstage while, at the same time, he blends in as a great ensemble player. He is currently playing numerous roles in the Media production of DOGFIGHT, the 2012 musical, directed by Jesse Cline and with choreography by Dann Dunn.
The angry young men in DOGFIGHT have big dreams to kill the enemy overseas and return to New York for a glorious ticker tape parade, but instead many of them are wounded or killed in action. The survivors come back home with deeply seated angst and severe PTSD, unprepared for life that follows, including being spit at by flower girls in San Francisco.
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JP Dunphy, gentleman.
​Henrik Eger: When was the first time that you, as the son of Fran Dunphy, Temple University’s famous basketball coach, realized that you were not a basketball player but an actor, singer, and songwriter?

JP Dunphy: I knew I wanted to be an actor even before I held my first basketball at the age of four. When I was even younger, around age 3, I would watch Disney movies and sing along all the time. Mom even got me the sing-along Disney VHS tapes. I used to sing “A Whole New World” and “One Jump” from Aladdin with my best friend Lara Turner. My mom made those songs into a show and filmed it on our huge, heavy, old video camera. This was the first time I knew that I loved being in the spotlight and on camera. My love of the stage and performing only grew from there.

Eger: How did your parents respond when they realized you wanted to go professional?

​Dunphy: I’m sure they reacted like every other parent would: “It won’t be an easy life” and “Are you sure?” I was even told, “You should really look into another line of work and do acting as your second job.” Don’t get me wrong, my parents are very supportive of my work as an actor. But, I’d be lying if I said they didn’t push the alternative “better money making way of life” on me. Maybe it’s my Irish nature, or maybe it’s just my passion, but I don’t think giving up acting will ever be an option for me.
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JP Dunphy as Corny Collins in HAIRSPRAY, Media Theatre.
Eger: What would you say were your three most important roles and why?

Dunphy: Frankie in Forever Plaid, first with the Ambler Players and more recently with the Media Theatre, because of the nature of the show: no breaks, no breathers, just an hour and a half of straight fun and tight four-part harmonies. Blending with three other voices isn’t an easy task ever. If you can pull off seven shows a week of Forever Plaid and hold those harmonies like a well-oiled machine, then you can do any show that involves harmonizing beyond a simple duet standpoint.
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Second would be Corny Collins from Hairspray, because it was the first time it opened up the opportunity for me to play a leading man. And most recently, my multiple roles in Dogfight: the lounge singer, a Marine Corps Sergeant, an arrogant waiter, a guy on the bus, and even a tattoo artist. I love acting as ONE person playing MULTIPLE characters. It’s a rare opportunity for an actor to portray a whole host of people on stage.  Often within seconds, I have to change characters and have them be recognizably different. Pulling that off, like Johnny Depp, who can play many different character types, is one of the greatest signs of a skilled actor. The Media Theatre gave me that great opportunity for both these musicals.

Eger: Together with two other successful Philadelphia actors—Jeff Coon and Fran Prisco, and a whole host of well-known American guest artists—you gave an amazing performance in Cape May, NJ, so much so that it wasn’t easy to get tickets, and more sold-out shows followed after that. What did you learn from those experiences as a concert singer and entertainer?

​Dunphy: Work with the Summer Club with Jeff Coon and Fran Prisco showed me that there are many fantastic theatre artists out there. The number of talented performers and musicians that come and go through our shows puts Broadway on pause, while keeping the flame of big band music alive and well. Working all the musicality of a big band experience into my own performance challenged me, but having an amazing band behind me made my job infinitely easier. Involving a live audience, especially those who already had seen the show a few times, and still making each performance new and exciting for them is a really tough challenge. But I believe we have done just that, as witnessed by the ever-growing number of fans and regulars who have come to see the show for the last three years. Even the noobs have to be won over.
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JP Dunphy, Jeff Coon, Fran Prisco, and Larry Lees at SUMMERFEST Cape May, NJ.
Eger: You have a large following of people from the Greater Philadelphia area who can’t get enough of your amazing performances at the Media Theatre. Tell us more about your experiences in working with Jesse Cline, the artistic director.

Dunphy: Jesse is an amazing and rare man to work with. I’ve been fortunate enough to get hired by him as often as I have. He has shown me that adaptability is key in making things work. Jesse is smart enough to not only share his input, but he always asks the actors “What do YOU think?” He allows a blending of his vision and the actors’s intuition to make each scene stand out on stage.

Eger: What distinguishes Dann Dunn, the choreographer, from other professional dancers with whom you have worked in the past?

Dunphy: Dann Dunn has one of the most memorable choreographic teaching styles I’ve ever come across. His professionalism and diligence makes it hard to not get each and every dance move, sharp and fluid, into your body in no time. Better yet, his choreo stays with the dancers. To this day, I can still do the entire Encore Finale from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, from years ago. Why? Dann just has a way of making you remember, regardless of your past education in dance or movement. If I ever start my own theatre company, I’d want Dann Dunn on my team.

Eger: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you and your work?

Dunphy: I love acting, living, traveling, dogs, my wonderful, amazing, and gorgeous better half, and, of course, my supportive family. Honestly, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. But as lucky as I am, I’m driven to get my name into your home, either through stage, music, or movies. Basically, I want to become the Johnny Depp of Theatre. I want to be the guy yours kids want to be like, a role model, helper, and friend to everyone.

​Eger: Great. I know that your mother is happy with what she started many years ago when she turned your singing into a show. I now wonder what your dad tells his basketball players. Will they come and see Dogfight? They would not regret it. 
​

Dogfight runs March 9-27, 2016, at the Media Theatre [104 E State St., Media, PA]: Musical direction by Chris Ertelt, costumes by Katie Yamaguchi, scenic design by Matthew Miller, lighting design by Greg Solomon, and sound design by Carl Park. Box Office: (610) 891-0100. mediatheatre.org. Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes, with an intermission.​
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‘A Caveman with a Brain and a Heart’: An Interview with Vince Valentine From ‘Defending the Caveman’

3/21/2016

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by Henrik Eger​

Defending the Caveman
, an informal study of psychology, sociology, and pre-history, is the longest running one-man-show in Broadway history. Written and originally performed by Rob Becker in 1981, it became so successful that it is being performed by more than 50 actors in 45 different countries. The actors not only look the part and can act like modern cavemen, but also have the skill of stand-up comedians who interact with a wide range of audiences and make them feel good about themselves and their given roles in life—as men or women.
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Vince Valentine. Photo courtesy of the ‘Defending the Caveman’ website.
​Vince Valentine, a brawny Philadelphia actor of many years, has toured the US performing such productions as The Soapranos, Joey and Maria’s Italian Wedding, and The Godfathers’ Meshuggener Wedding, and NBC 10! Live. He also appeared at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival as a member of the sketch comedy troupe Skitzoids. Vince is in pre-production for a South Philly cheesesteak fable, As Youse Like It. On May 14, 2016, he will be “Cavemanning” at The Hanover Theatre in Wooster, MA. 

Henrik: Tell us about the evolution of the Defending the Caveman (DTC) show.

Vince: I’m constantly trying to bring something new to a performance. I was told by my acting teacher, and great friend, Bill Primavera, “You can never repeat a performance. You can only repeat the process that takes you there. So, if you’re living in the moment, every moment on stage, your work will constantly help you find something new to bring to the performance.”  I’ve been blessed with excellent Jedi-like training. Carol Fox Prescott, another acting teacher, once told me, “You have one job, to seek the joy of your own experience.” I hope I am doing that every time I step on stage.

How were you chosen?

Funny story. I was in an interactive improv show called the Soapranos. A cast mate, Kim McCall Arber, had joined the touring company for Menopause, The Musical. She heard through the grapevine that they were auditioning Caveman. One trip to NYC, and I was hired soon after.
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​What it was like working with the playwright or the DTC producer?

Todd Grove, the DTC producer, was in my corner from day one. He auditioned me, hired me, and then trained me. I was the fifth caveman hired and the other Cavemen were more than welcoming to me. We have this unique brotherhood. We support each other and have each other’s back all the time.

If I understand it correctly, you had to follow the script, but you and your Caveman colleagues were also given the freedom to improvise by bringing in local and personal aspects.

Yes, we are encouraged to make it our own, so we elected our own cave wives’ names and, as you saw, I added the local sports teams into the vernacular.

At the same time, are there any restrictions on you and all the other actors who perform DTC around the world? 

Well, in those shows, one cannot have ANY hostility towards women whatsoever. The audience can sense it IMMEDIATELY. When speaking in your cave wife’s voice, you CANNOT portray her with a high-pitched, stereotypical, nagging wife attitude. She can get mad, but not to the point where you’re talking down to or degrading her.

In most scripted plays, the actors say the same thing night after night. However, in this production of DTC, you ask questions of the audience. You listen to them intently, and you respond.

True. I talk for two hours with the Caveman every night. However, most of the time I like to listen and ask questions. Frankly, I enjoy interacting with the audience, learning something new almost every performance.

How important are live audiences to you, especially for stand-up comedy? 

The Arts, as a common denominator, bring us all together, especially the stand-up comedy community. Frankly, it takes a lot of work to get to see a performance. It’s a process—booking the tickets, picking your seats, getting a baby sitter, in some instances even putting away money every week to save up for the tickets, etc. It’s not easy. However, it’s really easy to be entertained these days by clicking on Netflix and binge-watching Fuller House in your pajamas, whereas a theater audience has made a great effort to get there and support your art—and as artists, we must honor that.

How are you, as a professional actor, supporting the arts in the area?

I try to get out and support the arts as much as possible—not just colleagues that are in productions or doing a tight 10 at a local comedy club, but everybody—[by] spreading the word to get people who might just want to rent a movie from Redbox and order a Papa John’s pizza to get out there. I tell them, “It’s worth the effort. Trust me.”

Stage actors in general and stand-up comedians in particular often have a following of friends and supporters. Tell us more about those relationships.

A lot of people have helped me along the way, but they’ve asked for nothing in return, nothing. Giving back–to me, and many of my colleagues—is important. I try my best to return the generosity.
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Vince Valentine in ‘Defending the Caveman.’ Photo courtesy of his fb page.
It’s not easy to define success. How do you measure and evaluate the creative endeavors in your life as an actor? 

I never compare myself to other actors and what they have done or are doing. We are all on our own paths, and I think success is about being happy. I am the happiest caveman on the planet. If it all stops tomorrow, I have had a great run. Frankly, I never would’ve thought that I would be doing a show like Defending the Caveman.

Given the show’s overarching theme of a stereotypical male, a modern caveman if you wish, how aware, sensitive, and empathetic are you in your own life? 

Oh, I am very aware. I am a fan of women. My mom always asked me, “How do you think that person feels?” I can remember vividly, in 3rd grade, when a new kid came into our class. And there it was, my mom’s voice asking me, “How would you feel being the new kid, in a new town, in a new school?” So I took it upon myself to make him feel welcome. The same thing happened in high school.

Thankfully, I’ve been surrounded by strong, smart, funny women my whole life. Thanks to my mom, my aunts, my grandmothers, my sister-in-law, and all my female cousins and female friends, I am armed with a love and respect for women. They are the glue that holds the family together. If it wasn’t for them, the guys in my family would be sitting around watching the Eagles games and wondering why there isn’t any food left in the fridge.

My dad and my uncles taught by example to respect the women in our lives. My grandpop, at 82 years old, still opened the car door for my grandmother and helped her on with her coat. My family taught me that ALL relationships are give and take. I hate to even use the word “take”—it’s more like “receive graciously.” No one is keeping score. You do because you want to do—out of love.
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Vince Valentne in ‘Defending the Caveman.’ Photo courtesy of his fb page.
​Share one thing with the readers about you that only your best friends know. 

I am not actually the slob that I portray in Caveman. There is no way I would wear dirty clothes out of the hamper. My place is immaculate. I even eat most of my meals with cloth napkins at home. And I know that Steve Madden [the footwear fashion designer] is not John Madden’s brother [the former NFL player and winning Super Bowl-winning coach]. 
Is there anything else you would like to share?

I would just suggest for everyone to support the arts as much as possible, no matter what it is. Not only will it help artists to put food on their tables, but it allows creative persons to express themselves. There’s a famous quote by Winston Churchill. When asked to cut arts funding in favor of the war effort, he replied: “Then what are we fighting for?” That sums it up for me.

Just think what the world would be like if the artists ran the world.

Defending the Caveman by Rob Becker with Vince Valentine plays at The Hanover Theatre, in Wooster, MA, on May 14, 2016.

For the interview originally published by DCMetroTheaterArts, click here.
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